THE BOY WITH WINGS
WEDNESDAY 27 AUGUST 2PM
CONTENTS
Here is a list of key information you will find inside this Access Pack. Unless stated otherwise, all photos are taken by Jake Bush and Adela Ursachi
What You Need To Know
Content Advice
Our Space Cast List
Visual Story
Thank You
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Boy With Wings is a stage adaptation of Sir Lenny Henry’ s hilarious children's book, adapted by Arvind Ethan David and directed by Daniel Bailey. There is also some singing, dancing and space rifles!
The story focusses on Tunde, an ordinary 12-year-old boy who just wants to hang out with his best friends and practice parkour, but his adoptive Ma won’t let him do anything dangerous! Tunde soon has enough of playing it safe and when his late-night freerunning goes wrong – he suddenly sprouts giant wings!
The Boy With Wings is set in the modern day and is a story about friendships, being brave and embracing our differences.
The performance will run for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes including an interval.
Recommended for children ages 7 - 12.
Themes This production contains brief themes of adoption and bullying.
CONTENT ADVICE
Lighting & Sound
We have removed flashing light effects from this production, as well as limiting loud noises where possible. But please be aware that some video and lighting effects will be present throughout the show. When you see this symbols in the ‘Visual Storyboard’ section, the scene contains...
You are invited to bring your ear defenders, dark glasses or anything else that might help you enjoy the show. Our Front of House staff will be available throughout your visit if you need any help.
OUR SPACE
Our new front door is located on Centenary Square, shown here:
Our Box Office (left) and Foyer (right) are shown here:
A Chill Out Space is available in meeting room two on the first floor. Please ask a member of staff if you would like to use this space.
CAST LIST
(writer of the original book) voices Bird
and
Jess Murrain plays Juba
Stephan Boyce plays Aaven
Mia Jerome plays Ruth
Sir Lenny Henry
Brain, Ship Computer
Suit Computer
PLEASE NOTE:
The Relaxed Performance, on Wednesday 27 August at 2pm, will be a more informal performance environment.
This means that:
Some sound and lighting levels will be reduced.
The houselights will remain on at a low level.
Auditorium doors will remain open to allow free flow in or out of the auditorium. You’re welcome to leave and return at any time.
Our front of house staff will show you where everything is and help if you have any questions
A chill-out space is available on the first floor, ask a member of staff and they can take you there.
VISUAL STORY ACT 1
Ruth, Tunde’s Mum (who ha calls Ma) is tucking him into bed. He feels a bit scared and has a sore back.
When he falls asleep he starts to have a nightmare and the Bird Chorus enter the stage. These are actors controlling puppets.
VISUAL STORY
ACT 1
The Bird Chorus sing ‘Everything is Dangerous’ and circle around Tunde. At one point during the song a character appears in a long, dark cloak.
At the end of the song, Tunde’s Ma re-appears and tucks him safely back into bed.
VISUAL STORY
ACT 1
Juba, a human sized cat, enters and starts meowing to the audience. She activates her Universal Translator, but it’s glitching and means she can only speak in Shakespearian verse!
Juba asks the audience a few questions and it’s okay to shout out your answer if you’d like to.
As Juba tells her story, we see projections of what she is describing on the screen at the back. They will look like they are cave drawings.
VISUAL STORY ACT 1
Tunde. Dev and Kylie are in the park doing parkour - Dev uses the ramps and ladders on the stage to jump, climb and roll. He jumps onto the stairs and runs around the auditorium. Whilst this is happening we will see a video projected onto the screen of Dev completing his parkour run outside.
Just as it’s Tunde’s turn, his phone rings. It’s his Ma telling him to come home.
Juba appears and asks the audience some questions, you can answer if you would like.
VISUAL STORY ACT 1
Safely back at home, Tunde’s Ma lectures him on the dangers of going outside. She wants him indoors all day eating junk food where she can see him!
Throughout the scene you can hear background noise from the television.
Tunde asks his Ma about where his Dad is, but she doesn’t really answer him.
VISUAL STORY ACT 1
Tunde is playing on a games console with his friends Dev and Kylie. As they each join the game, a bright light shines on them.
When Kylie joins she doesn't realise that Tunde can hear her and says something mean about him having ‘abandonment issues’ as his Dad is away on an extended work trip.
Kylie’s comment makes Tunde want to return to attempt the parkour run that evening.
VISUAL STORY
ACT 1
In another room, Ruth tries to make contact with Tunde’s father (who is called Aaven) through a type of space computer called a Bird Brain. She has to try and remember the password and in the process has to make lots of silly noises.
VISUAL STORY
ACT 1
When Ruth leaves, the Bird Brain reactivates and we hear a swoosh sound effect.
Smoke appears near the back of the stage and a silhouette of Aaven is visible behind the screen.
The lights will get very bright and turn blue and pink. The strip lights will sparkle and we hear ‘The Boy With Wings’ theme.
VISUAL STORY
ACT 1
Tunde, Dev and Kylie are back in the place they were practicing their parkour skills. Tunde starts the course before exiting the stage and a projection of Tunde completing his parkour run appears on the screen as if filmed through a night vision camera.
Soon Tunde loses his balance and we hear him scream, followed by a crashing sound effect. Don’t worry, he isn’t hurt! This scene ends with a blackout and feathers will drop onto the front half of the audience
VISUAL STORY ACT 1
The strip lights will pulse white and we hear a sonic boom sound effect.
When the lights come back on they will be yellow and smoke will appear. The screen lifts up to reveal Tunde with a giant pair of wings.
INTERVAL
There will now be an interval.
You can: Leave your seats to use the toilet
Buy some refreshments from the Café Bar
Use our breakout room on Level 1
Stay in your seats if you prefer
VISUAL STORY
ACT 2
When Act 2 begins, Juba appears and begins speaking in verse to Tunde, Dev and Kylie - she tells them she needs to take Tunde back to the planet Avian.
A rap battle soon begins - with Kylie spitting bars! - as she tells Juba that Tunde isn’t going with her. During the battle, the audience are encouraged to shout out, you can join in if would like to!
Juba mentions that she’ll take Tunde to his father, he agrees and goes with her, meaning she wins the rap battle.
VISUAL STORY
ACT 2
Dev and Kylie arrive at Ruth’s house and meet Aaven, Tunde’s Dad - they tell them that Tunde has gone with Juba. When Aaven asks the audience what Juba looks like, you ’ re welcome to shout out your answers if you would like to!
Aaven uses the Bird Brain to transport them all to the Furlean spaceship.
VISUAL STORY
ACT 2
Tunde is now in Juba’s spaceship called The Cat Carrier. The ship computer alerts Juba of an invader, we hear an alarm sound effect and the lights all flash red. There is a lot of haze during this moment. Everyone arrives to rescue Tunde and they all embrace.
Aaven starts shooting at Juba, as she is in fact T’nkaah, High Queen of the Furleans and they are enemies!
Tunde meets his dad for the first time.
VISUAL STORY
ACT 2
Another rap battle begins as T’nkaah explains why she pretended to be Juba.
Suddenly, the spaceship is surrounded by Furlean soldiers and Aaven and Juba start fighting each other.
Dev and Kylie start rapping again, to try to make the grown ups see the error of their ways. Tunde decides that himself, Aavan and Juba are all going to stand in the middle of the warring armies and end the fighting.
VISUAL STORY ACT 2
Back safely on earth, Tunde is considered a hero for stopping the war and is learning to live with his wings.
The show finishes with a grand finale of the song The Boy With Wings with all of the cast. They encourage the audience to join in and you ’ re welcome to sing and clap along.
The actors take their final bow - the show has now finished!