Emma King-Farlow

Neun Magazine Interview!

2026-02-11T17:36:00.000+00:00

I'm absolutely delighted to feature in this article by Maria-Teresa Rivera-Schreiber for Neun Magazine, and extremely grateful for the chance to talk about Shadow Road Productions, all the work we do, and - perhaps most importantly of all - why we choose to do it... 🎭✨💖

The Fireside Folktales Fringe is Officially Open for Applications!

2025-10-21T16:16:00.006+01:00

Exciting news - we’ve just taken another big step forward with The Fireside Folktales Fringe, which now has a full Participants’ Information Pack and Application Form both live!

If you’re a performer, storyteller, theatre-maker, or creative of any kind who loves myths, legends, folklore, or classic tales, this is your chance to be part of something special. The festival will take place in and around Barnes Pond, SW13, on 23rd & 24th May 2026, with a special launch event the weekend before on Saturday 16th May.

We’re looking for bold, imaginative work that celebrates the power of story - no big budgets or tech wizardry required, just creativity, connection, and heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~

If you are interested in bringing a show to the Fireside Folktales Barnes Fringe Festival you can find more information here: https://tinyurl.com/FiresideFolktalesFringeInfo
Applications are now open! To submit your show, workshop, or other event, for consideration please fill in this form: https://tinyurl.com/4p3tsfxm

~*~*~*~*~*~

The pack includes all the details about venues, registration, ticketing, and how to apply. We can’t wait to see what stories you’ll bring to Barnes next spring!

And to all our generous supporters and donors - a huge thank you, once again. 🙏 Your contributions are helping us turn this dream into reality and I'm so very grateful that our fundraising total continues to rise, with another extremely kind donation of £30 this very morning!

If you’d like to take part in the festival – as a performer, a volunteer, a sponsor, or in any other way – please get in touch via shadowroadproductions@gmx.com. We’d love to hear from you!

In the meantime, do stay tuned for more updates, as we continue building the festival and reaching out to performers, partners, and sponsors. This particular story is just beginning…✨

Shadow Road's First Author Events!

2025-10-09T01:11:00.006+01:00

We had a full house for the first of our exclusive author events presented in association with Fairacre Freddie Events: an intimate literary afternoon with acclaimed novelist, broadcaster, photographer, and travel writer Sandra Howard, who discussed her powerful World War II novel Love at War.

Based on a true story, this sweeping tale is set in 1940, and follows Laura’s perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Uganda and beyond in pursuit of love, courage, and survival. It is a moving portrayal of one exceptional young woman’s resilience in the face of war.

Hosted in the warm and welcoming Shadow Road Studio in July, this exciting event featured a conversation between Sandra and actor/historical researcher Jeremy Preston, offering a rare insight into her writing process and the real-life story that inspired her seventh novel. We also enjoyed dramatic readings from Love at War by writer and audiobook narrator Carolyn Boyes, followed by a Q&A and a book signing in the garden sunshine!

Following all the fabulous feedback we received after this first literary event, we were then delighted to welcome ticketholders to join us for our second one in early October: Tea with Sandra Hempel, who spoke about her own newly-published book Controlling Women: The Untold Story of Britain's First Female Police Force.

Sandra Hempel, a former Times journalist, has also written for The Guardian, the Daily Mail and other national media. Following her award-winning The Medical Detective, and BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, The Inheritor’s Powder, her latest work looks at the fascinating story of the first Women Police Volunteers...

Violence against women is out of control. Conviction rates for rape are so low that most survivors think it pointless to report, or later regret doing so. Ruthless trafficking gangs run the sex trade. Women have no confidence in the Metropolitan Police. The year is 1914.

As the First World War began, a group of British campaigners founded the Women Police Volunteers, hoping to protect the vulnerable both from crime and from patriarchal policing and justice. The movement’s pioneers included a militant suffragette who’d spent time behind bars, a moral purity activist, a blue-blooded radical, and a court reporter born in the workhouse to a single mother. Author Sandra Hempel follows their astonishing journey, through all of its troubling twists and turns.

Sandra, too, engaged in an animated conversation with Jeremy, and then answered questions from the audience, before signing books supplied by the fabulous (and independent!) Barnes Bookshop.

Huge thanks to both Sandras, to Jeremy, to Carolyn, to Sarah from Barnes Bookshop, and to my Dad, David King-Farlow, for running the refreshment stall so well! We're already looking forward to the next event...

