Getting in Touch with Our Inner Child

It was Ripon’s third Theatre Festival last week, and the weekend was to be given over to the streets and the park for theatre-in-the-street. The first two festivals had been sunny, warm, and everything good the weather could offer. Last weekend’s forecast was unremittingly vile. Rain, wind, thunder … everything you don’t want. Ripon’s luck had run out.

Except it hadn’t. Apart from one short sharp shower in the middle of Sunday, the weather was – sunny, warm enough, and everything anyone could have wished for.

Come and have a stroll. We could join Struzzo the ostrich and Maxim as they wander round the park.

Kit and Caboodle told a good yarn from their laden mule- cart. It was nicely illustrated by a moving picture show, transcribed onto an apparently unending scroll of paper unfurling before our eyes. And with added paper puppets.

We could watch the swirling-skirted clog-dancers rhythmically and musically clickety clacking their clogs.

Or we could wait for a train with the Rhubarb Theatre and their Three Suitcases as they try to set off on holiday. We’d have a long wait. Ripon doesn’t have a station.

Oh, hang on! There’s plenty going on near the Market Square too…. such as Fireman Dave …

… I want to catch the Bachelors of Paradise …

… and Logy on Fire, who does astonishing feats of acrobatics and balance with batches of discarded cigar boxes …

And there’s so much more. I only managed to see Four Hundred Roses, whom I photographed here, as they wandered up Kirkgate between performances.

I wish you could have been actually – rather than virtually – there too. Maybe next year?

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

49 thoughts on “Getting in Touch with Our Inner Child”

  3. I’ll try to remember next year but it’s himself’s birthday tomorrow. Perhaps he’d like to be in the UK for a change. We’d try and bring the weather, though I’m sure they wouldn’t want 30s in all those costumes. Looks brilliant fun and I’m a big fan of Logy.

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  9. well, I’m a firm believer in keeping in touch with the inner child! This looks to have been a great day and thank goodness for the weather! Kit and caboodle looked fun, the cloggers seemed energetic and The Bachelors of Paradise colourfully coordinated, oh and char box man. Quite a feat

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  10. awh, the fun you had. made me think back to my time in the UK where such events were possible and highly appreciated. Also the self-deprecating humour most Brits deploy. Just love it. Would have had a field day or three. I‘m so glad for you all that the weather was playing along. Thanks for sharing a part of your experience.

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    1. And thanks for coming along. Having seen the fun the good people of Basel have during Fasnacht I know the fun that’s possible there too.

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  12. This looks like great fun! I especially like the look of the Bachelors of Paradise 🙂 And I see you caught the 400 Roses passing our favourite Ripon pub! As to the weather, we experienced the same thankfully inaccurate forecast for our visit to Wimbledon on Monday. We were promised frequent showers from midday onwards and went prepared to get wet and be disappointed, but we only felt about three spots of rain all day and saw three complete matches 😀

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  19. This looked like such fun. I would like to attend. My very favorite was the ostrich, such a simple and inspired costume. Or we could say it is a ñandu like my family and I saw in Chile.

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