‘A Bright Light in the Darkness’ by Therase Neve - Blue Whale Theatre is a play for children, telling the story of Catherine McAuley - Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy.
‘A Bright Light in the Darkness’ by Blue Whale Theatre was originally written and produced at special request for - St Charles Catholic Primary School in Ryde, Sydney.
The play captures the heart and spirit of Catherine McAuley as we chronicle her journey through life; from the childhood influences of her father, to becoming an accomplished adult in her own right.
Catherine built a house of Mercy in Baggot Street, Dublin Ireland, which became a home for orphans and women and a poor school. Catherine also tended to the sick in hospitals and in their homes and famously walked the streets helping people less fortunate.
She paved the way and set foundations for Sisters of Mercy assemblies all over the world, who to this day continue mercy work in her footsteps.
The story of this amazing woman is brought to life for you on stage, in Blue Whale Theatre’s unique and heartfelt production ‘A Bright Light in the Darkness’.
The play will be touring Primary and secondary schools in Sydney, Central Coast, Newcastle and blue Mountains region NSW from Feb 2016. If you are not within these areas but woud like us to visit your school, please get in touch and we will see what we can do!
The Play is available for schools in three versions. The first two versions of the production are most frequently booked and we now have a 'version 3' early years option for schools wanting a performance especially for Kindy/ Year 1.
Version 1. For stages 2/ 3/ 4 primary and secondary students . An hour long interactive production in 3 sections. With the aid of an actor/facilitator, after each section the children are invited to ‘hot seat’ Catherine McAuley and ask her questions about what they have seen in the story so far.
Show duration with questions: 1 hour 15 minutes (flexible).
version 2. For Kindy - stage 2: 45 minute interactive production in 3 sections. As before the children are invited to ask the character questions about how she felt at certain moments in the play. This special version of Catherines story has been adapted from the original production to make it accessible to younger children.
show duration with questions: 50 mnutes - 1 hour (flexible).
Prefer to keep the infants seperate? Then version 3 might suit your Kindy and Year 1 classes.
version 3. Only for Kindy and Year 1. A 45 minute interactive show suited to an Early Years audience. Simpler in language and format, pin pointing main points about Cathrines character and life and with more audience interaction.
'A Bright Light in the Darkness' is especially designed to tour to school halls. We bring everything including music, speakers and portable theatre backdrop so don't worry if you don't have a stage, we can turn any empty space into a theatre.
All we need from you is access to the hall an hour before your first performance to allow the actors to set up, then we do the rest; hassle free and easy for everyone.
Call or email Blue Whale Theatre today to discuss your performance possibilities. Most schools have 'A Bright Light in the Darkness' for the whole school split into two versions, across a morning or a day. Contact us for availability and show costs.
All performance photo's provided courtesy of Catholic Education Office, Sydney.
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