Keep an eye on the Shadow Road TicketSource page to book & join us!

The Fireside Folktales Fringe: Barnes’ Brand New Theatre Festival!

2025-07-01T00:35:00.001+01:00

After two wonderful summers performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, my small but perfectly formed theatre company, Shadow Road, has decided to stay closer to home next year - and create something magical of our own.

Introducing 'The Fireside Folktales Fringe': a brand-new, independent mini festival of storytelling and theatre, taking place in Barnes, South West London, on 23rd & 24th May 2026!

We're aiming for:

🌿 Intimate shows in unexpected spaces (no big stages, just big heart)
📖 Classic stories reimagined for a modern audience
🎟️ Affordable tickets and accessible venues
🌍 A celebration of community, creativity, and connection

It’s inspired by our own 'Fireside Folktales' series: a collection of small but mighty shows that bring powerful myths, legends, and classic tales to life in a wide variety of venues, with no fancy tech - just four actors, live sound and music, simple props and costumes, and a whole lot of imagination.

This time, we’re throwing open the doors and inviting other wonderful artists in too. And that’s where you come in.

🎭 Are you a performer or theatre company who might want to take part?
💛 Are you a long-time friend of Shadow Road, who believes in what we do?
🙌 Are you someone who wants to support independent theatre with soul?

We’ve just (this very hour!) launched our Crowdfunder campaign to make the festival a reality and we’d love your help in spreading the word.

Would you like to take part, as a performer or production company? Do you know someone who'd be interested in sponsoring a venue, or an individual show? Whether you donate, share the link, or just loudly cheer us on, you’ll be helping us create something really special from the ground up, and we would be so grateful.

Our campaign is taking part in the 'Built by Her, Backed by Us' initiative - a brilliant programme supporting female-led projects. If we raise a minimum total of £1,000 from at least 25 different backers, by 31st July, we’ll be eligible to enter their competition and be in with the chance of winning extra match funding and other opportunities that could totally transform the future of the festival. Whether you can give £5 or £50, your donation gets us one step closer - and sharing the campaign helps more than you know!

We'd absolutely love you to help us build a festival that puts people and stories first, concentrating on the simple, shared experience. No headsets. No holograms. No horrific overpricing, or awesome, spaceship-worthy technology. Just theatre, the way it began - and the way it still moves us most...

✨ The Fireside Folktales Fringe Crowdfunding Link ✨

Thank you SO much for any help you feel able to give! 🙏❤️🥰

The Shadow Road Writers’ Retreat: Now a Monthly Event!

2025-06-30T23:19:00.004+01:00

We had a full house for our very first Shadow Road Writers’ Retreat on May 31st - and what a day it was! As you can see in the photo collage above, the studio was buzzing with creativity - from quiet writing sprints and character-building exercises, to an Inspiration Walk through the beautiful, sunlit churchyard, and some really wonderful shared work and reactions at the end of the day.

Everyone who attended brought something unique to the table, and it was a great joy to spend the day writing, reflecting, and connecting with fellow storytellers. It was, in fact, such a success that we are delighted to announce that the Retreat will now become a regular event, running on the last Saturday of each month (with the exception of July, when it will be on the final Sunday of the month instead), other than August and December! 🥳

There are only 5 places available for each Retreat, and with several participants already planning to return on different dates, you may wish to book soon - tickets for each Retreat until the end of 2025 are now available on our TicketSource page here:

www.ticketsource.co.uk/shadowroad

Whether you're working on a novel, a play, a podcast script, children's book, or screenplay - or even if you're just craving some space to reconnect with your creativity - we'd love you to join us! 📚🎭🎬

My First Writing Retreat for Shadow Road!

2025-04-26T15:11:00.004+01:00

Are you a writer in need of some time to focus on that script, novel, or idea that’s been nudging at you? Have you always wanted to write, but never quite known where to start - or had the time to do it? If so, why not join me for a gently structured, welcoming Writers’ Retreat Day, hosted at Shadow Road's cosy rehearsal studio in Barnes, South West London!

A traditionally published children's author and theatre professional, with over 15 years of experience writing and directing performances across the UK, I have written numerous plays and adaptations for Shadow Road, as well as short film scripts, fundraising events, and works commissioned by other organisations such as the Barnes Literary Society, the London Wetland Centre, and the National Trust's Morden Hall Park and Ham House. I have also run writing workshops in both Richmond and Surrey, and provided dramaturgical help to playwrights and authors submitting work to the mixed arts mental health awareness festival, UNBROKEN.

