Lewis Carroll Children's Library Played Host to a Fun-Filled Educational Event

Islington Council and RGM Productions celebrate the West End première of a brand-new family musical adventure inspired by Lewis Carroll's beloved poem, The Hunting of the Snark. The impossible voyage of an improbable crew to hunt an imaginary creature is brought magically to life in this sparkling musical comedy adventure for 4 to 94 year olds.

From the lead producer of the international smash hit musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Musical, The Hunting of the Snark opens at the Vaudeville Theatre on 28 July and runs to 2 September. Following the West End run, the show will continue on national tour around the country from 25 September to 19 November.

In a special event, 60 Islington pupils gathered at Lewis Carroll Children's Library on Friday 26 May to take part in an event to celebrate Carroll's classic poem The Hunting of the Snark. The show's director, Gemma Colclough accompanied by the life-sized puppet, Mr Beaver enlightened and entertained the children with a lively interactive talk. The event concluded with the children drawing their interpretation of a Snark in RGM Production's Draw A Snark Competition (with over ten regional London libraries participating) held over the month of July.

The lucky children, all from Copenhagen Primary School learned about the themes of exploration and discovery, conservation, and puppet making (with a representative from the Little Angel Puppet Theatre (who are doing a puppet version of The Hunting of the Snark from May 30th to June 2nd).

The event formed part of the Islington Reads programme which aims to promote the importance of literacy and make reading fun for everyone. Research has shown that reading for pleasure is associated with higher academic achievement, improved employability and better mental health.

Rina Gill, producer of The Hunting of the Snark said:

"Our West End show very much retains the spirit of Lewis Carroll's world of Nonsense. We are proud to have shared the delights of this inspiring and funny show with the children of Islington. As with libraries who want to nurture a new generation of readers, we are passionate about creating bold new theatre for a new generation of theatre-goers."

The Hunting of the Snark is a story of adventure - a group of explorers travel to an island in search of a mythical creature only to find that what they are really searching for is one another. It's a story about family and friendship, and a young boy and his friend Mr Beaver saves the day with bravery and quick thinking and at the same time reconnects with his father. Side-splittingly funny, joyful, fast-paced and bursting with a soundtrack of witty songs by an award-winning songwriter will delight, excite and entertain.

To find out more about what's on at Islington libraries, please visit www.islingtonreads.co.uk, follow @islingtonlibs on Twitter, or speak to your local library.

Photo credit: Mark Douet