Bespoke Theatre for Diverse Communities
Rise and Shine
Rise and Shine Story Line
It’s Johnny’s first day at Nursery School. Mum wakes him up. He is very sleepy, but as soon as he remembers he is going to school, he becomes very excited! Mum has to remind him of all the things he needs to do before he can go to school, while mischievous Johnny plays plenty of tricks. With the audience’s help, Johnny finally gets ready, and goes off with Mum, happily on his way to school.
Creating “Rise and Shine”
Rise and Shine was originally made to a brief I set for some young people, on a work programme in the 1980’s. This was a ‘learner under instruction’ project, giving the participants on the programme a creative brief to make a young children’s show. The topic was to explore everyday activities in the life of a preschool age child. Inspired by her experiences of babysitting, Mandy Platt came up with the idea of making a play around getting up, getting dressed and ready, eating breakfast and going to nursery school. Her experience here turned out to be most valuable. With the help of some of that inimitably catchy music from Roger Goslyn, they made a play. The whole project was carried out and managed by the young people on the work programme. The result was a great success, and went on to become a child sized touring musical which hit the spot with the early years. It was equally popular with theatre staff looking for shows for their Saturday morning performance programme, and schools and nursery staff wanting to celebrate Christmas, or simply the end of another term! The show just had to go on.
A very long run for Rise and Shine!
Over the years the show has been through many incarnations; it has had many Johnnies and many Mums. Below are the cast from 2011, leading their Musical Theatre Class of five year olds in the work they have studied in class, at a performance at London’s Arts Theatre. The show has also gained a Big Book for class reading, a written script, a complete vocal recording, and hundreds of Early Years performances for thousands of happy little customers.
What Next?
After ‘Rise and Shine’ three more ‘Johnny’ plays have been created:- ‘Good to Have Friends’ about being at Nursery School for the first time, ‘Goodnight Johnny’ at home after that first day at nursery, and ‘Johnny’s Day Out’ about a visit to a city farm. All have been very popular.
This project had clear and long lasting benefit, bringing the joy of live performance to thousands of inner city children. It also demonstrated that young unemployed people were not necessarily just a drain on the public purse but capable of self-organisation and creative success. Future uses can be as varied as a book to read or a story to listen to for Early Years classes, a tactful prompt to the less organised young parent as to what s/he needs to do to prepare a child for school, a class project for younger performers, or in its original form as an accessible, inexpensive and fun touring show for under-fives in in children’s theatre programmes, in the community, and for parties and other celebrations and festivals.
Recording Artists – Kathy Gilfoy and Kemis Nomo (aged at the time 10) with children from NPV’s Classes
Johnny played by young actor Aaron Davies; his Mum by Sharn Adela, Motown Singer and Musical Theatre Tuto’
Two handed touring show for early years audiences
Cast
Johnny: One young Male performer, teens early twenties.
Johnny’s Mum: One female performer 20+
Running time
55 minutes
Music
Rise and Shine
The Washing Song
If you would like to perform Rise and Shine with your company, musical theatre society, or school, please email: productionshollyblue@gmail.com
Full script, backing tracks for complete show, vocal recordings for all songs, and original working designs are all available.
© Holly Blue Productions