Chocolate Factory at The Base ballyfermot

The week before I sat down to discuss a stage set and costumes. I wasn't sure what for but I got a brief for charlie and the chocolate factory (chocolate room) and the Gruffallo (kids costumes).

I made a set of 4 upright boards for the children to paint a scene on and provided a few costumes. The highlight of the show turned out to be the tree from the chocolate factory that was made of real sweets and a paper mache base. There were teeth marks on the marshmallows before the tree went on stage and I can't understand it because the tree was shut backstage in a hall behind a pile of guitars and a drum kit. After the show I went back to take the sweets down so they could be used for the show the next day but they were all eaten by the stage crew (not the children)! so I had to get more sweets for the second night. Luckily I saved them for the children that time. The candy canes were made from a length of waste pipe that I melted and bent then wrapped red electrical tape around to make the stripes. The base was a piece of thick MDF.

The gruffallo was just a couple of head bands with ears or a mask. They were made from a piece of galvanized wire glued between a folded strip of card. The ears or masks were made from card and felt and stapled to the head bands.

I gave the costumes to the children and donated the set to 'the Base'.