Photo Flash: First Look at Royal & Derngate and Polka Theatre with Little Angel Theatre's MOOMINSUMMER MADNESS

Celebrating the centenary of Tove Jansson's birth, Phil Porter's new musical version of Moominsummer Madness unites the directing skills of a leader in children's interactive theatre and a puppetry pioneer with puppets created at the UK's foremost puppet theatre. Check out a first look below!

The musical adventure is co-directed by Royal & Derngate's Associate Director Dani Parr, well-known for her exciting and immersive work for young people including the award-winning Flathampton and The Dream Space in collaboration with Shakespeare's Globe, and Peter Glanville, the new Artistic Director at Polka Theatre (previously Artistic Director of Little Angel Theatre), whose acclaimed productions include The Tempest and Skitterbang Island, as well as pioneering puppetry work for adults. Moominsummer Madness also brings together the talents of Little Angel Theatre's celebrated puppet-maker Lyndie Wright, Bruntwood Prize-winning writer Phil Porter (who is writing this year's RSC Christmas show The Christmas Truce) and composer Ben Glasstone.

The talented cast of puppeteers features Nick Ash (The Wind In The Willows for Polka Theatre, The Dream Space for Shakespeare's Globe/Royal & Derngate), Ruth Calkin (The Tempest for Little Angel Theatre, Puppetry Director for In The Night Garden), Lori Hopkins (Along The Riverbank at Royal & Derngate, Macbeth for Little Angel Theatre) and Claire Harvey (Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas at Lyric Hammersmith, The Tear Thief for Little Angel Theatre).

Moominsummer Madness forms part of Tove 100 - a celebration of 100 years since the birth of Tove Jansson, one of the key artists and writers in the post-war age. Her Moomin books (written between 1945-1993) have been translated into 44 languages along with animated films and a popular television series.

Photo Credit: Robert Day