Now I am delighted to open up the Shadow Road Studio to writers of all kinds - playwrights, novelists, children's fiction authors, screenwriters, and more 📚🎬🎭 - for a whole day, offering space to develop your project, get words on the page, gain fresh perspective, and connect with fellow writers. The day-long retreat will include:

Quiet, focused time to work on your own writing project
Optional creative exercises, including character work (my specialty!), writing prompts, and
A short Inspiration Walk in the local churchyard
Optional sharing of work with the group and gentle feedback
Free tea, coffee, and biscuits!

There are only 6 tickets (£55 each) available for this retreat, so if you'd like one of them, do please book HERE as soon as possible! I'm excited to meet you and help you get that project off the ground!✨

Secret Storytellers - The First Broadcast

2025-04-22T17:33:00.001+01:00

Secret Storytellers: The First Broadcast is now complete, and available to watch online! 🥳

Following a call out for actors in the Shadow Road email newsletter last month, twelve fabulous actors came along on the 18th and 19th March to film with us. It was such fun making this short with them - and lovely to welcome a few new members to the Shadow Road family, along with some old friends and familiar faces! Even more of a delight to then host a screening of the film at the Shadow Road Studio on the 8th April, so that we could raise a glass to all their hard work and enjoy the results together! 🍾🎬👏

This short film was created as part of the Musicbed Challenge 2025 and is part of the larger, cross-platform Secret Storytellers project - the next part of which is a planned test version of a live immersive event, where audience members will have the opportunity to join the resistance for themselves and to make choices and decisions that will not only influence their own personal experiences, but may also even change the outcome of the show itself!

More news coming soon... 😍

A Wonderful Winter Tour!

2025-01-12T20:06:00.012+00:00

A look behind the scenes of our recent Arts Council funded tour of
London hospitals, cancer centres and care homes with my adaptation of A Christmas Carol!
Featuring Victoria Adler, Amy Floyd, Emma King-Farlow, Belle Quinlan, Sarah Robinson & Alice Hope Wilson.

This Christmas, our theatre company embarked on a heartwarming tour of London hospitals, cancer centres, and care homes with our production of A Christmas Carol (which I first adapted back in 2019,a few months before the pandemic), thanks to the generous support of a grant from Arts Council England.

Over the festive season, we brought live theatre, music, and storytelling to those who needed a little extra cheer, visiting places like Charing Cross Hospital (elderly care, neuro-rehab, stroke, and other wards), The Mulberry Centre, Maggie's Cancer Support Centre, the Teenage Cancer Trust, Viera Gray House, Lynde House, the Royal Variety Charity’s Brinsworth House, and local charities such as FiSH and Age UK in Barnes.

Our tour didn’t stop at Christmas - after a hectic run of eight shows in six days leading up to the holiday, we then returned for more performances after Christmas, starting again on December 27th, and wrapping up at Maggie's on January 6th, Epiphany.

It has always been important to Shadow Road to bring theatre to those who might not otherwise have the chance to experience it - and never has that been more important than at Christmas, a time when it’s especially easy to feel left out or forgotten if you’re ill, living alone, or in hospital. Live theatre has a unique ability to create moments of connection and joy - and we were privileged to share that magic with so many incredible people this winter.

One particularly touching moment happened at Charing Cross Hospital, where we met Peter, a dementia patient who had spent six months in hospital, rarely engaging in activities (according to the staff who looked after him), and often appearing quite withdrawn.

Yet as soon as the show began, Peter lit up! He sang along with the carols, immersed himself in the story (even providing a bit of running commentary, to everyone’s delight! 😂😍), and couldn’t stop smiling. His transformation was so remarkable that numerous staff members gathered in the corridor outside to watch him watching us and marvel!

At the end of the performance, Peter posed for photos on our set, wearing one of our top hats - and when we returned to the hospital the following week, the staff brought him up to the 8th floor just so that he could watch the show again.

There were numerous other moments like these throughout the tour - each of which reminded us why we do what we do, and underlined just how powerful the Arts can be in bringing people together and lifting spirits. 🎭

With the tour itself over and all our own match funding now raised, there is only a feedback session with the cast, and a lengthy report for the Arts Council, left to go!

We cannot thank the Arts Council, all our wonderful supporters, and our fabulous cast enough for making this whole tour possible. THIS is why we do what we do. It was very hard work, but couldn't have been more worth it. An utter joy and a privilege.

