Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival: Melvyn Rawlinson and Professor Popup's Theatre

Melvyn Rawlinson and Professor Popup's Theatre

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Activities at the literature and ideas festival continued on Friday evening with Melvyn Rawlinson holding a performance of his popup theatre. Melvyn told the story of the Pied Piper, a show that he has been performing for over eighteen years.

He said: "The show is different every time I do it because the audience is different every time so that is always good."

Melvyn, who was enjoying his first time in Rochdale added: "This is the latest I have done the show so I hope the children can manage to sit through it."

The story of the Pied Piper is 700 years old and Melvyn enjoys using it as part of his show. He has always loved traditional stories and thinks pupperty is the perfect medium to capture the flavor of larger than life characters. When talking to the audience, Melvyn described this story as "one of my favourites that my mother used to tell to me."

Melvyn told the story through the use of mechanical toys, clockwork boxes, glove and finger puppets and gentle music.

The pop up theatre attracted an audience of young children and introduced young children to story telling with the use of colour and puppet theatre.

Melvyn also commented on the grandeur of Number One Riverside and Rochdale Central Library. He said: "This is a beautiful building and something the people of Rochdale should be able to use in many years to come."

The Pied Piper of Hamel story has been performed in this fashion over 900 times and Melvyn can now add Rochdale to the list of festivals he has performed.