LauraLynn At The Abbey Theatre
I recently had the great good fortune to be invited to meet with six families in LauraLynn Children’s Hospice to gather information that would lead to the creation of a show. The show, titled The Invitation, starring Amelia, Cillian, Heidi, Áine, Eoghan and Darragh, was to be staged at The Abbey Theatre!!!
The somewhat-sense-making script for the story was produced through a process of smushing together family incidents and anecdotes with many of the most beloved hobbies, passions, movies, toys, songs, sports and sensory sensations of the children. I tried to smush in a way that highlighted the personalities and talents of the stars and gave each individual opportunities to be celebrated as the centre of the audience’s attention.
Here are two of the backdrops that I made… and if you scroll down further, you will find the script for the show.
This one contains references to each of the cast member’s interests - Grand Theft Auto for Darragh, pink room decor for Amelia,, a hand print tree painting by Áine, Guns N Roses for Cillian, a rainbow for Eoghan & a unicorn for Heidi.
The Invitation is about the children’s journey to meet Mister Tumble, one of their favourite TV characters.
The Invitation Script
Dramatic Intro Music and lights…
ABBEY SOUND SYSTEM: ‘Pure Imagination’ from Willy Wonka
Paul Begins to Narrate
Ladies And Gentlemen… children of all ages… LauraLynn proudly presents THE INVITATION live at The Abbey Theatre… starring… Áine, The Dancing Queen… Amelia The Amazing… Eoghan The Oh My Goodness… Daragh The Dar-Agghh, I’m so happy it’s Daragh… Cillian The Million Billion Blessings of Tremendousness and Heidi The High Degrees of Complete and utter Fantasticness…
Music Fades Out – Paul Speaks
Once upon a time six friends were hanging out together. They were doing a few of the things they loved to do. Now... I know what you might be thinking… Was it really a such a tremendous idea to have six such mischievous children in one place together all at the same time??? Well... don’t worry because Cranky Granny was on hand and ready to make sure that everyone behaved!!!
Live Musicians: What will we do with the Cranky Granny?
CRANKY GRANNY does a funny cranky dance for the children to the tune of ‘What will we do with the Cranky Granny?’ and then promptly falls asleep.
***
PAUL
As I was saying… the six friends were doing some of the things that they loved.
Eoghan was watching highlights of his football team, Liverpool, in their greatest ever footballing performance…
ABBEY SOUND SYSTEM: MATCH OF THE DAY THEME TUNE
Volunteers in Liverpool football kits recreate a Liverpool football moment for Eoin.
PAUL
Amelia was watching her favourite TV Show, starring the tremendous Mister Tumble. She loved his hilarious ways... his nursery rhymes, songs and other skits… the fact that he had a funny voice and that he used sign language too. He wore bright colours and dressed up as different characters. What wasn’t to love? Actually, all the children had a special place in their hearts for Mister Tumble… but Amelia most of all. She hoped that she might meet Mister Tumble someday... and... she wished that, if she did, he might present her with a MisterTumble Surprise Spotty Bag. If something like that ever happened, Amelia would be absolutely thrilled.
Mister Tumble backdrop appears on big screen
LIVE MUSICIANS – DAYDREAM BELIEVER
PAUL
Áine had her favourite cushion. That cushion had been with her throughout her entire life. She adored it. It was comfortable to sit on, or to take to bed to cuddle with. It was so lovely that she loved it nearly as much as she loved Cranky Granny... (Live Musicians: short snippet What will we do with the cranky granny?) (Cranky Granny could give The Narrator a cross and quizzical look)… but obviously not quite. Aine loved horses too... and biscuits. There weren’t enough biscuits in the world for Aine to eat. She even sat on throne that was an homage to biscuits and her fondness for them.
ABBEY SOUND SYSTEM – THE BISCUIT SONG (TOM GATES) 1:26
PAUL
Áine was great at singing. So much so that she was invited to perform on RTE Television at The Late Late Christmas Toy Show. Bands like One Direction, Boyzone, U2 and The Chieftans would have done anything to be invited onto The Toy Show to sing. In true Diva style, when the time came for Aine to perform, she decided that she wasn’t in the mood. Maybe Aine was somebody who preferred to sing live on a stage... in a famous theatre... for a real audience of family, friends and supportive people!!! Maybe... maybe... maybe (Live Musicians: suspense on cello) we will find out later today... in this very show...
Cillian was counting numbers. He loved the sound of a slow drum beat while numbers counted by (start slow drum rhythms on bodhran)... One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Seven... Eight... Nine... Ten... (slowly building rhythmic pattern- leading into One , Two buckle my shoe) Cillian adores his Mum. Sometimes she counts whilst she rocks him in her arms... (moving Cillian back and forth in his chair… adding other sensory sensations that Cillian enjoys) Eleven... Twelve... Thirteen... Fourteen... Fifteen... Sixteen... Seventeen... Eighteen... Nineteen... Twenty.. and sometimes, when they are out driving in the car, Cillian’s mum turns the radio dial to a random channel and the two rock away to such classic numbers as What Will we Do With The Drunken sailor… or…
ABBEY SOUND SYSTEM – GUNS N ROSES ‘WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE’
CRANKY GRANNY
That’s quite enough of all that racket and commotion!!
LIVE: MUSICIANS – WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE CRANKY GRANNY
What Will We Do With The Cranky Granny? plays as Cranky Granny does her Cranky Granny Dance.
CRANKY GRANNY
Never mind about what you will do with The Cranky granny… and worry more about what The Cranky Granny will do with you! Now, I am going to have my lunchtime nap. I hope nobody disturbs me... because... if I’m woken up... I’ll be very, very cranky indeed!’
