Baboró Festival brings a children’s book to life

The Way Back Home, a stage adaptation of Oliver Jeffers immensely popular book for younger readers is among the highlights of this year’s Baboró International Arts Festival for Children and Families, which runs in Galway from October 11-19.

Tickets for The Way Back Home are currently on sale at the box office in the City’s Town Hall Theatre.

The play is part of a programme featuring a wide range of international and home-produced works from leading names in children’s arts. Full details of Baboró will be announced next Monday.

The Way Back Home by multi-award-winning writer Oliver Jeffers (Lost and Found, The Incredible Book Eating Boy) is a beautiful and imaginative picture book about a boy who discovers a single-propeller airplane in his closet. So he does what any young adventurer would do: he flies into outer space! The book tells of this boy’s adventure and the quest he must undertake to help his new friend.

This stage adaptation from Branar Téater do Pháistí and Denmark’s Teater Refleksion is presented in association with Baboró. It combines puppetry, animation, original music and evocative design by Teater Refleksion’s Mariann Agaard, to explore the boundless imagination of children.

“This is a very exciting production for a number of reasons,” says Baboró’s Artistic Director Lali Morris. “The Way Back Home is a much-loved book and we’re delighted to be partnering with Festival stalwarts, Branar and Teater Refleksion. This co-production also signifies a new development in this our 18th year, where the show will be performed here in Ireland, in London and in Denmark.”

Galway’s Branar Téater do Pháistí, which was founded by Marc Mac Lochlainn, who is also its artistic director  is Ireland’s leading  company creating theatre for young audiences. Branar develops and produces high quality theatre and tours this nationally and internationally.  Danish company, Teater Refleksion also aims to produce theatre of the highest quality that encourages audiences to explore arts with an open and curious mind.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.