tutti frutti and York Theatre Royal
present
Monday’s Child
Written by Brendan Murray
For children aged 3-7 years and their families
Monday’s Child tells a simple poetic story of the unique bond between a grandmother and a little girl. We share the delights and surprises of the respective stages of their lives: discoveries, memories, imaginings…
Together they love to sing and dress up and are often oblivious of the challenges that the real world throws at them. The little girl delights in discovering her world and loves learning new things – how to count, the different colours and the simplicities of abc and 123.
Written by award-winning writer Brendan Murray (Writer’s Guild of Great Britain, Best Children’s Play 2012), and with live music and dance, this imaginative dream-like yet funny story explores how we learn, remember, grow old and cope with new challenges.
With a magical mix of music, movement and beautiful design, Monday’s Child has been made especially for children aged 3-7 years, their families and teachers.
Join us for a funny, tender exploration of worlds old and new.
For video’s of our work please see our YouTube channel.
Creative Team
- Director – Wendy Harris, Artistic Director, tutti frutti
- Writer – Brendan Murray’s Hare and Tortoise toured nationally in 2011/12 to much acclaim and won the Writer’s Guild of Great Britain Best Children’s Play 2012
- Research – Neuroscientists from Sussex University have joined the Creative team and provide an insight into memory and the reasons why we lose our memories.
- Composer / Musical Director – Dom Sales who also worked with tutti frutti on The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
- Movement Director – Joanne Moven has worked previously with tutti frutti and York Theatre Royal on Silly Billy, If Only the Lonely Were Home and most recently Hue Boy
- Designer – Catherine Chapman has provided magical, inventive and beautiful sets for tutti frutti and York Theatre Royal several times in the past.
- Production Manager – Jude Cloke, York Theatre Royal
- Lighting Designer – York Theatre Royal
Illustration by Jacky Fleming
Images



