Two male penguins from New York’s Central Park Zoo will come to life this month in a magical show for children at the Lyric Theatre.
Starring performers Olivia Van Niekerk (Surrey), Dom Coffey (Manchester) and Osian Meilir (Pentre’r Bryn, Wales), Penguins is the true story of Roy and Silo – two male Chinstrap penguins who discover a heart-warming adventure into parenthood.
Created and produced by Cahoots NI, Northern Ireland’s leading children’s theatre company, Penguins is an engaging show for young audiences exploring friendship, fun, identity and the ever-changing meaning of family.
Creator and director of Penguins is Paul Bosco Mc Eneaney, one of the founders and Artistic Director of Cahoots NI.
He said: “Just like other penguins pairs at Central Park Zoo Roy and Silo walk, play, swim and dance together.
“But when they decide to try and hatch a rock in place of an egg, they find themselves on an adventure that could mean raising a chick for real.
“Penguins is a really heart-warming and uplifting story and very visual piece of theatre with beautiful music and some wonderful magic for young audiences and their families.
“At the heart of the show is a message about love and what family means and I hope it will leave a lasting impression.”
Running at The Lyric from December 18-22 Penguins is a beautiful non-verbal show bringing the art of dance, magic and creative expression to the stage.
Aimed at families, schools and community group audiences of age 3+ the show is running daytime performances at 11am and 1pm each day with an evening show on Thursday December 19 at 6pm.
Paul added: “Whilst the show is suitable for ages 3+ we’ve found all ages enjoy the story. At Cahoots NI we are committed to producing high quality, bold, innovative productions for children and their families which, like Penguins, combine dance, magic, illusion, physical theatre and original music.
“The show is currently running in Birmingham Repertory Theatre until December 14 and then after the Lyric Theatre we’ll embark on a US tour in 2020.”
The Penguins team also includes choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra (Gran Canaria), Ballycastle composer Garth McConaghie, set and costume designer Sabine Dargent (France), lighting designer Simon Bond (London).
This project is supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Caoileann Curry-Thompson, Arts Development Officer for Drama and Dance, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “The multi award-winning, internationally acclaimed, Cahoots NI, continue to offer audiences world-class children’s theatre with their show, Penguins, at the Lyric Theatre this December. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted to support this terrific production which will be enjoyed by many, helping to bring great art to everyone.”
Tickets for Penguins at The Lyric Theatre are £8-£12 and available from lyrictheatre.co.uk/event/penguins
For more information go to cahootsni.com or follow Cahoots NI on social media. #PenguinsTour #CahootsNI