HOLDEN & ARTS ASSOCIATES
SHARING STORIES AND CREATING PARTNERSHIPS SINCE 1983
THE GIRL WHO FORGOT TO SING BADLY
Written by Finegan Kruckemeyer
Produced by Theatre Lovett
From Dublin, Ireland
Theatre Lovett
Theatre Lovett
Theatre Lovett
Theatre Lovett
About the Company
Resources
Sometimes it takes a girl-sized human to solve an adult-sized problem.
Peggy O’Hegarty and her parents are packers. They squeeze fruit into tins, foxes into boxes, even bikes into brown paper bags. And all the while Peggy sings with the voice of an angel – a grossly unfortunate angel, who can’t sing at all. But one day, work stops working, and the jobs stop jobbing, and Peggy steps outside to find that winter has arrived… and everyone in her city has vanished!
Written by acclaimed playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer and with all the characters performed by the ingenious Louis Lovett, this tour de force performance takes the audience on an untamed adventure that crosses snowy land and wild seas. The story unfolds through the transformation of the set’s large whimsical crate, in which props and whole worlds are packed.
As Peggy desperately tries to save the day, we learn about love, loss, the reassurance of goats, and that we should all have the courage to sing gloriously on or off-key!
One of Theatre Lovett's most successful shows returns to North America for one last time in 2020-2021. Do not miss it!
Best for: Grades 2nd + up (Ages 7 years+)
Audience Size: Medium & Large Venues
Please contact us to watch the full length archival recording.
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Company Background
Past work: They Called Her Vivaldi, The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly (IPAY Austin 2012 Showcase, National tours in 2013 & 2016)
Theatre Lovett produce work for all ages, both child and adult, young and old, chicken and egg. Whether you are a child, an adult who remembers what it was like to be a child, or anyone curious and open-minded who wishes to engage with theatre that can amuse, involve and sometimes scare, Theatre Lovett offers you theatre as adventure.
A leading theatre company in Ireland, Theatre Lovett have had 5 Dublin Theatre Festival premieres and are delighted to be currently working on their first opera, Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel with The Irish National Opera and The National Theatre of Ireland, The Abbey Theatre. Work in rep includes: FRNKNSTN (Then Abbey Theatre, Edinburgh, Berlin 2020), A Feast of Bones (Edinburgh international Children’s festival opening show, On The Edge), The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, Mr Foley, The Radio Operator, The House that Jack. Recent North America touring includes an 8-venue tour of They Called her Vivaldi written by Louis Lovett after a sold out run at Ireland’s National Theatre; Annually for Dublin’s National Concert Hall, they produce and direct the heart-warming family spectacle This Way to Christmas which includes a full orchestra.
Louis Lovett is one of the world’s leading performers for young audiences. He might ask your opinions in performance, and sometimes act on them in ways you don’t expect. Theatre Lovett love music, physical theatre, clowning, absurd comedy and poignant tragedy. Sharing a Theatre Lovett theatre piece empowers children and their adults to embrace life, with all its light and shadow.
Joint Artistic Directors Muireann Ahern and Louis Lovett have each over 28 years’ experience in the field of Theatre for Young Audiences and give masterclasses both nationally and internationally.
We tour extensively both nationally and internationally: The Abbey Theatre, Dublin; New Victory Theater, New York; Sydney Opera House; Arts Centre Melbourne; Southbank Centre London; Traverse Theatre Edinburgh; The Kennedy Center, Washington DC; The Wallis Annenberg Center, Los Angeles; The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia; and many more. May 2019 saw us completing an extensive North American tour supported by Culture Ireland.
The Girl Who Forgot To Sing Badly Touring History:
2016 USA Tour: The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Beverly Hills; The Kennedy Center Washington DC; The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia
2015 Irish and UK Tour
2014 Australian Tour: Arts Centre Melbourne; The Sydney Opera House; Joan Sutherland Centre for the Performing Arts, Penrith
2013 USA Tour: The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia; The One Theatre World Conference and International Children’s Festival Playhouse Square, Cleveland; The Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival; The New Victory Theater on 42nd Street, New York
2012 IPAY Austin, Texas; Southbank London; Cork Midsummer Festival
2011 The Abbey Theatre, Irelands National Theatre (Peacock stage); Opening show at Imaginate Festival, Edinburgh
2010 The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children; Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival ReViewed; National Tour
For more information, please visit the company’s website.
Artistic Team
Writer: Finegan Kruckemeyer
Director: Lynne Parker
Cast: Louis Lovett
Original Set Designer: Paul O’Mahony
Original Lighting Designer: Sinead Wallace
Additional Lighting Designer: John Comiskey
Costume Designer: Joan O’Clery
Music & Sound Designer: Carl Kennedy
Producer: Muireann Ahern
Photo Credit: Patrick Redmond
Promo Trailer: RTÉ
This production of The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly was originally commissioned by The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children, Ireland and produced by The Ark in association with Theatre Lovett.
Critical Acclaim
“Louis Lovett delights children and adults. Theatre Lovett is miles ahead of the children’s theatre troupes that I have experienced. They produce theatre that amuses, is playful and challenges their young audiences to think and reason.”
—NYTheatre.com
“Lovett’s endlessly engaging presence, once again proving not just physically dexterous but mentally athletic... Never missing a chance to respond to the chuckles, gasps and vocal contributions of his audience with witty adlibs, Lovett makes the experience seem as natural and interactive as a warm hug.”
—The Irish Times
‘‘Performed by the remarkable Louis Lovett, it is a truly humorous, emotive and explosively creative piece of drama. Lovett’s ability to switch characters in mid-sentence, his artlessly elastic physicality and comedic flair all marry brilliantly with the quirky twists in Finegan Kruckemeyer’s surreal and scary tale.”
—Scotland Review
Gallery of Past Productions
Curriculum Connections
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Fine Arts: Drama, Performance, Design
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Language Arts: Story-Telling, Narrative, Word-play and Puns,
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Emotional/Social Development: Social Awareness, Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Empathy, Confidence, Transformation
Minimum Technical Requirements
Minimum Technical Requirements
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Load-in: 10 hours (with pre-hang) or 12 hours (with no pre-hang)
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Minimum stage: 26 feet wide x 26 feet deep, 18 feet height
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Crew Needs:
*Load-in: 8 crew members - 3 x LX, 2 x stage crew, 1 x stage carpenter, 1 x sound, 1 x wardrobe.
*Run of Show: 3 crew members - 1 x LX, 1 x stage, and 1x sound.
*Load-out: 5 crew members - 2 x LX, 2 x stage crew, and 1 x sound.
(Roles may be combined according to venue regulations if discussed with company in advance.) - Load-out: 3 hours
Outreach and Workshops
Theatre Lovett give masterclasses in Theatre for Young Audiences both nationally and internationally. They run actor training for professional actors and creative teams interested in making work for young audiences at Ireland’s renowned National Theatre (The Abbey Theatre) and at The Gate Theatre, Ireland. Please contact us if this is something you'd like to explore.