The evocative world of children’s literature and theatre is being explored at a major new exhibition running from July 23 to October 30 at The Lowry in Salford.
Picture This will feature six children’s books that have a strong visual identity on the page and have also been vividly brought to life on stage.
At the heart of the free family exhibition will be a performance area, with daily readings of the featured books and many other titles, as well as music-making and artist-led workshops. There will be interactive opportunities for visitors to draw, write, perform, read and play and even devise their own production ideas.
Each section of the exhibition will include illustrations and artwork from the books, which range from much-loved modern works to iconic classics. Alongside will be filmed extracts from stage productions, with a variety of props, costumes, designs and posters.
The six books and productions featured in Picture This are:
Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler and presented on stage by Tall Stories;
Coming to England, by Floella Benjamin, illustrated by Diane Ewen, presented on stage by Birmingham Rep;
Wild, by Emily Hughes. Created by How It Ended and originally presented by Unicorn Theatre;
The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, presented on stage by Protein Dance with artwork by Chris Riddell;
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Chris Riddell and presented on stage by The Royal Opera House, and;
You Choose, by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart, presented on stage by Nonsense Room Productions.
Chris Riddell, Illustrator of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Little Prince said: "These books have long been enjoyed both on the page and stage and it is wonderful to see these experiences brought together for everyone to share."
Diane Ewen, Illustrator of Coming to England said, “As an artist and illustrator, I can’t wait for everyone to see this exhibition.”
The Lowry’s director of visual arts, Michael Simpson, added: “It has been fun and exciting to work with so many creative storytellers, illustrators and theatre companies on this exhibition. We are so grateful to them, and to Macmillan Children’s Books, Flying Eye and Puffin Books, for their ideas, support and enthusiasm.”
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