Video
Reviews & Quotes
Tour Dates
Date & Time | Venue | Address |
---|---|---|
9th Apr 2014 |
Burniston and Cloughton Village Hall |
Burniston and Cloughton Village Hall, High Street, Burniston, YO13 0HJ as part of Rural Arts North Yorkshire Rural Touring Scheme www.ruralarts.org |
10th Apr 2014 10.30; 1.30 |
Blackgates Primary School, Wakefield |
Closed performance for the school. |
11th Apr 2014 1.30 |
Lincoln Drill Hall |
Free School Lane, Lincoln, LN2 1EY To book tickets: 01522 873894 www.lincolndrillhall.com |
12th Apr 2014 2.30 |
Quarterhouse |
Mill Bay, Kent, Folkestone, CT1 3XL To book tickets: 01303 858500 www.quarterhouse.co.uk |
13th Apr 2014 1.30; 3.30 |
Lakeside Arts |
University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD To book tickets: 0115 846 7777 www.lakesidearts.org.uk Visiting family information is here. |
22nd Apr 2014 1.30 |
York Theatre Royal, Studio Theatre |
St Leonard's Pl, York YO1 7HD To book tickets: 01904 623 568 www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk Visiting family information is here. |
23rd Apr 2014 11.00; 1.30 |
York Theatre Royal, Studio Theatre |
St Leonard's Pl, York YO1 7HD To book tickets: 01904 623 568 www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk Visiting family information is here. |
24th Apr 2014 11.00; 1.30 |
York Theatre Royal, Studio Theatre |
St Leonard's Pl, York YO1 7HD To book tickets: 01904 623 568 www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk Visiting family information is here. |
25th Apr 2014 11.00; 1.30 |
York Theatre Royal, Studio Theatre |
St Leonard's Pl, York YO1 7HD To book tickets: 01904 623 568 www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk Visiting family information is here. |
26th Apr 2014 11.00; 1.30 |
York Theatre Royal, Studio Theatre |
St Leonard's Pl, York YO1 7HD To book tickets: 01904 623 568 www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk Visiting family information is here. |
30th Apr 2014 10.30; 1.30 |
Talbot Primary School, Leeds |
Closed schools performance |
1st May 2014 11.00; 1.30 |
Otley Courthouse |
Courthouse Street, Otley, LS21 3AN To book tickets: 01943 467216 www.otleycourthouse.org.uk |
3rd May 2014 3.30 |
Chats Palace |
42-44 Brooksby's Walk, London, E9 6DF To book tickets: 020 8533 0227 www.chatspalace.com |
11th May 2014 11.00; 2.00 |
artsdepot |
5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley, London, N12 0GA
To book tickets: 0208 369 5454 www.artsdepot.co.uk Visiting family information is here. |
14th May 2014 |
Oakham Primary School, Oldbury |
Closed performance for the school |
15th May 2014 10.30; 1.30 |
Filey Infant School |
Closed performance for the school. |
17th May 2014 11,00; 2.00 |
The Castle |
The Castle, Castle Way, Wellingborough, NN8 1XA To book tickets: 01933 270 007 www.thecastle.org.uk |
19th May 2014 - 21 May 2014 |
Live and Local |
As part of Rural Tour |
23rd May 2014 1.00 |
Howard Assembly Rooms |
Opera North Grand Theatre, 46 New Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6NU
To book tickets: 0113 243 9999
https://www.operanorth.co.uk/productions/keepy-uppy |
24th May 2014 11.00 |
Howard Assembly Rooms |
Opera North Grand Theatre, 46 New Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6NU
To book tickets: 0113 243 9999
https://www.operanorth.co.uk/productions/keepy-uppy |
25th May 2014 11.30 |
The Theatre |
2 Spring Street, Chipping Norton. OX7 5NL To book tickets: 01608 642350 www.chippingnortontheatre.co.uk |
26th May 2014 2.00 |
Gulbenkian Theatre |
University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NB To book tickets: 01227 769075 Visiting family information is here. http://www.thegulbenkian.co.uk/ |
27th May 2014 11.30; 2.30 |
Spark Festival, Leicester |
Various school and community venues www.sparkfestival.co.uk |
28th May 2014 2.00 |
Loughborough Town Hall |
Market Place, Loughborough, LE11 3EB To book tickets: 01509 231914 http://www.loughboroughtownhall.co.uk/ |
30th May 2014 11.30; 2.30 |
Mumford Theatre |
Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge To book tickets: 0845 1962320 www.anglia.ac.uk/mumfordtheatre |
31st May 2014 2.30 |
The Arts Centre |
Edge Hill University, St Helen's Road, Ormskirk, L39 4QP To book tickets: 01695 584468 www.edgehill.ac.uk/artscentre |
7th Jun 2014 11.00; 2.00 |
Nuffield Theatre |
University Road, Southampton SO17 1TR To book tickets: 023 8067 1771 www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk |
9th Jun 2014 |
Westwood Primary School, Leeds |
Closed performance for the school |
10th Jun 2014 11.00 |
York Theatre Royal, Studio Theatre |
St Leonard's Pl, York YO1 7HD To book tickets: 01904 623 568 www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk Visiting family information is here. |
11th Jun 2014 |
Lawrence Batley Theatre Outreach |
Closed performance for a children's centre |
13th Jun 2014 4.30 |
Holmfirth Arts Festival 2014 |
Holmfirth Methodist Church, School Street, Holmfirth, HD9 7EQ www.holmfirthartsfestival.co.uk |
14th Jun 2014 1.00; 3.00 |
Warwick Arts Centre |
The University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL To book tickets: 024 7652 4524 www.warwickartscentre.co.uk |
15th Jun 2014 1.00; 3.00 |
The Civic, Barnsley |
Hanson Street, Barnsley, S70 2HZ To book tickets: 01226 327 000 www.barnsleycivic.co.uk |
Rainy Day Activities
Schools Activities
Creative Team

Brendan Murray
Following a degree in Drama at Huddersfield Polytechnic, Brendan trained as an actor at Drama Studio London before working in regional repertory, theatre for young people, commercial touring, fringe and television.
In 1997 Brendan was awarded an Arts Council Bursary and nominated for a Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Children's Play and was runner-up for the John Whiting Award in 2000. In 2001 he won The Brian Way Award and in 2009 The Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Play: Children & Young People. He was the Visiting Gulbenkian Fellow at King's College Hospital (2002-03) and Artistic Director of Oxfordshire (Touring) Theatre Company from 2003 to 2008.
Like the good northerner he is, he lives in Brighton.
www.brendanmurray.co.uk
Catherine Chapman

