STORYTELLING crosses all boundaries as Huddersfield based company TellingTales is well aware.
The company, resident at the Lawrence Batley Theatre, will represent England in a festival in Macedonia later this summer.
And it hopes to come home with a prize as the International Children's Theatre Festival has a competitive element.
The storytelling company will perform in August alongside other groups from Russia, Switzerland, Croatia, Spain, Turkey, Slovenia and Macedonia.
It will be taking a storytelling performance of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, adapted by Robin Simpson, which was first performed in Kirklees schools.
Susanna Meese, lead storyteller at TellingTales, said: “It is a privilege to be representing England at this festival, which is held at Babec Theatre in Bitola, a centre for European excellence in children's theatre.
“I can't wait to share our work and gain inspiration from other countries' productions.”
Macedonia is one of the oldest civilisations but one of the youngest countries, and, says Susanna, as a multiethnic society, it is promoting children's theatre as an equal part, not an add-on, to the upbringing and education of its young people.
It is something that she feels passionately about in her work promoting the art of storytelling.
“It can free the imagination and also help us to make sense of our world. It creates a bond between storyteller and listener and it helps us to empathise with people who are different.”
TellingTales will be performing the show again on home turf when it goes back out to schools this winter along with a new performance of Hansel and Gretel adapted from the Brothers Grimm.
The company is looking for sponsorship deals that will help pay for the flights to Macedonia.
