Floral Pavilion searching for wartime evacuees to talk about “Horrible History”

Aug 19 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

THE Floral Pavilion wants Wirral News readers to help bring history to life at the Floral Pavilion next month.

The New Brighton theatre is staging two productions of Horrible Histories, based on Terry Deary’s popular children’s books and TV series.

The shows cover the “Frightful First World War” and “Woeful Second World War”.

The first play tells the story of 13-year-old Angelica Taylor who, while struggling with her history homework, gets sucked into her computer and stuck in the Horrible Histories website until she has travelled through the five years of the First World War.

The second follows two children, Alf and Sally, who are evacuated from Coventry to Wales – only to encounter rotten rations, scary schools and even scarier new parents!

The Floral Pavilion is hoping to follow each performance by arranging for school children to meet with people who lived through the evacuation experience.

Neal Foster, head of producers the Birmingham Stage Company, said: “Deary speaks to children in a way they enjoy. He’s very good at finding gory and horrible facts which children love.

“But these new productions, commissioned by us, are also very moving and sensitive.

“There is the wartime black humour and Deary’s trademark strange things, but they also bring home to children what it was like to be there,

“We’ve found they appeal as much to adults as children, some of whom come without youngsters.”

Everyone who attends will be given a pair of Bogglevision Goggles, allowing them to see the 3D objects – including the bombs and flames engulfing Coventry – which will fly out of the giant video screen on stage.

If you were evacuated during the Second World War and would like to join the question and answer session call Alistair Armit, audience development manager at the Floral Pavilion, on 606 2981.

Performances are from Tuesday, September 15 to Saturday, September 19. Tickets are £14 from the box office on 666 0000 or www.floralpavilion.com