Magical children's show brings The Hidden Garden to life on stage at Leeds Playhouse

Two people on a stage set to look like a busy garden. One is sitting on a stool reading a book about gardening to the other, who is sitting on a low box.

A theatrical tale for children celebrating the magic of gardening, community and friendship is set to blossom in the Bramall Rock Void at Leeds Playhouse on 2-4 November.

The Hidden Garden by Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah (The Blahs) is a heartwarming celebration of how gardening brings communities together and breathes new life into abandoned places. The production will come alive using mechanical elements to create the seasonal transformations that will magically take place in front of audiences.

Director Deborah Pakkar-Hull said:

Integrating mechanical elements allows us to tell this tale in a way that will hopefully inspire curiosity and delight from our audiences.

We want them to be fascinated by how we make the seasonal changes that occur in gardens happen.

The story follows a curious boy as he discovers a garden on wasteland hidden amongst the concrete high-rises and redbrick buildings of his home town. It’s a place bursting with colour where flowers, fruits and vegetables come to life in every corner and are planted in unusual objects. He meets the man who created this little paradise to brighten up the grey and to feed those for whom hunger is never far away. Over time a friendship grows alongside the garden as the man teaches the boy how to grow food and the boy returns his kindness with friendship. But as the garden comes under threat, what will happen to their sanctuary?

The Blahs worked with schools, Trees for Cities, Grow to School, and Mafwa Theatre Company to develop the show. Mafwa brings refugees, asylum seekers and settled communities together using the arts to create work that celebrates our similarities and differences.

Deborah said:

We are not in the business of telling stories for, but with children. It was really important to us that the boy reflected the real-life experiences that many children have, and the way in which they see the world, but also that we pitch the humour and playful elements at a level that children will enjoy. We took a similar approach to creating the character of the man, working with people and communities with experiences of displacement and sanctuary-seeking, thinking carefully about how we frame these sensitive issues and inviting groups to give feedback on work in-progress.

There are so many different ways in which you can experience this show; a joyful story of friendship and fun; a hopeful tale that shines light on some difficult issues; a story in which audiences can see something of themselves, but always playful, beautifully made and uplifting.

The cast includes Ché Tligui as the boy and Pardip Kumar as the man.

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