MATHILDA AND THE ORANGE BALLOON
Adapted from the book MATHILDA AND THE ORANGE BALLOON © 2010, produced in collaboration with Jess Kaufman
How can a small sheep become a big orange balloon?
With a lot of imagination and determination - anything is possible!
Mathilda is a little grey sheep in a little grey world. Her herd is content to munch clovers, but Mathilda’s mind is full of questions. When an orange balloon makes a surprise appearance on the farm, Mathilda discovers there is more to who she is than being a grey sheep!
As she explores what it means to be orange, Mathilda leads us all on a journey of self-discovery and the joys of self-expression. With a diverse cast of Deaf and hearing actors, Mathilda’s tactile, fully realised world is welcoming and fully accessible to Deaf and hearing children and families through the use of spoken English, sign language, and creative captions and animation.
The show is suitable for children aged 3-8 and their families.
★★★★ “Great creativity and imagination” West End Wilma
Mathilda and the Orange Balloon will be touring again in Autumn 2021 with the addition of integrated audio description. Every performance will be ‘relaxed’. For booking enquiries please contact erin (at) dhensemble.com
Images by David Monteith-Hodge www.photographise.com
Mathilda and the Orange Balloon is an international collaboration produced with US Artist Jess Kaufman based on the popular children’s book by Randall de Sève.
The Research & Development period was supported by Sheffield Theatres / Ramps on the Moon. Our 2019 tour was supported by Arts Council England and the lovely generous individuals who donated through our crowdfunding campaign.
Creative Team:
Performed by Hermon Berhane, Adam Jay-Price and Mia Ward. Research and Development with Hermon Berhane, Stephen Collins and Erin Siobhan Hutching.
Directed by Jennifer K. Bates
Additional direction: Stephen Collins (Stephen will be Co-Director for the 2021 production)
Playwright Jess Kaufman (Devised with The DH Ensemble)
Creative Producers Erin Siobhan Hutching and Jess Kaufman
BSL Translation and Consultancy by Jean St Clair
Set Design and Illustrations by Jo Sargeant
Movement by Jennifer Fletcher
Lighting design and projection design by Rachel Sampley (with Phil Massingham)
Sound design by Jess Kaufman and Aaron Barker
Outside eyes Peter Glanville, Rachel Barnett
Photography and Videography by David Monteith-Hodge
Clowning workshop Jon Davison
Audio Description Consultancy Chloe Phillips (integrated AD to be developed for the 2021 tour)
BSL interpreters Susan Booth, Beverley Wilson, Stephen Hudson, Chris Curran, Sophie Allen, Jo Ross