The Chalk Giants

‘The Chalk Giants’, a Norwich Puppet Theatre and Indefinite Articles co-production funded by an Arts Council England Grant through the National Lottery, opens on Saturday 24 July. This major new show takes two traditional English folk tales, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and ‘Jack the Giant Killer’, as a starting point for a captivating new story told using chalk, puppetry, poetry, music and film. The Chalk Giants runs at Norwich Puppet Theatre until Tuesday 3 August (see Notes to Editors) before showing at the Edinburgh Festival in August as part of the East to Edinburgh scheme. It goes on tour to schools and other venues across the East of England this autumn. There are still some tickets available for performances at Norwich Puppet Theatre in July and early August (see Notes to Editors for dates, times and box office details).

The epic tale begins in the present with a film of puppeteers Sally Brown and Steve Tiplady and musician Jonathan Lambert on a nature walk at Hunstanton as they invite the audience to come with them on a tour through the ancient landscape of England. The production uses film shot at significant sites along the chalk escarpment which traverses southern England to tell parts of the story and to bring the landscape to life. The line runs from Hunstanton to Thetford (Peddars Way), along the Icknield Way to Wiltshire and down to Dorset (The Ridgeway). This prehistoric route for transporting goods, particularly flint, includes many ancient sites such as Stonehenge, the ‘White Horse of Uffington’ and the ‘Cerne Abbas Giant’, where the tale ends.

The production has been inspired by chalk:

“We take materials as the starting point for telling a story. In the past, we have used clay, string, oil and dust. This time we were inspired to use chalk because it offered us the exciting potential to explore ideas about mark-making and the use of the drawn line for dramatic expression. It also defined the landscape that Steve grew up in; the wonderfully named Gog Magog chalk hills in Cambridgeshire” – Sally Brown and Steve Tiplady, Indefinite Articles.

The Chalk Giants begins with the creation of Jack, a puppet drawn in chalk which magically comes to life, and the discovery of some beans that are, of course, also made from chalk. At first, this appears to be the familiar tale of Jack and the Bean Stalk but soon it becomes apparent that there is a twist to the tale. Jack kills Blunderbog Cormoran, the giant at the top of the beanstalk, and begins a quest to rid England of giants. A fun, fast and furious tale ensues with Jack slaying giants across the land. However, is Jack the hero of the day? Blunderbog’s distraught wife and a wonderfully sensitive narrative leave the audience to decide.

The new production combines chalk together with shadow puppetry, a toy theatre, rod puppets, pre-recorded and live film, to give a cutting-edge contemporary performance of a traditional tale steeped in legend and imbued with a sense of England’s past. Guyanese-born poet, John Agard, has been specially commissioned to write a collection of narrative poems, dialogues and scenes, which are threaded through the story and add another layer of richness to the show. The Chalk Giants is beautifully augmented with music by Jonathan Lambert. The folk-influenced musical accompaniment adds vibrancy and an additional dimension to the production. Jonathan performs his compositions on clarinet, bamboo flute, and appropriately, a xylophone made from stone. Ancient lithophone sounds from a cave at Skiddaw in the Lake District are woven in and there are songs ideal for audience participation.

Nic Hopkins, Chair of the Board, Norwich Puppet Theatre said:
“We are delighted to have received funding for this new production. It marks the beginning of a new chapter at Norwich Puppet Theatre. Following core funding cuts in 2008, as experienced across the arts sector, the theatre has been reshaping itself, programming high quality puppetry and offering a wide range of educational activities. Our vision is to produce once more, high quality puppetry productions for regional audiences to enjoy. This will re-establish Norwich on the map as a centre for puppetry excellence – The Chalk Giants is our first step along this road. We hope people will support our latest venture and come along to see The Chalk Giants this summer!” -