Birmingham’s community arts festival Little but LIVE! is to return to Moseley Park for the fourth year running.
The “family-friendly” festival will present a new, Birmingham-inspired version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Birmingham-based company Paperback Theatre is behind the production, with its founders George Attwell Gerhards adapting and Lucy Bird directing.
They are working with composer Steve McCourt to produce original songs inspired by the sounds of Birmingham. The company has also collaborated with Queensbridge school, running a songwriting workshop, and will use ideas from it to inspire the original music in the festival.
The adaptation follows Dot, a young Brummie in the care system, exploring what it means to be a young person today and what “home” means for those living outside original family set-ups.
“We revel in giving a new slant to much-loved stories,” said Bird. “We’ve brought theatre from Shakespeare to Wind in the Willows to new audiences with energy, imagination and wit.
“What better way to entertain than to take people along the yellow brick road through Moseley Park as Dot, the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow find themselves in Brum.”
Little but LIVE! runs from Friday 22 until Sunday 24 September. Performances of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz will take place each day.
Reporter:Steve Orme