WATCH THE TRAILER
WHEN BABY GOLDBUG FLIES OFF TO THE STARS …
… in her basket, she meets Mazzy, the Music Maker of Dreams. From the centre of his spiral galaxy, they look through his dream telescope to see little girls and boys tucked up in bed back on earth. They’re all dreaming of horses and ice creams! Together, Goldbug and Mazzy make the sounds and songs that make the dreams so dreamy-real. But when a strange winged monster appears in a dream and steals away with Goldbug’s Dad, it’s time to go on the chase. Quick quick, a horse! But how does a horse sound go?
Goldbug is a magical dream journey through the realms of sound and imagination, dreamed together with everyone in the room. It features spell-binding shadow puppetry, fascinating foley and hilarious hijinks, all woven together with the music of Bach, and a story of the love between parent and child.
MUSIC * SHADOW PUPPETS * FOLEY SOUNDS
CRAZY GAMES * SCARY MONSTERS!!!
Ages 3+, 50 mins
Goldbug is the creation of a world-class team, including an Emmy award winning foley artist, an Academy Award nominated animator, a multi-award-winning writer, and an internationally acclaimed pianist!
REVIEWS & COMMENTS
Quotes from social media reviews and comments following the Goldbug premiere at the Shanghai Symphony Hall, July 2024.
‘Not only a show, but a dream adventure full of intrigue and creativity.’ – Yukipiano, KOL
‘A fantastic world of light and shadow, creative animation and sound interaction. A fascinating and touching dream journey.’ – Amanda
‘Watching with my child, I was inexplicably moved.’ – 叨叨妈, KOL
‘Classical music is not as serious as we think. You don’t have to sit still and it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand it. What’s more important is to feel it with your heart. Goldbug is a double feast of vision and hearing.’ – Jachie
‘Throughout LiuLiu kept following the plot and the interactions – laughing, clapping and imitating the performers. As an adult, I too was immersed.’ – 穿蓬蓬裙的007
‘The story is very open with room for imagination, and lots of interaction. Many of the sound effects are created with incredible props.’ – 克拉拉戴大红花
‘Whenever Goldbug gets into trouble, music gives her the strength and inspiration to find her way out. And this power infuses the audience too, as if we have become Goldbug’s companions. […] A play to be enjoyed not only visually and musically, but that also touches our hearts.’ – 峻峻妈妈爱遛娃, KOL
‘The children were fascinated and immersed throughout […] I too felt like I had experienced a dream adventure.’ – 娜manna娜
‘I have attended many DKS plays and I think this one is of top quality.’ – Julia
‘The chick pea box is transformed into footsteps; the clacking of coconut shells are the horse’s hooves; Dad dreams of a boat and needs the children to blow to set sail. The performers integrate the most creative magic into the show, and the audience witness the making of puppet animations with their own eyes […] Each show is a special experience for children of all ages!’ – Ares麻麻
‘It’s really amazing! The kids were all captivated.’ – Yoyo Wen, KOL
‘A dual fantasy journey of vision and sound. The use of light and shadow is undoubtedly a highlight of this play […] Music is the soul.’ – 上海骏骏妈爱遛娃蓓蓓
‘Very Good! My child is very happy 😍😍😍 ’ – SS Yoghurt
MORE ABOUT …
FOLEY
… refers to the kind sound effects typically recorded in a basement studio for use in films and theatre. However, Goldbug presents a unique opportunity to see foley live on stage. We make the sounds with ingenious props, and layer them using a loop station to create rich sound tapestries. For example, for the dream of riding through a forest, first we make the sound of the horses’ hooves, and then add the wind in the leaves, the chirping of insects and the songs of different birds to build a whole sonic universe. With the shadow puppet visuals, it is as though the dream is coming to life before your ears and eyes!