Here's to doing it all again for Christmas 2025...

Something Wicked(ly Good) This Way Comes!

2024-04-23T18:27:00.004+01:00

On April 23rd, Shakespeare's 460th birthday, I am delighted to share Shadow Road's new trailer for our much-loved production of Macbeth: Sleep No More!

Adapted from the Bard's original by yours truly, this four-woman production (along with both a three-woman version, and a 19-person one!) has been performed at venues ranging from the Turbine Theatre, Southside House in Wimbledon, The Coach & Horses, St Mary's Barnes, and theSpace at Niddry Street in Edinburgh!

As you may be aware, from earlier Shadow Road newsletters or social media, Macbeth: Sleep No More will return to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer (this time at theSpace on the Mile, at 10.35am from the 2nd-10th August) - but, before then, we first have the honour of opening the Mayfield Festival of Music & the Arts in East Sussex, this coming Friday 26th April at 7.30pm!

We'd love you to take the advice kindly given by The Wee Review to Edinburgh theatregoers last year, when speaking of our production of Macbeth - “Stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once!”, whether in Mayfield or in Edinburgh - but in the meantime, we hope you enjoy the new trailer!

From One Exciting Year to Another!

2024-02-14T18:56:00.002+00:00

As you can see from these photos - and as many of you saw in person at one or more of our shows and events - we at Shadow Road had a very busy and brilliant year in 2023! We are so grateful for your ongoing support and your fabulous feedback after each one.

Now a new and even busier year beckons - and we couldn't be more excited about it!

I've been using the first weeks of 2024 to write (two new plays), to plan (all of the year's upcoming productions, another visit to Edinburgh - along with all the fundraising that requires - and the launch of the next new project), and to learn (more workshops with Theatrical Intimacy Education, Theatre503, and the Society of Authors). Soon, however, we'll be back in the rehearsal room for one thing after another - with more writing squeezed in between times - and performing in a number of different venues, both indoors and outside.

Here are some of the main dates for the diary (both mine and yours, if you'd like to come along and see us!) between now and the summer:

MARCH

Friday 8th: I'm delighted to be going back to my old school, along with numerous other alumnae, to talk to the girls about working in the arts for their Careers Day!
Saturday 30th: Our second Cake & Coffee Morning of 2024 at St Mary’s Barnes, SW13. Do come and join us to catch up on all the news, over homemade cakes baked by our wonderful cast and supporters of Shadow Road, as the fundraising for 2024 begins!

APRIL

Friday 26th at 7.30pm: Macbeth is going to Mayfield! We are taking our fantastically well reviewed four-person production of Macbeth: Sleep No More to the Mayfield Festival of Music & the Arts, where we will perform in the round at the ancient St Dunstan's church.
~ Tickets are available on the festival website - BOOK HERE!
Exact date TBC: Following our success in Edinburgh, this Spring will see us testing out the new, immersive element of our latest project Secret Storytellers with a soft launch event for a small, invited audience. Watch this space for more details coming soon!

MAY

Wednesday 29th – Friday 31st: Robin Hood's Quest at the National Trust's Morden Hall Park. Following the success of 2023's St George's Quest, we are returning to Morden Hall Park's beautiful Rose Garden with a brand new interactive adventure trail, this time inviting young Outlaws (and their accompanying adults) to help rescue Robin Hood from the dastardly Sir Guy of Gisborne’s jail!
~ Tickets are available from our TicketSource page HERE!
May/June – Dates TBC: Following the test event earlier in the year, the official launch of our new, immersive element of our latest project Secret Storytellers is due to take place in late spring/early summer.

JUNE

Sat 15th at 7.30pm: Songs, Scenes & Swords Fundraiser at St Mary's Barnes. Join us for a special evening of music, sword fighting, and scenes from Shakespeare and beyond, to raise money for our trip to the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe! (If any of you feel like lending us your talents for this one-off event, whether onstage or off, please do get in touch - we'd be most grateful!)
~ Tickets are available from our TicketSource page HERE!

JULY

Wednesday 10th & Thursday 11th at 7.30pm: London Preview of Treasure Island at the OSO Arts Centre. This will be followed by a Q&A with the team, where we will be talking about the play itself and what goes into putting a production like this together - adapting a play, casting in general, gender blind casting, directing, fight directing, and even how to go about taking a show to Edinburgh!
~ Tickets will be available from the OSO's website from April onwards.

