School Holiday Show Set To Make A Splash

Local Hamilton children’s theatre company Stories and More returns to The Meteor with a brand new show, The Magic Pāua Shell, that’s set to take your school holidays to a whole new sea-level.

An original work written by mother and daughter duo, Stories and More founder Cecilia Mooney and founding member Missy Mooney, The Magic Pāua Shell blends magic, adventure, and toi Māori.

Suitable for ages five and up, The Magic Pāua Shell,tells a story of friendship, family, and forgiveness with original music created by Dr. Jeremy Mayall and Horomona Horo and direction by Cecilia Mooney.

Set between the shores above and the moana below, the show follows young mermaid Princess Miriam as she is pulled out of the ocean on the day of her coronation to an unfamiliar land. In the shadow of a generational grudge held between two feuding families over a lost sacred relic: The Magic Pāua shell, audiences are invited to join Miriam on her journey to find her way back home.

Playwright Cecilia Mooney comments, “It’s ultimately a story showcasing the power of friendship and forgiveness as we see Miriam and her best friend, the crab Prince JJ, work together to restore harmony to their community. All with a little bit of magic of course…”

Stories and More has become somewhat renowned for creating dynamic and spellbinding theatrical experiences with magical sets, vibrant costumes, and enchanting music.

Mooney comments, “The goal of Stories and More is to make live theatre accessible to children and young people to watch and participate in both on and off stage.”

Stories and More offers weekly drama classes for children and young people and gives them the opportunity to participate in their annual show. An integral part of the company’s kāupapa is to give young people the chance to do a full-scale production and experience theatre beyond a school showcase setting.

Mooney adds, “This year our cast features 18 actors who range from age 5 – 70+ and includes children from our drama classes and adults from the local Waikato theatre community.”

The Magic Pāua Shell isn’t just child-friendly entertainment, this is theatre for families by families. Multiple family groups are playing key roles in preparing the show for the stage.

“Stories and More veteran Greg McCallum and his son Alex are in the cast, along with Courteney Mayall and her son Wolfganag, with Dad Dr Jeremy Mayall creating original music for the show. My own daughter Missy helped me write the play and my two grandchildren Olive and Thomas, and husband Owen are all on stage” says Mooney. “It’s really quite special to have multiple generations of our family involved in the show” and “several parents and relatives of the children from the drama classes are also helping out in production roles like backstage, set and costume construction”.

The Magic Pāua Shell will be running at The Meteor Theatre from September 27 – 30 with a mixture of daytime and evening performances. Tickets are $10 Child, $15 Adult and $42 Family Pass (four tickets). Further information and tickets are available at themeteor.co.nz.

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