Riding Lights Christmas Shows

I've talked a fair bit on this blog about Riding Lights, a Christian theatre company based in York whose work I've loved for many years. In the past I've given plugs for its touring show about the Olympics and the launch of its new Roughshod company which is touring in 2013. But this time, I went to begin the festive preparations by telling you about two shows that they're performing this year.

Riding Lights have a great record with shows for people of all ages, creating work that even very young children can appreciate on some level. My first experience of the company, way before my first summer school in 2003, was seeing them perform at my local church in Bunbury, Cheshire. I don't remember much about the show itself, other than it involved a talking sheep, but their enthusiasm and skill with Biblical storytelling left a huge impression on me. 

This year there are two Riding Lights shows doing the rounds which feature witty retellings of the Nativity. One is Give it Back Mak!, which is being revived after a successful tour last year, and which features copious amounts of puppetry. The other, Only 80 Miles to Christmas!, is a brand new show written by the brilliant Nigel Forde, including "undercover angels, Persian philosophers and a wildly mischievous camel called Desmond."

Both plays are around an hour in length and are suitable for people aged 5 and over. You can find full tour dates and ticketing info by visiting the company's What's On page here.

And for those not yet contemplating getting into the Christmas spirit, I'll be creating another post in the not-too-distant future about an alternative Christmas show that Riding Lights Youth Theatre are doing. Suffice to say, if you can make it to the Friargate Theatre in mid-December, you'll be in for a treat...

Daniel