MUSIC
… in Goldbug is all drawn from Bach, ranging from the lively zingers to the gorgeous preludes. Bach’s music has been charming adults and children alike for centuries, but Bach is also perhaps funnier than you think. In 1741, according to legend, Bach was commissioned to write a series of lullabies for a Count, resulting in the Goldberg Variations. But while the first variation is gentle, they rapidly become more complex and squiggly, sending you not to sleep, but deeper and deeper into the wonderful world of Bach! This story was the inspiration for Goldbug’s flight to the stars.
VISUALS
… combine shadow puppetry with projections to create an immersive dream world of light and shadow. A band of woven blue ribbons spins on a bicycle wheel before a paper screen to form a moving seascape of waves. A clockwork boat pitches back and forth while clouds drift by, gulls swoop and flying fish leap and sploosh. The images float over the stage via a live feed to a projector, and are blended with original animations that allow magical things to happen. For example, the boat can lift off and sail through the sky!
OUR TEAM
DANNY TRYANI
Pianist, performer
Danny trained at Trinity College of Music before touring the world as a pianist and performer with Peter Brook’s Bouffes du Nord. He has since won a John Beecher award as musical director of The Conductor, leads his own vocal ensemble, Tryani Collective, and performs regularly at international festivals playing music ranging from jazz to classical to afrobeats. He also, quite literally, ran away with the circus for a year to play piano in the big top.
JORGE ROJO
Animator
Jorge is a filmmaker and animator based in Mexico/UK. He’s worked across short films, music videos and experimental projects with the likes of Universal, ENO, Channel 4 and The Children’s Society. His short film Our Perpetual Now was longlisted for the Academy Awards and won Best Animated Short at the Morelia International Film Festival, as well as garnering recognition at numerous international animation festivals. Trained at Central Saint Martins, his work has been shown in galleries and cinemas worldwide (Mexico, UK, US, Brazil, Japan, China and France). His website is rojoanimation.com.
TERENIA EDWARDS
Performer
Terenia trained at Royal Central and has since appeared in theatre, film and television productions, including Peter Rabbit (Sony Animation), Hero’s Welcome (Stephen Joseph Theatre) and The Moonstone (BBC One). She is the author of The Lonely Tiger (Tiny Tree Books), a heart-warming story about loneliness, friendship and discovering who we are through the eyes of those who love us most.
KATE CHEN, DKS
International producer
DKS is a pioneer in children’s music theatre. We produce innovative shows that engage families in new musical experiences, driven by a belief in both the power of music to transform our inner states, and that no child or parent is “unmusical”, or should be left feeling that way.
Goldbug is a collaborative production of Kate Chen, Director of DKS Shanghai, and Adrian Hornsby, made possible with the support of the British Council and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, where the show premiered in July 2024.
ADRIAN HORNSBY
Writer, maker
Adrian is a multi-award-winning writer of books, plays and operas, including: Disruption in Action (Smart Thinking Book of the Year, 2024); The Piano Diaries (Best of the Edinburgh Festival, 2017), and As Big As the Sky (with Ai Weiwei and Arnoud Noordegraaf, headlined the Holland Festival, 2015). His previous kids’ show, the much-loved I Piano, led the family programme at Edinburgh’s Pianodrome (again, Best of the Edinburgh Festival, 2022)
RUTH SULLIVAN
Foley direction
Ruth is an Emmy award-winning Foley artist, usually found in a dark studio making sounds for TV drama and film (Downton Abbey, Killing Eve, The Death of Stalin). She further combines Foley with theatre as the UK’s “go to” live Foley artist, regularly working with directors such as Katie Mitchell and Simon McBurney, and recently starring in the latter’s globally-celebrated The Magic Flute (Met. New York, Coliseum London, Palau de les Arts Valencia). As a director, highlights include The Sea, The Maids, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, King Charles III and hang. Her website is ruthsullivan.co.uk.
Costumes: Anne Freier
Outside eye: Rachel Warr
Making support: Phyllida Hickish
Original concept developed with Arnoud Noordegraaf
Produced by Kate Chen, DKS Shanghai
With support from the British Council
Contact: a[at]adrianhornsby.com
