tutti frutti productions and York Theatre Royal present
Ugly Duckling
by Emma Reeves
A one hour show for children aged 3+ and their families. Perfect for weekend, half term and twilight family shows or for school performances.
Meet the most unusual duckling the pond has ever seen!
In their nest at the edge of a pond, the baby ducklings wait impatiently for Mummy’s enormous egg to hatch. But their new brother doesn’t look like everyone else. He doesn’t even quack like a proper duckling!
Teased and called Ugly by his siblings, our hero goes on an adventure in search of a place to fit in. As the woodland trees change from dark weathered branches to silver sticks of frost, the lost and lonely fledgling hides in brushwood and stares skyward at the migrating swans, yearning to belong and marvelling at their beauty…. Where does he really belong?
Moving through all four seasons, tutti frutti and York Theatre Royal bring to life Hans Christian Andersen’s well known tale. With a menagerie of mischievous animals, depicted through inventive physicality, and live music that quacks and trills, this charming production plays with the importance of identity, self-worth and takes us on a journey to discover inner beauty.
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Video
Reviews & Quotes
Tour Dates
Date & Time | Venue | Address |
---|---|---|
4th Dec 2018 10.30; 1.00 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
5th Dec 2018 10.30; 1.00 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
5th Dec 2018 10.30; 1.00 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
8th Dec 2018 11.30; 2.30 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
9th Dec 2018 11.30; 2.30 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
11th Dec 2018 10.30; 1.00 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
12th Dec 2018 10.30; 1.00 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
13th Dec 2018 10.30; 1.00 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
15th Dec 2018 11.30; 2.30 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
16th Dec 2018 11.30; 2.30 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
18th Dec 2018 10.30; 1.00 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
19th Dec 2018 10.30; 1.00 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
20th Dec 2018 10.30; 1.00 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
22nd Dec 2018 11.30; 2.30 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
23rd Dec 2018 11.30; 2.30 |
Arc |
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL
To book tickets: 01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk |
Schools Activities
Ugly Duckling Teacher's Information
DownloadHow to Make a Who Lives With Me Tree
DownloadHow to Make a Decorated Duckling
Download5 Things I Like About Myself Worksheet
DownloadHow to Make an Anti-Bullying Pledge
DownloadCreative Team

Catherine Chapman

Emma Reeves
Emma’s stage work includes the Olivier-nominated adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather, The Snow Child, Carrie’s War, Little Women and Cool Hand Luke. TV work includes The Worst Witch (Lead Writer) Eve (Lead Writer and co-creator) The Dumping Ground, Young Dracula, Tracy Beaker Returns, Belonging, The Murder of Princess Diana, Spirit Warriors and Doctors. She has won Best Children’s TV Episode at The Writers Guild of Great Britain Awards twice, and been nominated on two other occasions. Her work has won a national RTS award, an RTS Scotland award, been nominated for two BAFTA awards and two Broadcast awards.
www.davidhigham.co.uk/filmclients/emma-reeves
Holly Irving
Holly is an experienced performer, teacher and movement director. Holly has always been passionate about how dance and theatre can be used to educate, inspire, rehabilitate as well as entertain a diverse range of audiences.
After graduating from The Northern School of Contemporary Dance Holly sought to use her skills to promote the amazing possibilities in dance. She went on to work in hospitals, prisons, secure training units, specialist school and with refugees and migrants. Some of Holly’s credits include: Open clasp Theatre Company ‘Key Change’ (Best of Edinburgh Award, Fringe 2015), and Take Off Festival Scratch artist 2015.

James Atherton
Composer, Musical Director
Theatre as composer/musical director credits include: Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (New Vic Theatre), A Tiger’s Tale (M6 Theatre Company),The Visitors Book (Hope Mill Theatre); The Giant Jam Sandwich, The Tiger’s Bones (New Perspectives - National Tour); When We Built A Rocket Ship; Tis Written In The Stars (Oldham Coliseum); Bedtime Stories (Upswing at Stratford Circus)
Television as composer credits include: The History Of Christianity,Tales From the National Parks, The Lives of Gandhi, Around the World in 80 Faiths, (BBC); Survivors, Kenny Everett: Licence to Laugh (ITV1); The Unseen Eric Morecambe (Channel 4); Roger to the Rescue (Cosgrove Hall); Colleen’s Secrets (Channel 5); All in the Game, starring Ray Winstone (Film4).
James is also the artistic director of the renowned Oldham Theatre Workshop.

Music Composer- Tayo Akinbode

Nick Ash

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

Calum Clark
Technical Stage Manager adventuring with tutti frutti for the second time. Other recent escapades include Slung Low's Fairy Portal Camp (RSC), The White Whale (Leeds Dock), 59 Minutes To Save Christmas (Sheffield Theatres) and Emergency Story Penguin (UK Tour).
Calum was the company stage manager for Prime Theatre/Bolton Octagon's 2016 tour of The Macbeth Curse by Terry Deary and has toured extensively with Red Ladder and Phoenix Dance Theatre, Leeds.
He is a graduate in Fine Art from Staffordshire University and co-founder of street theatre troupe Artemis Productions UK, Liverpool.

Danny Childs
Danny graduated from ALRA:North in 2013 where he was nominated to represent the school in a ‘Laurence Olivier Award’ bursary. Starting life as an actor with a rural UK tour of ’12 Miles from Nowhere’ (Karen Simpson/Action Transport Theatre), Danny then moved onto roles as ‘Wishee Washee’ (Buxton Opera House) and ‘Grandson’ in Michael Morpurgo’s ‘FarmBoy’ (Colchester Mercury).
Danny has been a part of the ‘Tutti Frutti’ family before, enjoying a national and international tour of ‘Rapunzel’ back in 2015, 'Ugly Duckling' in 2017 and ‘Keepy Uppy’ in 2018.
Danny and his colleague Matt are establishing their names as filmmakers back in Manchester, specialising in promotional footage, actors portfolio material and short films. They have already enjoyed an official selection award for their short film ‘FEUD’ earlier this year despite only celebrating a 1 year birthday of their company SquadFour Productions recently. Follow their progress online at www.squadfourproductions.co.uk.
McKenzie Alexander

What a beautiful show. Thank you for capturing our imaginations. Audience member
What a wonderful show! A super way to explore being true to yourself in a way this is comprehendible to little ones. So important. Loved it! Audience member
Ugly Duckling is colourful, fun, engaging, inspiring and well worth a watch. York Mumbler
This is an inspired piece of storytelling. The Reviews Hub