Red and blue alien creatures hold hands on a planet next to a blue spaceship

THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS

Tue 20 - Sat 24 June 2023
Tickets All tickets: £16 *

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A joyful tale of star-crossed aliens. 

Soar into space with this exciting adaptation of the award-winning book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

On a far-off planet, Smeds and Smoos can’t be friends. So when a young Smed and Smoo fall in love and zoom off into space together, how will their families get them back?

Music, laughs and interplanetary adventures for everyone aged 3 and up, from Tall Stories – the company that brought you The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom live on stage.

Have a read of our recent blog post with the cast - click here! <

Coming to the Relaxed Performance on Saturday 24 June, 10.30am? Click here to view the Visual Story, which gives you more information about what to expect during your visit.

The Smeds and The Smoos © Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler 2019, published by Scholastic

Running Time

Approximately 1 hour (without an interval)

Age Guidance

3+

Tickets

Tuesday: 4.30pm
Wednesday: 10.30am & 1pm
Thursday: 10.30am & 1pm
Friday: 10.30am & 1pm
Saturday: 10.30am, 1pm & 4.30pm

All tickets: £16 *

* All ticket prices include a £3 per ticket booking fee

Assisted Performances:

BSL Interpreted performance: Friday 23 June, 1:00pm
Relaxed Performances performance: Saturday 24 June, 10:30am

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Felicia Akin-Tayo (Janet)

Felicia was born in Nigeria and raised in Newham, east London. She graduated from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a BA Acting CDT (Collaborative Devised Theatre) degree.

Felicia enjoys physical theatre, movement and dance and appreciate storytelling - especially when told not just by voice but by the body too!

Previous credits with Tall Stories include: 
‘The Smeds and The Smoos’ (Edinburgh Festival & artsdepot)

Other theatre credits include:
Here, There, Now’ (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre) Digital recording

Tom Capper (Grandfather Smed)

Tom grew up in Oxfordshire, he went on to train at GSA Conservatoire and has stayed in Surrey ever since. Tom is delighted to be working with Tall Stories for the first time!

Theatre credits include:
‘The Purple Princess’ (Guildford Shakespeare Company), ‘Round The Horne’ (UK Tour), ‘Monstersaurus’ (UK Tour), ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’ (UK Tour), ‘The Goon Show’ (UK Tour), ‘Perfectly Ordinary’ (G Live), ‘Don’t Dribble On The Dragon’ (UK Tour), ‘Out of Nowhere It Came’ (Rachel Betts Theatre Company), ‘Around The World In 80 Days’ (UK Tour), ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ (UK Tour), ‘The Three Musketeers’ (UK Tour), ‘Macbeth’ (London Theatre), ‘The Duchess of Padua’ (Pentameters Theatre) and ‘Pinocchio’ (Farnham Maltings); ‘Cinderella’, ‘Dick Whittington, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (Princes Hall, Aldershot) and ‘Cinderella’ (Towngate Theatre).

Grace Liston (Understudy/Assistant Stage Manager)

Grace was born in Croydon and grew up in Bromley. She graduated from Rose Bruford College with a BA Hons degree in Actor Musicianship. 

Grace is proud and honoured to be a Trustee of Industry Minds, a charity advocating for mental health awareness in the arts industry. 

Theatre credits include: 

‘The Rascally Diner’ UK Tour, ‘Pataflafla’ The Bridge Theatre, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (Theatre Royal Wakefield), ‘A Christmas Carol' (The Barn Theatre), 'A Lightweight Disposable Product' (The Vaults Theatre, in association with Wildcard Theatre) and 'Twelfth Night' (Half Cut Theatre). 

Gareth Moss (Company Stage Manager)

Originally from Norwich, Gareth has been touring with theatre companies for 15 years.