At the end of the month, we'll be travelling up to Edinburgh to settle in and get ready for our nine-day, 18 show, run in August.

AUGUST

Friday 2nd – Sat 10th: Edinburgh Festival at theSpace on the Mile. Shadow Road Productions will be returning to the Edinburgh Fringe with the wonderful theSpaceUK venues, reprising Macbeth: Sleep No More at 10.35am and performing a brand new adaptation of Treasure Island at 4.25pm each day from the 2nd to the 10th August!
~ Tickets for both shows are now available HERE via the main EdFringe website!

As for what will happen after August? Well, some irons are in the fire and things are looking interesting - all available digits are very firmly crossed in the meantime...

New Interviews!

2022-01-22T14:56:00.003+00:00

THAT MENTAL GINGER SHOW - JANUARY 2022

Auditions, Money and Sweeping Generalisations with Emma King Farlow

On today’s show we talk to actor and director Emma King-Farlow about her journey in the arts and her new podcast The Price of Love. (And yes, her Christmas Carol show was a success!😊)

Please check out The Price of Love wherever you get your podcasts.

Until next time, take care, stay safe, bye bye. Audio-only link HERE

PRETEND WORLDS REAL PEOPLE - JUNE 2021

Episode 41: Emma King-Farlow

" Find what you love, make your own work."

This week, we're joined by the incredibly talented, Emma King-Farlow! The donner of several different hats in the world of theater. As a Writer, Director, and Producer; Emma has created both fantastically-original worlds, as well as genre bending adaptations of classic works for the stage. She takes Steph and Tyler through her battle with stage fright, finding her niche in writing, and spreading mental health awareness in the arts industry. What are you doing? Check it out!

#StoryGivesBack Winners Announced!

2021-06-02T14:04:00.002+01:00

I am absolutely delighted that my tiny theatre company, Shadow Road Productions, has just been announced as one of the two winners of this year's #StoryGivesBack initiative from Story Events!

Following the online vote, first by previous visitors to Story's renowned London Christmas Party Show and then by the wider public, we have been named as one of the two boutique suppliers they would most like to meet! As a result, our prize is the offer of a free stand at the 2021 show on the 7th and 8th September, so that they can do just that!

You can read more about the company and the show - and find out how to register to visit yourself - on the #StoryGivesBack page on their website.

As some of you may already be aware, Shadow Road is a small independent theatre company which specialises in bringing exciting pieces of theatre for all ages and occasions to unusual venues and spaces in creative new ways. Our work usually involves a charitable aspect of some kind – raising awareness or funds - or, as with Fireside Folktales in particular, taking live entertainment out to people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy it.

We are now aiming to branch out into events, corporate entertainment, and private parties – offering something original and exciting to these markets and, in turn, enabling us to fund more of our voluntary and charity work elsewhere. Winning this competition is a wonderful opportunity for us to meet many of the people who could help us take those next steps into the future and we can't wait to show everyone the fantastic entertainment – festive and otherwise – that we have to offer!

Shadow Road Productions' New Brochure!

2020-06-23T13:00:00.001+01:00

My small independent theatre company, Shadow Road Productions, specialises in bringing exciting works of theatre, for all ages and occasions, to unusual spaces in creative new ways.

As well as continuing that tradition with Fireside Folktales, retelling myths, legends and classic stories from around the world as original short plays performed by a company of four professional actors, we also offer much more, including the UNBROKEN Festival & Short Film Prize, a variety of murder mystery events, full-scale theatre productions, and our soon-to-be-launched cross-platform venture, Secret Storytellers.

This fantastic new project will see us producing some exciting online content based in a new, immersive story-world, in order to enhance the impressive work of our two-person teams, who will be busy delivering a range of thrilling live performances. In common with Fireside Folktales, and in keeping with the world in which the overall project is set, all music and sound effects are performed live by the cast, so no electricity or technical equipment is required, once again allowing us to be extremely flexible in terms of venue.

Finally, whether for team-building purposes, school visits, or those with a simple interest, we also offer several creative and educational workshops. Some of these are designed to accompany a particular production, so that you might watch the play and then take part in the workshop afterwards, while others - such as the general Drama Workshop, An Introduction to Playwriting, and An Introduction to Stage Combat, etc - can be delivered as standalone events.

So that we have all the information in one place, we have put together a shiny, new PDF brochure outlining everything that Shadow Road has to offer theatre lovers, schools, events organisers and private clients with parties to throw! We hope you will find it both interesting and helpful. If, after reading, you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch - we would love to hear from you.

