The New Carnival Company are holding giant puppet and lantern workshops ahead of their ‘Dark Nights at the Villa’ event in Brading next month.
This new and free outdoor arts event, set to take place on Saturday 16 November, will combine a spectacular illuminated street parade with the community enactment of a fairy tale pageant.
The event is part of the East Wight Landscape partnerships ‘Down to the Coast’ project, which aims to engage local people in the understanding and celebration of their local landscapes and heritage.
The parade, starting at 18:00 at Brading Primary School, will see families carrying handmade Roman-style torches and illuminated costumes leading into the outdoor pageant, which begins at 18:45 at Brading Roman Villa.
Frankie Goldspink, creative director at the New Carnival Company said:
“The storyline has been written by local schools and community groups, and been inspired by the famous Roman mosaics of the Villa. This spectacular pageant will feature Medusa, Bacchus, Orpheus and the inimitable Cockerel-headed man. Expect to see giant puppets, fabulous costumes, choreographed dancers and epic drama.”
On Saturday 9th November at Brading Town Hall, from 14:00-16:00, you can join a community Lantern workshop to make a lantern for the parade for a small charge of £5 per lantern.
There are also free Giant Puppet Making workshops to create one of the main characters in the pageant. Adults can drop in from 10:00 to 16:00 on Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th November at Brading Youth and Community Centre.
For further information about the workshops and the Dark Nights event, contact The New Carnival Company by calling 01983 716095 or [email protected].
