Moonsmile
A Goofus Theatre Production
Aimed at ages 5-11
Friendship can be anywhere!
Our story starts with a lonely museum Caretaker, who loses something quite dear to him. In his quest to retrieve what was lost, he finds himself on the moon where he meets the strange but loveable Moonlings. Through a ritual of trust and friendship, the Moonlings help the Caretaker restore what was lost to him.
Taking this gift back to Earth, the Caretaker rediscovers all that was hidden! Blending music with movement, puppetry, play, and mask this non-verbal performance will immerse audiences in storytelling, creating a space for imagination to thrive.
“Goofus Theatre’s Moonsmile is mesmerising. It’s as if Melies and Chaplin partnered to produced vaudevillian silent theatre, every bit as magic as that sounds, see it!”
– Jordan King – Critic/Journalist Empire magazine
“Gorgeous, fun & a whole lot of wonderful!”
– Wonder Arts
Gallery
Age Guidance
Moonsmile is aimed at ages 5-11. Our shows for this age group have storylines that can be followed by children from around age 5. They work for a wide age range and there will be elements to engage the older children, and adults, in the audience, for example music, puppetry techniques, more complex ideas, language or humour. Children under the recommended age can often enjoy the visuals but may not follow everything, and may not stay engaged. If the show contains any parts likely to be scary or upsetting for anyone, these will be mentioned in the FAQ below
This show has standard seating for our studios. There are rows with chairs and soft blocks facing the stage, and some mats on the floor at the front. There will be up to 60 people watching the show.
This isn’t an interactive show, but we always welcome vocal responses from young audiences. The audience stay in their seats while watching, but you can leave and re-enter the auditorium at any time.
This is a gentle show with nothing that is likely to scare or upset anyone. There are some very large naïve-style masks for the Moonlings, but these are friendly characters.
The show is non-verbal so can be interpreted by each audience member in their own way. The creators of the show have outlined their story in the description above, but the show can be enjoyed on different levels.
About the Company
Goofus Theatre was founded in 2012 and is a touring theatre company creating original pieces with mask, puppetry, clowning, play and music. The majority of Goofus’ work is non-verbal and aimed at audiences where theatre isn’t easily accessed for various reasons. They are a not for profit community interest company.
Goofus work in various performance settings ranging from festivals, streets, under tents, disused shops, foyers, forests, community spaces, museums, care homes, hospices, hospitals and conventional theatre spaces. We believe theatre performance should have no borders. They believe access to our style of performance is for all ages, all backgrounds, everywhere. They believe in a theatre that is mischievous, funny, strange, moving, fantastical, surreal and dreamlike.
Credits
Director – Paul Barnhill
Puppets – Oliver Bishop, Liz Walker, Gemma Bond
Music composer – Maurice Mudd
Masks by – Pierre Filliez
Producer – Jane Williams
Performed by Paul Barnhill, Oliver Bishop and Gemma Bond
Multibuy Offer on Children’s Puppet Festival events:
(exclusions apply*)
Get 10% off when you book 2 events
Get 20% off when you book 3 or more events
How it works:
Step 2
If you add a second show or family workshop to your basket 10% discount applies to both events
Step 3
If you add a third show or family workshop to your basket 20% discount applies to all events
* Puppet Placations, other Family Workshops and Adult Workshops are excluded from this offer. Offer applies only to shows or family workshops (Ice Screams! and Ahoy There! Puppet Pirates) taking place between 1st August and 1st September only. Shows and family workshops need to be booked in the same order for the discount to apply, but if you have booked in separate orders and would like to claim the discount, please contact the box office. Please note that if you book more tickets for one show or family workshop than another, the discount only applies to the number of tickets booked on all events (e.g. if you book 3 tickets for two shows and 4 for a third show, 9 tickets are discounted 20% and the extra ticket on the one show is not discounted).
August – September 2024
Little Angel Theatre’s OFFIE award winning Children’s Puppet Festival
Jam-packed with shows and workshops for all the family and adults too!
We are delighted to announce the return of our Children’s Puppet Festival which will take place across both Little Angel venues this summer from 2 August – 1 September 2024. The vibrant programme will showcase a broad range of puppetry by the most exciting UK and international companies currently making theatre for young audiences.
There will also be plenty of opportunities for everyone to take part, with workshops for families, community events, fun days for children and courses for adults to try out the craft of puppetry.
If you cannot find an available event to suit you, you can join our waiting list for sold out events here.