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EXHIBIT A: READING AND WORKSHOP 2

I will be reading and giving a workshop on a short story written specially for the festival on the bioeconomy themes of sustainability and how we live in the future.

EXHIBIT A

Adam is delighted when a mysterious benefactor opens a new museum in his hometown. He is one of the students selected to procure items for the opening exhibition with the title “The End of the World Exhibition”. When the benefactor’s wishes grow stranger, Adam soon fears that the museum has a dark purpose…

EXHIBIT A: READING AND WORKSHOP 1

I will be reading and giving a workshop on a short story written specially for the festival on the bioeconomy themes of sustainability and how we live in the future.

EXHIBIT A

Adam is delighted when a mysterious benefactor opens a new museum in his hometown. He is one of the students selected to procure items for the opening exhibition with the title “The End of the World Exhibition”. When the benefactor’s wishes grow stranger, Adam soon fears that the museum has a dark purpose…

THE LAST WILD TALK AND READING (In English)

Twelve-year old Kester lives in quarantine, away from the deadly virus that has already killed all of the animals in the country. Only the <pests> have survived – and they turn to Kester, who has just discovered he has a unique ability to speak with animals. Torday’s adventurous and wondrous story, woven together with a lot of bizarre wit, inspires one to think about the relationship between man and nature.

I’ll be doing a special lockdown Q&A and reading from The Frozen Sea with Iso-Read on Wed 5th August at 1pm!

Piers Torday is a British children’s writer. The son of the novelist Paul Torday, he was born in Northumberland and was a theatre and television producer for many years. His book The Dark Wild won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize for 2014 He is delighted to be Patron of Reading for Croxteth and Garston Primary schools in Liverpool, and am a Trustee of the Ministry of Stories, a charity which works with children in East London and further afield to enable their creativity and storytelling skills in multiple different forms, and the Unicorn Theatre, the UK’s leading theatre dedicated to producing work for young audiences.
He has been described as ‘The new master of books for children’ by The Times.

Hosted by Nicolette Jones join authors Amy Wilson and Piers Torday as we Return to Wonderland and navigate the world of Alice, visiting favourite characters, imagining alternative universes and exploring the enduring appeal of Sir John Tenniel’s illustrations. Part of Alice’s Day 2020 marking the 200th anniversary of Tenniel’s birth.

Return to Wonderland is a stunning collection of original stories from today’s biggest children’s authors – Peter Bunzl, Pamela Butchart, Maz Evans, Swapna Haddow, Patrice Lawrence, Chris Smith, Robin Stevens, Lauren St John, Lisa Thompson, Piers Torday and Amy Wilson. Find out what happens in Wonderland without Alice there. Is the Queen of Hearts still ruling with an iron fist? Does the Mad Hatter still have to go to tea? And will Tweedledum and Tweedledee ever resolve their argument?

More than 150 years since Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first published by Macmillan, Return to Wonderland revisits Carroll’s amazing cast of characters – including the Queen of Hearts, the Mock Turtle, the Dormouse, the Cheshire Cat and Alice’s Sister in these brand-new stories, that will bring a new generation of readers to Wonderland.

‘A feast of invention and fine writing’ Telegraph Book of the Week

‘It’s hard not to lap up this collection of short stories by some of our greatest contemporary children’s authors’ The Times

The UK’s theatre industry is in crisis. The theatre sector is projected to lose £3 billion in revenue and 12,000 jobs in the wake of the pandemic, according to the Creative Industries Federation. What can we do?

Join us for a panel discussion with children’s author and playwright Piers Torday, Artistic Director, Justin Audibert (Unicorn Theatre), alongside Executive Director, Holly Kendrick (Wilton’s) in conversation with SoA’s Theo Jones to discuss the impact of the pandemic has had on theatre. How have our panellists had to adapt their day-to-day work, as individuals and organisations? We will also consider the long-term effects on the sector as a result of the ongoing health crisis.

Programme

• 5-minute Panel introductions
• 15/20-minute Panel discussion on the impact the pandemic has had on the theatre industry and what the future looks like; positive outcomes and lessons learned
• 20-minute Q&A from audience comments and any questions sent in advance

If you would like to send questions in advance, email Theo Jones with ‘SoA Live: Theatre Question’ in the subject header.

The line-up

Justin Audibert – Artistic Director, Unicorn Theatre
Justin is Artistic Director of the Unicorn Theatre and a freelance director of Theatre and Film. Recent credits include: Enough of Him(NTS & BBC Scotland), Anansi Respun (Unicorn Theatre Online), The Taming of the Shrew (RSC); Snow in Midsummer, The Jew of Malta (RSC); Macbeth/Winter’s Tale (NT Learning); The Box of Delights by John Masefield; adapted by Piers Torday (Wilton’s Music Hall).
www.unicorntheatre.com | @Unicorn_Theatre

Holly Kendrick – Executive Director, Wilton’s
Holly has led Wilton’s for the last four and a half years before which she was CEO of the new writing festival HighTide, prior to which she was CEO of the National Student Drama Festival where she staged the first ever International Student Drama Festival as part of the Cultural Olympiad. Before NSDF she worked for Cameron Mackintosh, the National Theatre and founded and ran Caird Company. Holly sits of the board of: Peggy Ramsay Foundation and Act for Change. 
www.wiltons.org.uk

Piers Torday – Author/playwright
Piers Torday began his career in theatre and then television as a producer and writer. Winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, multiple Book of the Year accolades and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Award, his books for children include The Last Wild Trilogy, There May Be A Castle, The Lost Magician and its follow up, The Frozen Sea. Piers has also completed an unfinished novel by his late father Paul (author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Death of an Owl) and adapted The Box of Delights and A Christmas Carol for the stage.
www.pierstorday.co.uk | @PiersTorday

This Friday we are so excited to have Piers Torday talking to us about how to get ideas down on paper. This is an interactive online workshop for budding writers aged 8+ using themes from his award-winning book trilogy The Last Wild to give great tips on how to start writing and where to find inspiration. Piers is the award winning and best-selling author of six books for children, including The Last Wild trilogy (winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize) There May Be A Castle, which was nominated for the Carnegie CILIP Medal, and The Lost Magician series, which won the Teach Primary Book Award. His latest book is The Frozen Sea. Other books include The Dark Wild and The Wild Beyond.

He is working on a play and a new book and we are hugely looking forward to welcoming him to our Storystock virtual stage.

Produced in partnership with Storystock Circus of Stories. www.storystock.co.uk @storystockcircus

Our keynote speakers David Almond and Piers Torday will offer a writer’s perspective on writing and the workshops will provide opportunities to engage in different kinds of writing and feel the pleasure that it brings.

Piers Torday is the author of the bestselling trilogy, ‘The Last Wild’ which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Award and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. He will be talking about his new book, ‘The Frozen Sea’ – a spellbinding fantasy adventure about Jewel, who makes a mysterious discovery in an old bookshop and begins a quest that will make her question everything she thought she knew. What Jewel discovers will change not just who she thinks she is, but who we all think we are.

Loved the the Last Wild Trilogy and The Lost Magician? Hear from Piers Torday himself at Pickled Pepper Books all about the second instalment of his spellbinding fantasy adventure, The Frozen Sea and his adaptation of A Christmas Carol, showing at Wilton’s Music Hall this Christmas, as well as some readings from his other favourite wintry reads like The Box of Delights!
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Join Piers for festive hot chocolate, cookies, and some carol singing!

Running Time – 1 hour + signing
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Tickets £12.99 include a signed copy of The Frozen Sea, festive hot chocolate and cookies
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Ages 7-14 years