Lighthouse is proud to present the premiere of a magical new family show, Betty and the Yeti, that will play The Sherling Studio from Saturday 24 to Friday 30 October and features a 50-metre long woollen scarf hand knitted in Poole.
Based on the picture book by Dorset writer Ella Burfoot and featuring actor Remi Oriogun-Williams, from Dorchester, the play has been made locally by Lighthouse associate artists Angel Exit who created SALT: A Community Play for Poole in 2023 using items knitted, stitched and woven by, among others, the Crafty Ladies who meet every Thursday at Lighthouse.
When they heard a giant scarf was needed for the production, the Crafty Ladies got to work. One knitter alone has contributed 24 meters – delivered on a trolley – and the needles were also out at the Evergreen Care Home in Winton, where Crafty Ladies leader Djennat works.
“Here we are in the middle of a heatwave and these incredible ladies are dreaming of snow – it’s a phenomenal effort by these hugely talented and incredibly industrious knitters; they are amazing!” say Angel Exit artistic directors Lynne Forbes and Tamsin Fessey.
“The community aspect of our work is central to everything we do and the Crafty Ladies are a vital part of that. We also visited primary schools in Wincanton and Bournemouth to collaborate with young people on creating elements of the show including songs, things villagers might think of the Yeti, and what they found funny.”
Betty and the Yeti is set in a faraway land of igloos and ice where the villagers panic when they see large footprints panic in the snow. Could it be a Yeti? Luckily, brave Betty knows that appearances are not always what they seem and sets off on an adventure involving an avalanche of lost property, northern lights, singing polar bears, and a super-speedy Arctic hare!
A frosty tale of facing fear and finding friendship with puppetry, slapstick humour, catchy songs, and plenty of interactive fun, Betty and the Yeti is a delightful story that will warm your heart like a cuddle in the cold.
The play was developed at Lighthouse, as part of its Sanctuary artist development residency, as well as at Westlands Yeovil and Hawkwood Centre for Creative Thinking, Puppet Place in Bristol, Wincanton Primary School and St Michael’s CofE Primary in Bournemouth. In exploring themes of friendship, fear, being brave and not judging outsiders, it is ideally suited for KS2-aged young people and their families.
Betty and the Yeti writer-illustrator Ella Burfoot lives in Dorset with her family and dogs. Her work includes Recipe for a Story, Betty and the Yeti, and Darkness Slipped In, which was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and won highly commended at the British Book Design and production Awards.
“I find the outdoors inspiring and many of my ideas come when out walking,” she says. “There’s a rhythm to walking which helps me with my writing and nature is a constant inspiration for my love of pattern, colour and shape. We live in a small house with several acres behind, which we affectionately refer to as ‘the bog’, a wild and wonderful place in which to occasionally get lost… or stuck!”
Actor Remi Oriogun-Williams first met Angel Exit as a student at Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester in 2009. They studied at Cambridge and trained at the Jacques Lecoq International Theatre School in Paris before reuniting with Angel Exit last Christmas in their immersive production, The Wintertime Hotel.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Tamsin and Lynne again,” says Remi. “My theatrical origin story goes back to when Angel Exit performed at Thomas Hardye’s when I was in year 11. I was completely enthralled and here I am, full circle, back in Dorset and on stage with these physical theatre icons!”
Tickets available now at https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/betty-and-the-yeti/ and on 01202 280000.
Photos by Jayne Jackson Photography
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