Going to the theatre can be one of the most fun activities to do. However, I always come back to the idea that what really matters is what happens once the lights turn off and we have to go back home. How has the story moved us? What is left of us after being part of a story?
I always wonder what goes through a child’s mind while watching a play. As I sat at the very back of the stage, I tried to listen carefully to the children’s excitement before the lights turned off for the play to begin. I could sense their happiness, their curiosity lurking in, waiting for the characters to appear on stage.
Last Wednesday, the Scottish Storytelling Centre got filled with a sense of intrigued expectation, until the lights turned on and Violette came out to the stage. The children smiled with excitement as they submerged into a world that was now, their own. I really cannot take their smiles out of my mind.
At the end, the actress came out to the stage as herself for a brief Q&A with the audience after finishing her performance. The thing is the audience is quite… exceptional. Just imagine: around sixty children ready to ask questions and deliver the most singular feedback. As she comes back to her own body, voice and mind, the kids find it difficult to not see Gwladys a Violette. What’s your favourite part of the play? How long did it take to practice the show? Can I try the cupcake Violette prepared? Until the last one asks, did you cry for real?
Yes, the actress answered. And the child, well, she accepted that answer moving on with a smile, as if the woman had said exactly what she needed to hear. Because that is what “Cheeky Zippy Violette” aims to do from the very beginning—making the children’s curiosity part of the conversation while responding to it with absolute honesty and respect.
As the play evolves, it gives us —adults—an opportunity to experience joy by allowing us to suspend our logic, inviting us to understand and celebrate Violette’s imaginary world and the children’s kindness towards her storytelling.
I have volunteered for Imaginate for this last Edinburgh International Children’s Festival and I had the pleasure to watch the play “Cheeky Zippy Violette” written by Gwladys Lefeuvre and Maxi Delmelle. A story about how we find joy through the natural curiosity that sparks our creativity in the most unexpected ways.
The children in the audience reacted to her questions as if they had already set an agreement under the premise of carrying the play together, because Violette’s story exists for and because of the kids that have created that logic in the first place.
As the actress begins to win the children’s attention, the room becomes filled with an inexplicable gentleness and kindness. Maybe it’s Gwladys’ energetic, fully captivating voice, or her daring, fantastical posture towards the expecting audience. Maybe it’s the beautiful scenery that is perfectly curated to feel like it was built by a child, —this being one of the most wonderful compliments one can make —because it belongs to the story, it is organic to the narrative and fits perfectly into the world that belongs to the protagonist’s imagination and joy. The practical elements on set become the prompts for a strong sense of inquisitiveness towards the oddity to develop.
She then states her mission: to visit her grandfather on the moon. However, following this, Violette very seriously asks for £1000 to cover costs. All the kids instantly raised their hands (because apparently, they all had £1000). You could hear them all screaming “me!”, “Me!”, “ME!!!” as hands extended enthusiastically towards the actress. But of course, once Violette demanded them to give her the money, they all went quiet, even shy. Until a different kid offered again, and as Violette reached towards him, they all started laughing, because instead of money, the kid was giving her a box with a half-eaten snack. I guess for him, that snack might have been worth £1000, and I don’t blame him for thinking like that. This is a perfect example of little moments of magical kindness the play offers us as gifts to keep close to our hearts. Gwladys, now as Violette responds to them in their own language, one that is joyful, peculiar and kind.
Giving children the opportunity to belong, to be part of a creative project that celebrates their own curiosity and imaginative thinking is an act of pure bravery and respect towards children’s learning and emotional development. I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to see artists coming together to build a story that comes from the heart, that becomes a party of feelings and emotions, welcoming children into a world that feels fictional but is absolutely truthful.
I left the theatre as if I had just received the longest, warmest hug. I then understood that it was because I had just seen a play that makes children happy, confident about their curiosity and voice. “Cheeky Zippy Violette” is a play to watch over and over again, with different audiences and new reactions every single time, as we discover new talents ready to share stories with the world, both on stage and within the audience.
