Image: Cotton and Wrinkle on Yellowcaigs Beach. Image by Brodie Reekie.
The magic and charm of the award-winning show for children is coming to a school in Scotland near you this Christmas
This highly visual play for 2-4-year olds about embracing the new, premiered in 2010 and has delighted over 100,000 audience members worldwide since then. White was due to continue touring in 2020 but plans were paused due to COVID-19. Now, Catherine Wheels are teaming up with D Fie Foe productions (and the stars of the show Cotton and Wrinkle aka creator Andy Manley and co-creator Ian Cameron) to make a specially-filmed version of the play, which will be offered to school and community groups to watch in their own spaces over December.
White will be filmed this month (September 2020) in a COVID-secure filming studio at Arts venue Lyra in Edinburgh with original cast members and creators Andy Manley and Ian Cameron. The performers will be working together in a closed social bubble for the duration of filming, along with Director Gill Robertson, Production Manager Emma Reid, and filmmakers from D Fie Foe.
White: The Film follows a trial in April 2020, when Catherine Wheels shared an archival filmed version of the play online over Easter weekend, which was watched by over 6,000 families around the world.
Gill Robertson, Director of White and Artistic Director of Catherine Wheels:
“It’s been a hard year for everyone – for theatre makers, and our young audiences who we know love coming to see theatre shows at Christmas. When we saw how popular the trial screening of White at Easter was, we knew that filming it properly for school groups was a good idea. Cotton and Wrinkle have been missing performing over lockdown and are looking forward to sharing their magical world with audiences once again.â€
White: The Film will be made available on YouTube for school groups across Scotland to watch for a one-off fee of £100 in December, as a treat to replace their usual visit to the theatre. School groups will also be able to download a specially-created activity pack for before the show, to get into the White Christmas spirit.
Catherine Wheels hope that by watching the play over the same short time period, children will still be able to enjoy the excitement of an upcoming theatre performance. Where permitted, groups will be encouraged to decorate their spaces and dress up in vibrant colours for the occasion.
White centres around two characters, Cotton and Wrinkle, two friends who look after the birdhouses and make sure the eggs stay safe. The world is bright, ordered and white. But high in the trees, all is not white. Colour appears. First red, then yellow, then blue. White is a playful, highly visual show for young children, and a perfect theatre experience to enjoy together. The production was originally created in 2010, by theatre makers Andy Manley and Ian Cameron and directed by Catherine Wheels’ Artistic Director Gill Robertson. Since its premiere, White has toured around the globe, delighting over 100,000 audience members in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America and has won seven awards including a Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland for Best Show for Children & Young People and a TMA Theatre Award. Catherine Wheels Theatre Company, based at Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh, are Scotland’s most prolific and celebrated children’s theatre company, having toured 31 productions since their conception in 1999. As Catherine Wheels turn 20 in 2020 and at a time when we were planning to be on tour with White, we are delighted to be bringing some fun and play to schools across Scotland.
For more information on how to book White: The Film for your school, visit the project page or email helen@catherinewheels.co.uk