Dominic Sales
Dom loves writing music, playing music, recording music and listening to music. As a boy he was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral, singing everyday for five years and sometimes making records and being on the TV. Later he went on to play lots of jazz and was a finalist in The Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Musician of the Year. Then Dom went to university to learn more about music and since then has been lucky enough to be able to pay the bills just by doing something musical. He has written music for lots of different people -from Atomic Kitten to Opera North and the BBC to a feature film starring John Rhys-Davies. His music has been played on national television and radio and in theatres throughout Europe. Dom is Director/Producer for the record label Jellymould Jazz and also plays the triangle.
www.dominicsales.co.uk
Joanne Bernard
Joanne trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds. She then worked with Kokuma dance company in Birmingham which enabled her to work with some of the best African and Caribbean tutors, Koffi Koko, Peter Badejo, H pattern and Patsy Ricketts to name a few. She has 18 years performance experience working for a variety of companies including Ace Dance and Music (contemporary/African fusion), Foot in hand (disabled and able bodied dancers) and tutti frutti (children’s theatre). Joanne went on to become movement director with Red Earth Theatre based in Derby for 5 productions and then returned to tutti frutti as a choreographer for their autumn show Silly Billy and has been with the company ever since.
Joanne has been a rehearsal director since 2004 working with companies such as State of Emergency and Rosie Kay with who she was rehearsal director for four seasons between 2005 and 2010. She was rehearsal director for Tavaziva dance during the critically acclaimed 2004 production ‘Bophelo’ in which the company toured to Zimbabwe as part of the Harare International Arts Festival. She returned to Tavaziva as rehearsal director for ‘Tavaziva Ten’ in autumn 2014.

Wendy Harris
Artistic Director, Chair of PYA England
I have held the position of Artistic Director at tutti frutti since 2005 and have directed all but one production in partnership with York Theatre Royal, touring nationally and internationally and co-producing the Little Feet Festival of Children’s Theatre and the First Words writers’ development programme
Before working with tutti frutti I was Artistic Director of Red Ladder Theatre Company, and previous to this; Merseyside Young People’s Theatre Company in Liverpool. Over the years as a freelance director work has included; Everyman Theatre Liverpool, Crucible Theatre Sheffield, Hope Street Ltd, Oxford Stage Company, Unity Theatre Liverpool, European Stage Company, Theatre Royal Stratford East, and Contact Theatre Manchester. I currently live in Leeds with my partner Mark and two sons Louie and Eliot.
Touring Team

Erika Poole
Erika Poole originates from Stoke-on-Trent. Over the years Erika’s acting roles have been many and varied, though predominantly in theatre and often for children.
She has worked with acclaimed physical theatre company Told by An Idiot in ‘Shoot Me In The Heart’, ‘Aladdin’, and ‘Beauty and the Beast’, co-devised and toured ‘Not With That Hand’ with Annie Fitzmaurice and Paul Hunter. Erika worked with artist Mark Storor on ‘For the Best’ at the Unicorn Theatre, a piece generated by the insight of children attending the Evelina Hospital School. She subsequently toured with the Birmingham Stage Company playing the horrid Gran in ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ and then appeared as Olive in ‘From Newbury with Love’ with Red Cape Theatre. In 2012 she again collaborated with Annie Fitzmaurice for Coal’s production of ‘Johnny Come Lately’ under the direction of John Wright in which she played the toxic mum, Maureen. Most recently she helped develop ‘In-Kind’ alongside artist Sarah Cole and a group of carers from Islington, which was a person-to-person performance in a military ambulance giving a glimpse of life as a carer.
It was great fun to be working with Tutti-Frutti on such a lovely piece as ‘Monday’s Child’ with Josie Cerise and to experience the joys of touring once more.

