Owl at Home takes flight once again, with an international tour of China
Theatr Iolo, the children’s theatre company based in Cardiff, entertained thousands of young children in China with their show based on the 1975 children’s book, Owl at Home, by Arnold Lobel. The autumnal tale for children aged 5-11 is about an owl who lives by himself, but finds fun and friendship amongst the solitude.
Owl at Home, which had been written for the stage by Rina Vergano and directed by Theatr Iolo’s Artistic Director, Lee Lyford, stars actor and musician George Williams as Owl. The show for young children was first created in 2021 for Welsh audiences and went on to tour Wales and the South-West of England during 2023. The show then winged its way to China for a 3-week tour of Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“A striking, wonderful piece of theatre for children”
Wales Theatre Review
Owl at Home is a thoughtful and funny show about an Owl who lives alone in a cosy little home in the woods. With no one to talk to, Owl sings to himself and looks for ways to pass the time. He wonders about things a lot, but sometimes his imagination runs away with him and ordinary objects begin to take on a life of their own! Amongst the chaos, Owl finds an unexpected friend who’s willing to follow him to the ends of the earth... whether he likes it or not! An enchanting tale with music, Owl at Home shows us how friendship can be found in the most unlikely of places.
“To be happy is not to be alone, but to enjoy being alone!”
(Child in Shanghai audience)
“I can see why this show gave British children a lot of comfort after the pandemic, and it was wonderful for Chinese children to feel the same and enjoy their childhood again.”
(Parent in Hangzhou audience)
Owl at Home toured China from the 3rd until 20th October 2024 and was booked by A.S.K. (The Arts Space for Kids). 2184 children attended 18 performances in three Chinese cities; Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing. 80 children attended 5 creative music and movement workshops run by George Williams throughout the tour.
“Through the use of the arts, we create environments, both real and imaginary, for kids and adults to develop their own creative practices and use life skills such as communication, teamwork, collaboration, empathy, creative problem-solving, and resilience. We were very excited to welcome Theatr Iolo and were so pleased to see how the children responded to the show in China.” Monica Wu, A.S.K.
The A.S.K (The Art Space for Kids) is China’s first dedicated children’s theatre that showcases the highest quality international works for children aged 0-14. Currently, the A.S.K runs theatres in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and other 13 cities, each with an independent arts theatre and art spaces.
Since 2014, the A.S.K have programmed 168 companies from 33 countries and presented 5380 performances across China. They have also welcomed 684 international artists and toured 38 cities under our A.S.K. National Touring Network.
Alongside the theatre shows George Williams also delivered five workshops in the three cities to over 100 local young children to help them explore music, movement and the themes of the play.
Whilst in China, Theatr Iolo’s Executive Director Michelle Perez delivered workshops and presentations to local children on storytelling and theatre craft. Michelle also collaborated with Chinese access consultants and shared ideas on how to make theatre accessible to children who are deaf, blind or have additional needs. It is hoped that both organisations will continue to collaborate on the best way to deliver live audio description and increase access services for blind and partially sighted children.