AN award-winning festival of theatre that has delivered a range of entertainment to people over the last seven years is looking to the future for new ideas after it hosted its final show.
Darlington’s Jabberwocky Market held its final show in its current format on Saturday, after thrilling people around the region with its variety of entertainment options for people of all ages.
The festival had received support from Battersea Arts Centre and Arts Council England, but with funding coming to an end, organisers are now looking at ways they can continue to offer certain types of shows to people across the town.
The final show for Jabberwocky Market
Caroline Pearce, Jabberwocky Market director, said she wants to hear from people in and around Darlington to find out what form of entertainment they would like to see again in the future, in order to create more “wonderful moments” for audiences.
Ms Pearce said: “On May 9, 2012, I was part of a meeting at Battersea Arts Centre in which we were started to plan a project to reinvent the future of touring theatre and taking cutting edge contemporary theatre to places that wouldn’t otherwise have access to this diversity of opportunities.
“Seven years later, we are starting the very last of this current iteration of Jabberwocky Market pop-up theatre events in and around Darlington.
“After this weekend the team who run the Jabberwocky Market pop-up theatre events go into planning mode. We don’t know what the future holds yet.
Children enjoying the show
“We know there have been some wonderful moments in this project, so we want to hear from people in and around Darlington and find out what everyone would like to see again, and about their hopes and fears for the future.
“Let’s see if Jabberwocky Markets can help find and make the new stories and be part of making that the best it can be.”
For the momentous occasion of Darlington Jabberwocky’s final show, organisers invited back the inimitable Kid Carpet whose BIG Little Gigs in October 2017 went down a storm with audiences.
This time, he came to the town with his current touring show, Noisy Holiday, and it was performed at Middleton Hall Retirement Village in Middleton St George, attracting people of all ages.
Kids Carpet on stage
Mr Carpet said: “My experience of a lot of family shows is that they usually attempt to be wholesome and neat and safe.
“I think there is a place for something wilder that embraces the excited sweaty chaos of long hot car journeys and damp card games in tent porches. Hopefully in doing so we can engage with and rediscover the excitement of being a child on holiday.”
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