Written by Peter Glanville and Barb Jungr and directed by Roman Stefanski, Jack V Giant, a Polka production, is a contemporary adaptation of a fairytale classic. Page One Theatre’s Rise and Fall will be staged in the Adventure Theatre, teaching children about holding things in and letting them go.
Jack, a young brave girl, embarks on a giant adventure when she sells the family cow in return for magic beans… Polka Theatre invites you to “come on an unforgettable musical journey from underground gold mines, climbing the beanstalk, to a golden castle in the sky.”
From the team behind We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and How to Hide a Lion, Jack v Giant is an exciting new musical based on the classic fairytale, enchantingly brought to life through beautiful puppetry and music.
The Artiscape spoke to puppet maker Keith Frederick about this upcoming show.
When did you decide you wanted to work with puppets and why?
Frederick: I was very young, 5 years old. The puppetry that got me hooked were marionettes. In television’s infancy there were lots of marionettes on the small screen and it was shows like Thunderbirds and Stingray, produced by the late Gerry Anderson, that got me hooked. One school report read “If Keith concentrated on his work, as much as he does his puppets, he would do very well”! Despite a few career detours, working as a fashion designer and a stint in the Royal Navy to name but two, I came back to my first love and the rest as they say is history.
What inspires you in your puppet making?
Frederick: Inspiration comes from so many places and very much depends on the project one is working on. This is especially true of productions where the puppets are used as a mechanism to punctuate certain moments in a story or move the story on rather than as a lead figure. For Jack v Giant, it was Laura McEwen’s set and costume designs that were the main inspiration for the puppets.
Can you tell us about your current project with Polka Theatre’s show Jack V Giant that opens on 17 February 2023?
Frederick: The puppets in this show are used to play with scale and invoke a sense of urgency and danger. There is also a liberal dash of magic! But I can’t say anymore than that. You’ll just have to come and see it for yourself!
What are the challenges in putting this show together?
Frederick: Personally, the challenge was making two very different types of puppet. One of which I would consider more costume than puppet. The other I would consider a trick or special effects puppet. Neither of which I had made before. Whilst I have a library of experience to draw from these two did involve a good amount of head scratching! That said, I do like a challenge, it’s one of the reasons I love puppets.
What do you think children will take away from this show.
Frederick: I would like to think they would take away how important it is to be fair, that everyone should be treated equally and that being ‘rich’ doesn’t necessarily mean having lots of money. I hope also that it fires their imaginations and they want to come back again and see more shows.
Polka Theatre