Previous credits with Tall Stories include:

‘The Smeds and The Smoos' (Edinburgh Fringe and artsdepot), ‘Room on the Broom’ (UK tour}

Other theatre credits include:

‘The Ministry of Science Live’ (tour), 'L’es Dawson Flying High’ (tour), ‘Zog’ (tour), ‘Zog and the Flying Doctors’ (tour), ‘Stickman’ (tour), ‘Harpy’ (tour), ‘The Falcons Malteser ‘(Vaults), ‘Turn of the Screw’ (tour). ‘Still Alice’ (tour), ‘Eve’s Story’ (tour), ‘Viennese Strauss Gala’ (tour), ‘Grandads Island’ (tour), ‘The Play That goes Wrong’ (West end/tour), ‘The Shakespeare Revue’ (tour), ‘Hetty Feather’ (tour), ‘It’s a Wonderful Life ‘(tour), ‘Three Men in a Boat’ (tour), ‘Melody Loses Her Mojo’ (tour), ‘Birdsong ‘(tour), ‘The Parson Pirates ‘(tour), ‘Our Country’s Good’ (tour), ‘See How They Run’ (tour), ‘Twelfth Night’ (tour), ‘The Naked Truth’ (tour), ‘Denial’ (tour), and many pantos.

Andrea Sadler (Grandmother Smoo)

Originally from Wolverhampton, Andrea relocated to Exeter aged 5.  She trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating with a First in Drama and English Literature.

Theatre credits include:
‘Dogs Don’t Do Ballet’, ‘Little Angel by the Sea’, ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, ‘The Fabulous Flutterbys’, ‘Cindermouse’, ‘Goldilocks’, ‘The Wild Night of the Witches’, (Little Angel Theatre); ‘The Dong With a Luminous Nose’ (Little Angel Theatre, Cubic Feet); ‘A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings’ (Kneehigh); ‘The Paper Dolls’ (Polka Theatre); ‘Jina and the STEM Sisters’ (HMDT Music/ National Tour); ‘Five Little Monkeys ‘(Baby Panda); ‘Book Story’ (Monstro Theatre);  ‘A Christmas Carol’ (Antic Disposition); ‘At the World’s Edge’ (London Sinfonietta); ‘Round the Horne Revisited’ (Blue Box Ltd.); ‘Aladdin’ (Winchester Theatre Royal); ‘The Canterbury Tales’ (Nottingham Theatre Royal)

Television credits include:
‘The Basil Brush Show‘ (CBBC)

Film credits include: 
‘The Man Who Married Himself ‘(Therapy Films) and ‘Chemical Wedding’ (Focus Films)

Robert Penny (Bill)

Robert Penny is a multi-disciplined actor and physical performer who trained at East 15 Acting School and Circomedia, Centre for Contemporary Circus & Physical Theatre.

Robert has experience in various specialist performance skills including stage combat, music, acrobatics, aerial and gymnastics (former two-time British National tumbling champion).

Previous credits with Tall Stories include:
Billy in 'The Snow Dragon' (UK Tour)

Other theatre credits include:
Dodgit/Jack Honer/Swing, Acrobatics and Fight Captain in ‘Rock & Roll Red Riding Hood (Liverpool Everyman) Thing 2, understudy Boy & Cat in ‘The Cat in the Hat’ (Leicester Curve, The Rose Kingston co-production and UK Tour) Geroge & Acrobatics Captain in 'Oh No, George!' (Can't Sit Still National Tour), The Innocent and alternate musician in ‘Crossing the Line’ (Cirque Bijou and Desperate Men at Brunel's S.S Great Britain, Bristol Harbour side) and Tom in ‘Being Alive’ at the Playhouse Theatre, Cheltenham.

TV credits include:
Junior Doctor in ‘Casualty’, BBC; Acrobat in ‘Poldark’ BBC.

Other performance credits include:
The Queens Platinum Jubilee Parade (Nutkhut/Hikapee) and Crossing the Line (Brunel's S.S Great Britain, Site Specific, Cirque Bijou/ Desperate Men co-production).

Gallery

  • An orange and a blue alien are stuck in the middle of two green aliens in one big group hug
  • Two purple aliens are mid-running stance, with their arms up over their knees
  • Two orange alients are sitting down, one has green tenticles on their head
  • An orange alien sits with their arms outstretched, they are grinning with happiness
  • A blue and an orange alien stand next to one another, the blue alien has their arm around the orange. They are singing.
  • A blue alien sits next to an orange alien, they both hold up coloured drawings of the other one

Videos

Trailer

Vox Pops - Audience reactions

  • 'Perfect family viewing'

    BEYONDTHECURTAIN.CO.UK
  • 'Magnificent... A tour-de-force family show'

    ONE4REVIEW