************************* Take some magic beans, a giant or two, a mum who shouts a lot and come with us on a quest and enter the magical world of young adventurer Jack. From the pen of acclaimed children’s writer, Mike Kenny, comes the story of Jack, the latest co-production between York Theatre Royal and tutti frutti productions that is set to take children and grown-ups on an enchanting journey when the new adaptation premières in The Studio from the 7-25 November. Tutti frutti productions take the well-known story of Jack and the Beanstalk and ‘Jack’ stories from across the globe, to bring you a funny, fantastical tale of a budding hero and a bad tempered giant. With leading writer Mike Kenny, original soundscapes by Ivan Stott, Appalachian dance movements choreographed by Julia Pollock and in collaboration with international puppetry artists Faulty Optic, tutti frutti create a magical, imaginative (and at times scary!) journey into extraordinary worlds. Mike Kenny said, “In my time as a writer I’ve worked a lot with fairy tales from various cultures. I find them interesting, and a lot of them are good stories, embedded deep within our consciousness. We all know about the big bad wolf even though it is a long time since wolves have actually roamed these islands. Most people can’t remember where they first heard them. It’s as if they were always there. Many of them turn up as movies or pantos every Christmas. It’s maybe because of this that it was only a few years ago that I noticed that most of the central characters are female - Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel. Now I’m the father of three boys and though they loved the tales when they were young, I started to wonder where were the tales with boy central characters? And what were they like? This is what brought me to the Jack tales. They pop up all over Europe and America. Probably the most famous is’ Jack and the Beanstalk’, but there are far more stories with Jack as the central character. He’s sometimes lazy, maybe a bit dim, definitely cheeky, qualities I recognise in my own sons. But one of the great things about these stories is that he often deals with unbelievable odds, or huge giants not by brute strength, but by resourcefulness. Some of the nicest of these stories found their way to the Appalachian Mountains in the US. It’s these I’ve drawn on most in the writing of my version. They have a warm humour, and turn a few twists on familiar stories that I hope will surprise and entertain.” tutti frutti productions are a national touring company creating high quality work for children and their families to enjoy. Jack, directed by tutti frutti’s artistic director Wendy Harris, is a colourful new production for children aged 3 and above in partnership with York Theatre Royal and with support from Audiences Yorkshire. The production will feature Appalachian dancing movements choreographed by Julia Pollock. Appalachian Dancing is a form of folk dancing developed in the Appalachian Mountains of North America, where it is still popular today. Generations of settlers from all over Europe took their traditional dance steps and music with them to the New World, where they were blended together with the rhythms of African slaves and the dance steps of Cherokee Indians. Julia runs The Bootleggers are a long established group who were reformed to provide people in North Lincolnshire with the opportunity to learn the percussive steps used within the Appalachian clogging and percussive step dance tradition. Watch out for the bad tempered giant or he might just eat you up! Ends Tickets are priced at £6.00 for adults and £4.00 for children and Under 25s, and can be obtained by visiting the York Theatre Royal Box Office or by calling 01904 623568. Tickets are also available online at www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. **************************