Joanne Davies

Josie Cerise
Play Space Coordinator
Robot’ and ‘Emily Brown and the Thing’ (Tall Stories), ‘Cinderella’, ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Pinocchio’ (The Dukes), ‘The Princess and the Pea’ (Action Transport), ‘The Prince and the Penguin’ (Northern Stage), ‘Coral’ and ‘Bleak Expectations’ (Nuffield Theatre), ‘The Ruck’ (Lawrence Batley Theatre), ‘The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’ (Assembled Junk), ‘Be My Baby’ (Anton Benson Productions). TV credits: ‘Grandpa in my Pocket’ (Cbeebies) and ‘Ha Ha Hairies’ (Cartoon Network).
Wendy Harris’s sweet production about a young girl and her grandmother was plaintive but never depressing. Alfred Hickling’s top 10 theatre of 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/dec/18/alfred-hickling-top-10-theatre-shows-2014#commentsTutti Frutti, having already established itself as one of the country’s leading children’s theatre companies, has truly excelled with this piece. Morning Star
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-47ae-Memorable-meditation-on-forgetfulness#.U5G4PfldWJGBeautiful, uplifting and very, very tender. The Independent (4 stars)
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/mondays-child-york-theatre-royal-review-9364094.htmlTightly choreographed, neatly directed, and with an excellent, intuitive script, this production still manages to capture the magic of spontaneous fun. childrenstheatrereviews.com
http://childrenstheatrereviews.com/2014/05/13/mondays-child/Leeds-based tutti frutti theatre company’s enchanting production exploring the relationship between a forgetful old lady and a little girl, with bubbles, balloons, dancing and songs, kept even the smallest audience members amused. The Northern Echo
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/entertainment/11178734.Monday___s_Child_at_York_Theatre_Royal_Studio/Tutti Frutti is one of our most consistently inventive and unpredictable young people's theatre companies… The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/apr/29/mondays-child-review-dementia-alzheimers-play-tutti-fruttiJosie Cerise is endearing and never parodying—her swaying, twitching, wide-eyed physicality is spot-on and true to life.
Erika Poole as the older Woman is similarly youthful and sparkling. The pair bring this well-crafted story to life in a way which, like past Tutti Frutti successes, should serve as a delightful early theatrical experience for the very young. British Theatre Guide
http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/monday-s-child-york-theatre-ro-10094Children and adults can discover much from this play, which is directed by Harris with understanding, sensitivity and a sense of fun. York Press
http://bit.ly/QUw9IFBrendan Murray and tutti frutti's latest collaboration, Monday's Child, is an exquisite exploration of friendship, play and memory across the generations. What's On Stage (5 stars)
http://www.whatsonstage.com/leeds-theatre/reviews/04-2014/mondays-child-tour-york-theatre-royal_34237.html?cid=rssfeed&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitterMonday’s Child is an emotional experience, parts of it are unforgettable. It makes everyday circumstances and conversations alive and vital and so very personal. The Stage
http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/39800/mondays-childFrom a brilliantly charismatic duo, to singing and dancing and even balloons and bubbles, the production certainly had everything that a child would enjoy, but this play goes far beyond your average children's entertainment. Yorkshire Times
http://www.yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Theatre-Review-Mondays-Child-at-York-Theatre-RoyalThere’s a lot of giggles on the way – and moments of stillness and sadness. York Mix
http://www.yorkmix.com/things-to-do/theatre/theres-a-lot-of-giggles-on-the-way-and-moments-of-stillness-and-sadness/Leeds List meets writer Brendan Murray.
http://leeds-list.com/culture/leeds-list-meets-brendan-murray/Brendan Murray talks about teaming up again with children's theatre producers tutti frutti on their new production, Monday's Child. What's On Stage
http://www.whatsonstage.com/york-theatre/news/04-2014/brief-encounter-with-mondays-child-writer-brendan-_34194.htmlGrowing old gracefully isn’t easy, as Steve Pratt discovers after a chat with tutti fruiti stars Erika Poole and Josie Cerise. The Northern Echo
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/entertainment/theatre/11157483.Memories_are_made_of_this/York Press talks to Wendy Harris and the Monday's Child cast.
http://Tutti_Frutti_and_York_Theatre_Royal_present_Monday_s_Child_on_tour_until_June_15