In November not one but two amazing theatre companies come to Shepton Mallet offering three free public shows for young people as part of All the World's Our Playground theatre programme organised by Bowlish Infant School, Make the Sunshine, and five partner primary schools across Shepton Mallet - St Paul's, Shepton Mallet Infants, St Aldhelm's, Stoke St Michael and Croscombe.

This Sunday, 3rd November at 12pm & 3pm master-puppeteer Tallulah Swirls will share her FREE shadow puppet show and workshop at Shepton Mallett's amazing Art Bank.

Tallulah Swirls will weave a touching and funny Mexican Day of the Dead tale, using an interactive shadow puppet performance, full of music and light and colour. The performance is followed by a simple shadow puppet making workshop and a chance to make your own puppets come to life.

Tallulah has toured UK festivals performing at Glastonbury and Just So Festival (whose organisers confessed "We've fallen in love with Tallulah Swirls"), as well as being a firm favourite at River Cottage HQ. This show was originally developed for the American Museum in Bath.

Suitable for ages 4+ . This event forms part of the Festival of Death and Dying at the Art Bank which takes place over the weekend. This event is free thanks to support from All the World's Our Playground funding. Places are limited so don't miss out on the colourful creative celebration of Mexican culture in Shepton.

Tallulah Swirls will also be visiting St Aldhelm's school the following week to lead some puppetry masterclasses!

Just a few days later award-winning Somerset theatre company Mumblecrust Theatre come to Shepton Mallet with their dark and haunting Tale of the Cockatrice. On Wednesday 6th November, 3:45pm – 4:45pm at St Paul's School Hall.

Award-Winning Mumblecrust Theatre, who scooped several coveted awards at Brighton Fringe Festival, present two muddle-headed storytellers, an obscure British legend, breath-taking puppetry and spine-tingling live music in this dark and winding fable for monster-lovers young and old.

Aimed at young people aged 7-11 years old The Tale of the Cockatrice is based on a legend from British Folklore. Combining myth and history, sophisticated storytelling.

Deep in the vaults of an ancient priory a hideous creature awakens. A deadly cockatrice is born! Bold knights flee in terror… Can a humble nun defeat the beast?

Audience feedback from this show included: "Absolutely magical, beautifully designed set and puppets came to life. This must be seen by people of all ages" and "A great performance, highly original, my 8 year old boy adored it and has been re-enacting it ever since"

These events are part of All the World's Our Playground a year-long theatre project working across six primary schools locally and offering students and the local community extensive free shows and workshops. The project will culminate in a large festival at St Paul's and across Shepton Mallet in March 2020 created by students themselves and showcasing professional performances alongside their own work.

The programme has been made possible thanks to funding from The Arts Council, Literature Works, Wells Literature Festival and Shepton Mallet Town Council.

Mexican Day of the Dead, Tallulah Swirls

12-1:30pm & 3-4:30pm, FREE

The Tale of the Cockatrice, Mumblecrust Theatre

Wednesday 6th November