Cranky Granny settles down for her nap.
Louise : Glockenspiel sound effect - sliding down
PAUL
Just then… something very unusual occurred. (Swing chimes – magical element) A great big… what might you call it? A message? A great big yellow notice of some sort that was covered with stars descended from above. What could it be they wondered. An invitation!
Dear Amelia, Aine, Cillian, Daragh, Eoghan & Heidi… you are cordially invited to attend a tea party on Tumble Island with Mister Tumble. Sorry for the short notice, but it is at two o clock today… and so… the remainder of this show is in real time!!! Like an episode of the TV show 24…
Yours sincerely, Mister Tumble.
PAUL
Oh my goodness!!! The time was already 1.45. How were the children supposed to travel all the way to Tumble Island to meet Mister Tumble in only 15 minutes? And they had to sneak past Cranky Granny without waking her.
Darragh had an idea. When he was younger he loved playing a video game called Grand Theft Auto… Grand Theft Auto… Drunken Sailors… Guns And Roses… I don’t know… but anyway… Darragh’s brother didn’t necessarily want Darragh to play Grand Theft Auto… maybe because he was responsible… so sometimes Daragh would sneak out of his bedroom at night… he would creep down the stairs… and while everyone else was asleep, he would fire up the video console and play a few hours of Grand Theft Auto!!! This had helped him to develop his sneaking skills really well…
LIVE MUSICIANS – WILD THING
PAUL
Now… something that I hadn’t mentioned before was that Cranky Granny had set up a series of lazar sensors throughout the room… so the children had to be really careful… and quiet… so that they did not set off an alarm.
ABBEY SOUND SYSTEM – MISSION IMPOSSIBLE THEME TUNE
Daragh leads the children through the lazars. These could either be fancy lazars done with lights by The Abbey… or low-fi lazars with volunteers moving pool noodles and other obstacle like objects up and down and back and forth for the children to navigate through.
PAUL
It was amazing. The children had managed to make their way all through Cranky Granny’s Obstacles without setting off an alarm. There was just one problem. I did mention earlier that some of the children were particularly mischievous. All the stress and quiet had put Eoghan in the mood for doing something slightly naughty.
He pressed the button on his digital device…
ABBEY SOUND SYSTEM LINKED WITH EOGHANS SWITCH – RUDE FART NOISE!!!
Cranky Granny wakes up and does The Cranky Granny dance.
LIVE MUSICIANS – WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE CRANKY GRANNY
PAUL
The children were very amused.
“Quick!” said Eoghan. “Everyone, hop on my plane.”
A few years earlier, Eoghan had flown on Aer Lingus, and the pilot had invited him to come and visit the cockpit. He had seen all the controls and enjoyed the flashing lights and levers on the dashboard as well as the sky, clouds and the beautiful birds as he looked through the windscreen.
ABBEY SOUND SYSTEM – AEROPLANE SOUND EFFECT
Eoghan flies his plane. The lights on his chair flash. There is the sound of an aeroplane engine… maybe a skyscape projected on the big screen… and some volunteers with soft sensory birds on string going “caw, caw.”
PAUL
“We have to do the next bit of the journey by sea,” said Cillian. “It’s a good job I have a ship. All aboard that’s coming aboard.”
Cillian leads the journey over the waves. There is the sounds of the ocean and the movement of the sea. If we could get some material to reflect and sound like waves, that would be great.
LOUISE – OCEAN DRUMS
PAUL
“I know a shortcut to Mister Tumble’s house,” said Heidi. “Follow me beneath the waves…”
ABBEY SOUND SYSTEM – WHALE SOUND EFFECT
LIVE MUSICIANS – OCEAN SONG
An underwater part led by Heidi with lower lights and maybe whale sounds?… perhaps volunteers with material that looks like seaweed that offers a tactile sensation for the children… and anything else of a sensory nature that the children might enjoy. Also… cranky granny swimming by in scuba gear, being pushed along on a table with wheels so it looks like she’s swimming along.
PAUL
At last the children arrived on Tumble Island… and Mister Tumble was there to greet them.
MISTER TUMBLE
Ah… hello everyone. You are right on time! Welcome to my tea party. I have Tumblers of fizzy drinks… and biscuits… oh… and I have something very special for Amelia.
Mister Tumble hands Amelia a Mister Tumble Surprise Spotty Bag. Perhaps he could also perform her favourite Mister Tumble Nursery Rhyme.
LIVE MUSICIANS – I’M A LITTLE TEA POT
MISTER TUMBLE
Amelia… I know you must love the colour pink, because you have so many clothes that are pink and shoes that are pink… and your wallpaper is pink… and your duvet is pink and carpet is pink and your curtains are pink… and well… it’s quite a lot of pink. Now… you know how your dad loves you more than anything in the world?? And he does everything he can to make you happy?? Well… here is another present for you… and it’s in part a present for your dad too, because there’s not a trace of pink on it.
Mister Tumble presents Amelia with a green camouflage coloured hat. He proceeds to give a special present to each child.
And I know that tomorrow is a very special day for Heidi… because it’s her birthday and she is going to be two… so I hope will Aine join me…
ABBEY SOUND SYSTEM – AINE HAND MIC ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’
Mister Tumble produces a microphone and stands next to Aine… and hopefully they sing Happy Birthday to Heidi… with the audience joining in also.
The show ends with a party, dancing, Guns & Roses, Cranky Granny joining in and being very happy… and general celebration.
PAUL
Thanks to everyone for coming, and friends and family are welcome to come up and join the stars of the show…
Amelia… Cillian… Heidi… Aine… Eoghan… and Daragh
LIVE MUSICIANS – DAYDREAM BELIEVER