Two new commissions for the 2025 Children’s Festival
Two new shows have just been commissioned which will open at the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival in May 2025 and go on tour across Scotland. Both productions are a treat for the eyes and full of humour and explore themes such as fitting in, friendship and multi-culturalism. The commissions will reach audiences beyond the Festival with touring venues confirmed in Aberdeen, Paisley, Glasgow and Inverness.
- Tongue Twister is one man’s attempt to say tongue twisters in as many different languages as possible. Whilst also trying to dance. And play live music. And do all the costume changes without leaving the stage. A delight for the eyes and ears, this humorous and colourful show is a celebration of the musical beauty of language for children aged 6-12 yrs. Tongue Twister’s creator and performer Greg Sinclair is a performance artist, composer and cellist from Edinburgh.
- The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl is the fantastical and touching story of two outsiders – a girl who wants to be a monster and a boy who wants to fly. Exploring the universal yearning to belong and sharing the joy of friendship, this is a breathtaking and visually stunning aerial show for children aged 9-15 yrs. Co-creators and performers Vee Smith and Sadiq Ali are contemporary circus artists based in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Tongue Twister is produced by Scottish Theatre Producers, in partnership with Aberdeen Performing Arts, in association with Kloden Teater and supported by North Edinburgh Arts. The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl is produced by Catherine Wheels Theatre Company, in association with National Theatre of Scotland and supported by Assembly. Both commissions are supported through the Scottish Government's Festivals Expo Fund.
Children’s Festival Director Noel Jordan said:
“When Greg Sinclair first shared his short film ‘Seashells’ with me I genuinely laughed out loud. Together with costume designer, Alison Brown, Greg had crafted eight highly visual characters delivering tongue twisters in eight different languages. The film was screened on a loop at our 2023 and 2024 festivals and family audiences agreed: the work was joyous. How you then transform this into a live production with multiple costume changes and multiple languages is the task ahead of Greg and his collaborators and I for one can’t wait to see what promises to be hysterical results.
Vee Smith and Sadiq Ali were our 2023 Accelerator artists. Over the course of a year this dynamic circus team explored the development of a new work for young audiences about friendship, otherness and living your true self. Sadiq had previously captivated family audiences with a Chinese pole duet at our Family Day in 2023. His ability to explore clear themes of friendship and bonding through circus skill was genuinely moving. Together, Vee and Sadiq’s first work for young audiences promises high level risk, great visuals with an authentic heart.”