Theatr Iolo – Wales’ leading children’s theatre company – are preparing to tour Welsh- and English-language performances of their magical stage co-production of Emily Gravett’s illustrated children’s book, Tidy.
Tidy (Taclus in Welsh) is a co-production with Polka Theatre, and will tour eight venues across Wales plus a week of performances in Bath, 11 February to 15 March 2025.
The show, aimed at children aged three to seven, uses puppetry and original songs to bring to life the tale of Pete the badger who likes everything to be neat and tidy, but who accidentally destroys his own home whilst cleaning up the forest where he lives.
Tidy/Taclus is based on the children’s picture book by multi-award-winning author and illustrator, Emily Gravett, Tidy. The book was originally published in 2016 by Two Hoots, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Books. The Welsh language version of the show is inspired by Mari George’s translation of the book, published by Rily.
The English version of the show was first performed at Polka Theatre in Wimbledon, London in Spring 2023.Lee Lyford, Artistic Director of Theatr Iolo, said: “I can’t wait to take Emily Gravett’s funny, silly, yet thoughtful story on tour; a wondrous but cautionary tale about the value of the world around us and what happens if we don’t look after it. We’re particularly excited to be working with this outstanding cast to transform the show into a Welsh language production for the first time.”The production is directed by Lee Lyford and will star Owen Alun as Pete the Badger (Pete y Mochyn Daear), Elin Phillips as Rabbit (Cwningen) and Carwyn Jones as Fox (Cadno).
Tidy was originally co-created by Lee Lyford, Lucy Rivers and Rachael Canning. The production will also bring on board Llinos Mai to adapt the original script into Welsh.
