Ken Livingstone taken hostage as part of Kids Court

Published on Fri 28 Jun 2013
Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone will be held hostage by a group of young playwrights aged 8-11, when they take over the Royal Court Theatre this summer (17-20 July) with a week of plays, workshops and special events.

PRESS RELEASE

KIDS TAKE OVER AT ROYAL COURT THEATRE

Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone will be held hostage by a group of young playwrights aged 8-11, when they take over the Royal Court Theatre this summer (17-20 July) with a week of plays, workshops and special events.

In the final week of new Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone’s Open Court – a six week festival of plays and ideas suggested by a group of over 140 writers, the Royal Court grown-up writers will be handing the keys to a group of much younger writers, aged between 8-11, who are hot on their heels.

Ken Livingstone will be taking part in the VIP Hostage event on Wednesday 17 July, when a panel of children will have the chance put a famous name in the hot seat to answer the burning questions of the day.

Ken Livingstone said:
“I’m delighted to be part of Kids Court and very proud to be their chosen VIP hostage. I’ve faced some tough interviewers in my time as Mayor of London, but this could be my most challenging yet. It’ll be very interesting to see what questions they throw at me and I’m very much looking forward to it.”

The same children, from local primary schools, will also be able to watch their plays brought alive by a cast of professional actors on the Royal Court stage in Primetime on 19 & 20 July. The plays were developed as part of the Royal Court’s Young Writers Festival and Peckham Playwrights Project in 2012 and include:

The Magic Wig by Isabelle Kennedy- Grimes
The Flying Boy by Joseph Burke-Gaffney
London, We Have a Problem by Jack Franco
Cat or What? by Eva Kerslake-Blue
Journey to Food Paradise by JoseLuis Aquino-Mejia
Mason’s Journey by Naseem Charrat
Baby Sister by Ruby David-Pimlott
Sports Day Life Saver by Anya Davies
Ella and the Minotaur by Florence Adrian
The Sweet Shop by Lucas Ferrar
The Delinquent and the Nerd by Sultan Odukoya
The Origin of Bad Guy Rope by Temidayo Abayomi-Joseph

On Tuesday 16 July, the Royal Court staff will have a night off in Upfront, when primary school aged children will staff the Royal Court for one evening, on the Box Office, Front of House ushering and in the cloakroom and will be giving backstage tours on 20 July.

Other events in Kids Court include In a Minute on 17 July, where the Royal Court worked with a local school to create one minute plays to be performed live in the café bar, a young writers workshop lead by Vivienne Franzmann and a Family Writing Workshop lead by playwright Nick Payne and a Family Play in a Day, run by John Donnelly on 20 July, creating a show from scratch in a day.

All tickets available from the Box Office 0207 565 5000 www.royalcourttheatre.com
-ends –

Notes to Editors:

Primary Schools taking part:
Fairlawn Primary School, Lewisham
Snowfields Primary School, Southwark
St Francis Catholic Primary School, Southwark
Alfred Salter Primary School, Southwark
Burdett-Coutts Primary School, Westminster
St. Peter’s Eaton Square, Westminster
Ashburnham Community School, Kensington and Chelsea.
Holy Trinity C of E Primary School , Kensington and Chelsea.
Our Lady of Victories Roman Catholic Primary School, Kensington and Chelsea.

Listings Information:
OPEN COURT: KIDS COURT
Tue 16 – Sat 20 July 2013

KIDS COURT: Primetime
Fri 19 July 5pm & Sat 20 July 11am
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Age Guidance 5+ (Under 14 must be accompanied by an adult)
Tickets: Adults: £10, Children (Under 16): £5

Ten short plays written by 8-11 year olds for the Royal Court’s Young Writers Festival 2012 and the Peckham Young Playwrights Project. Performed as productions in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs by a company of professional actors.

KIDS COURT: In a Minute
Wed 17 July 4pm
Royal Court Theatre Café Bar, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Age Guidance 5+ (Under 14 must be accompanied by an adult)
Tickets: Free. Not bookable in advance

Working with a local school, young people aged 8-11 will take part in a project to write a one minute play. The final plays will be performed in the Royal Court Café Bar.

KIDS COURT: Happy Hour – Writing Workshop – Introduction to Playwriting
Wed 17 & Thurs 18 July 5-6pm
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Age Guidance 8-11 years
Tickets: £5 (includes entry to VIP Hostage)

A playwriting workshop for young people aged 8-11 years old, run by playwright Vivienne Franzmann.

KIDS COURT: Happy Hour -VIP Hostage
Wed 17 & Thurs 18 July 6.15pm – 7pm
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Age Guidance 8-11 years
Tickets: £5

A panel of children will have the chance to take the famous person of their choice hostage, putting them in the hot seat to answer their burning questions.

KIDS COURT: Family Play Day – Family Play in a Day
Saturday 20 July 10am-5pm. (Public Sharing at 5.30pm)
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Age Guidance 7+
Tickets: £5 for family workshop. Free for performance at 5.30pm

Families will have the chance to create a play in a day, in a workshop led by Playwright John Donnelly. At the end of the day, there will be a chance to perform their new work in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs.

KIDS COURT: Family Play Day – Family Writing Workshop
Saturday 20 July 3.30pm-5pm
The Wilson Studio, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Age Guidance 8-11
Tickets: £5

A playwriting workshop for young people aged 8-11 years old and their families, run by writer Nick Payne.

KIDS COURT: Family Play Day – Backstage Tours by Young Writers aged 8-11
Saturday 20 July 1pm, 2pm and 3pm
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Age Guidance 7+
Tickets: Free (but ticketed)

Audiences will have the chance to take a trip around the Royal Court Theatre in a guided tour by young people aged 8-11.

For more information, please contact Anna Evans on 0207 565 5063 annaevans@royalcourttheatre.com

Notes to Editors:

Open Court is supported by

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