ArtsGroupie’s Bumper Packed August!

• Our new production ‘A Portrait of William Roscoe’
• FREE Shadow Puppet workshops for families/children
• FREE Puppet Masterclass for theatre practitioners, with Ruta Staseviciute
• FREE creative walkshops, ‘Parklife’ in Court Hey Park with Heart of Glass

Celebrating a renowned writer and one of England's first abolitionists, ‘A Portrait of William Roscoe’ will see the man come magically alive and out of his portrait to talk about his life and times.

Using puppetry, physicality, and traditional storytelling.

A poet, historian, and patron of the arts, he was responsible for helping to establish the first botanical garden in Liverpool in 1802. In that same year, he wrote a children’s poem, The Butterfly’s Ball and The Grasshopper’s Feast for his son, Robert, which won him international fame.

Roscoe was a social activist throughout his life and an advocate for the environment and racial justice. He became an MP in Liverpool to vote against slavery and this led to the abolition of slavery in 1807. Journey with us back to see Liverpool through the eyes of this distinguished gentleman.

We are extremely grateful to Arts Council England, our audiences, and community partners for their ongoing support and encouragement.

ArtsGroupie are joining forces with the Friends of Roscoe Gardens for a a fun activity open day on Saturday 19th August 11- 4pm @Roscoe Gardens - Mount Pleasant, Liverpool.

Events and activities will include:

• Heritage tours of the garden
• BEE Hive demonstrations
• Family Shadow Puppet workshops.

More about the Open Day! >>

Our new play, A Portrait of William Roscoe features a superb puppet created especially for us by Master Puppet Maker Ruta Staseviciute who also made our signature Liver Bird puppet that has been delighting audiences at performances of The Liver Bird Show during 2023.

To celebrate the play's debut, Ruta is facilitating a Puppetry Masterclass workshop at The Learning Centre at Shakespeare North. It's an exceptional opportunity for theatrical creatives to learn from such a talented and experienced craftswoman. The workshop is free of charge but you must book your place.

Puppetry Masterclass >>

ArtsGroupie are delighted to be joining forces with St Helen's based collaborative arts organisation Heart of Glass this Summer. We  are facilitating a series of FREE creative workshops on August 29th and September 12th at Incredible Edible Knowsley, a green oasis in Court Hey Park.

John Maguire has been commissioned by Heart of Glass for their Prototype Projects 2023, part of A Sense of Green, an initiative we are excited and proud to support.

Parklife Walk-shops >>