The Tiger Who Came To Tea

 

BACKGROUND

DAVID WOOD OBE – ADAPTATION / DIRECTOR 

David began writing while at Oxford University. His seventy plus plays for children are performed worldwide, and he has been dubbed ‘the national children’s dramatist’ by The Times. Four of his adaptations are touring the UK in 2011 – Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Michelle Magorian’s Goodnight Mister Tom, Roald Dahl’s George’s Marvellous Medicine and Aardman Animations’ Shaun the Sheep. David can also be seen in his own West End show David Wood’s Story Time at the Arts Theatre, this Easter. His adult musical, based on L P Hartley’s The Go-Between, co-written with composer Richard Taylor, opens at West Yorkshire Playhouse in September. In 2006, to celebrate the Queen’s 80th birthday, he wrote The Queens Handbag, performed in Buckingham Palace Gardens and seen by 8,000,000 BBC1 viewers. In 2004 he was awarded the OBE for services to drama and literature. Visit his website at www.davidwood.org.uk

 

JUDITH KERR - AUTHOR

 

Judith Kerr was born on 14th June 1923 in Berlin but escaped from Hitler’s Germany with her parents and brother in 1933 when she was nine years old. Her father was a drama critic and a distinguished writer whose books were burned by the Nazis. The family passed through Switzerland and France before arriving finally in England in 1936. Judith went to eleven different schools, worked in the Red Cross during the war, and won a scholarship to the Central School of Arts and Crafts in 1945. Since then she has worked as an artist, a BBC television scriptwriter and, for the past thirty years, as an author and illustrator of children’s books. Her three autobiographical novels are based on her early wandering years (which against all the odds she greatly enjoyed), her adolescence in London during the war, and finally on a brief return to Berlin as a young married woman. The stories have been internationally acclaimed and, to the author’s considerable satisfaction, have done particularly well in Germany where they are sometimes used as an easy introduction to a difficult period of German history. Judith has a daughter who is a designer and a son who is a novelist. She lives in London. Her books include The Tiger Who Came to Tea, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Twinkles, Arthur and Puss, Mog the Forgetful Cat, Goose in a Hole, Bombs on Aunt Dainty, Birdle Hallelujah, How Mrs Monkey Missed the Ark and A Small Person Far Away.

 

Judith Kerr’s new book ‘My Henry’ is published on 28th April by Harper Collins and for all The Tiger Who Came to Tea fans a new range of merchandise will be available at selected retailers from October 2011.

 

SUSIE CAULCUTT - SET AND COSTUME DESIGNER

 

Susie trained under Motley at the English National Opera Design School and has designed productions for numerous theatres throughout the country, in London’s West End and abroad. She studied painting in London and Paris and has paintings, watercolours and theatrical sketches in private collections around the world, including the Costume Museum in Leningrad. Amongst her many design credits are Personals, Apollo Theatre West End. Play It Again Sam, Globe Theatre. I Am Who I Am, The Constant Wife and Dandy Dick directed by Sheila Hancock for the Cambridge Theatre Company. For the Actors Company, The Scent of Flowers and the European premiere of Neil Simon’s The Good Doctor. For the Chichester Festival Theatre, The Owl and Pussycat went to See…, Charley’s Aunt and The Last of Mrs Cheyney. For Clarion Music Theatre, Down By The Greenwood Side at Three Mills Island Studios. For Tina Williams, her adaptation of The Book of the Banshee, by Ann Fine. Other works include: Noye’s Fludde, Benjamin Britten Opera (which she also co-directed). Tina Brown’s Happy Yellow, Bush Theatre, The Grass is Greener, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and Toronto: Gaslight and Pinter’s Dumb Waiter for Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. For Manchester Forum, Charlotte’s Web, and for musical humorist John Gould, she has designed his one-man show at the Mayfair Theatre and the musical revue Betjemania. Susie designed David Wood’s hugely successful shows The Witches and The BFG.

 

PETER PONTZEN – MUSICAL DIRECTOR AND ARRANGER

 

Peter graduated in Electronic Engineering and taught Mathematics before turning to a musical career. His extensive work as Musical Director includes Under Milk Wood for the Royal National Theatre and numerous RSC productions in Stratford and London, most recently A New Way to Please You and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He was a regular Play School pianist for BBC TV and his long association with David Wood has been predominantly in children's theatre. Peter wrote the music for David's adaptations of The Witches and The BFG, seen all over the country and in the West End. He also composed for David’s recent productions of Guess How Much I Love You, Fantastic Mr Fox and Babe, the Sheep-Pig at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park. He has written original music for several recent pantomimes and for a variety of other theatre, radio and television productions including the ITV animation series The Gingerbread Man and the BBC Watch series. He has been commissioned to provide music for many audio-books by Alexander McCall Smith and Philip Pullman, including the award-winning release of the trilogy His Dark Materials.

 

EMMA CLAYTON – ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHY

 

Emma trained at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. Choreographic credits: The Way Back Home (UK Tour), Santa Claus (Arts Depot & UK Tour), Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late (USA & UK Tour), Guess How Much I love You (UK Tour & Dubai/Abu Dhabi), The Tiger Who Came To Tea (UK Tour), Fantastic Mr Fox & Babe The Sheep Pig (Open Air Theatre, Regents Park), Hansel & Gretel (Fringe), Mickey Spatz (Arcola), The Worst Witch (UK Tour), The Hobbit, Watership Down (Redgrave Theatre, Farnham), Those Magical Musicals & The Johnston Master craft Water ski Show (Toronto, Canada), Celebrations (Old Vic) and God Knows (Riverside Studios, Hammersmith). Film: Handle With Care. As Director: Aladdin (Eden Court, Inverness), The Shagaround (Birmingham). As Associate Director: The Witches (UK Tour & West End with Ruby Wax). As Supernumerary director - The Witches on the original UK Tour and West End Season. As children's director: Babe The Sheep - Pig.

 

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

• Ones to Watch 2009
• Ones To Watch 2008
• Ones To Watch 2007
• Ones To Watch 2006
• Ones To Watch 2005