Anyone interested in finding out more can download the brochure HERE.

We look forward to working with you!

A Christmas Carol

2020-06-22T10:30:00.002+01:00

A Fireside Folktales Performance

Winter 2019/2020

Adapted & Directed by Emma King-Farlow

“If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.”

Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, miserly loner, destined to spend his afterlife making up for all the mistakes he made on earth – until, that is, a chilling encounter with the spectre of his late business partner, Jacob Marley, sets him on a different path. Can Marley’s ghost – and those of Christmas Past, Present and Future – transform the unfortunate Scrooge in time, or is it already too late to save him?

Variously described as ‘intimate’, ‘uplifting’ and ‘deeply moving’, this celebrated production has been a big hit with audiences across London and will return this Christmas.

After an extremely successful 2019 summer season, we were delighted to premiere this winter
production with previews at The Coach & Horses in Barnes, followed by a special, candlelit performance at the remarkable Southside House. We were then privileged to visit a number of cancer support centres and care homes, including The Mulberry Centre, Teenage Cancer Trust and Brinsworth House, to stage some voluntary performances for patients and their families in December 2019 and January 2020 - something we plan to do again this Christmas, circumstances allowing!

To book a performance for your own venue, private event, school, library or care home, please contact us at firesidefolktales@gmail.com or drop me a line via the Contact Form in the sidebar!

REVIEWS:

~ Thank you for a brilliant & professional performance this afternoon. The changes of emotions & clothing with such integrity of acting was quite moving. So pleased to be with you - a gem of an afternoon! - John P

~ A beautiful production! Very emotional. Well done - Michelle

~ Really talented bunch, a really impressive interpretation & dramatisation - so creative with the props and the overall format. Brilliant & congratulations! - Anonymous, Southside House

~ This was amazing, would love to view again - J Zaman

~ I loved it! Utterly magical. Thank you. - Anonymous, Southside House

~ This was an excellent production. I found myself entirely engrossed in the tale. Well done! - Jim

~ Such an innovative and engaging performance! My 4 year-old son and I enjoyed it - and we especially loved the future spirit and the magical tunes! - A.V.Elliot

~ Wow! Thanks you were wonderful - Lili L

~ A beautiful programme - very moving and the puppets /spirit of christmas yet to come were amazing. My friends' teenage daughter joined us and she loved the performance as well. - Yvonne, Southside House

~ Simply wonderful afternoon and I hope to see more of what you do come Easter? - Françoise G

~ Stunning and talented. Thank you - Anonymous

Fireside Folktales

2020-06-21T17:51:00.002+01:00

An ongoing project begun in 2019, Fireside Folktales sees the Shadow Road team retelling a growing collection of myths, legends, and classic stories from around the world. Each is presented as an original short play (see the Playscripts page for more information) performed by a company of four actors. In keeping with the back-to-basics philosophy of this particular storytelling project, all music and sound effects are performed live by the cast, with no electricity or technical equipment necessary.

Having previously staged Fireside Folktales productions in Shadow Road's own beautiful 8m bell tent, in the open air, and at a wide variety of indoor venues, we know they work in almost all imaginable settings.

We were delighted to launch Fireside Folktales at the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival over the weekend of 11th-12th May 2019, where we delivered no fewer than six performances of Aesop's Fables, Persephone & the Pomegranate Seeds, and A Tale of Robin Hood in our superb Story Tent, each to a packed out audience!

After the BCLF, we moved on to other venues - including the magnificent National Trust property, Ham House, and Horace Walpole's gothic wonder Strawberry Hill House - before moving indoors for the winter to Southside House and other venues with our new production of A Christmas Carol.

The return of these productions in 2020 - and our new shows, Macbeth and The Musicians of Bremen - has been postponed by the outbreak of Covid-19 but we will still be back later in the year...

We are also now available for private bookings for parties and events for both children and adults, or for school visits - including optional workshops and Q&A sessions, alongside the performances.

As well as our usual selection of tales for all ages and occasions, we are able to create a bespoke event, writing a new piece of work specifically for your celebration, if we are given sufficient notice. Should you wish to discuss a private booking of any sort, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us at firesidefolktales@gmail.com!

We look forward to hearing from you - and perhaps to seeing you at one of the public events we will be appearing at throughout the year, bringing the magic of myths and legends to life on your very own doorstep!

* * * * * * *

For more information, please visit the Fireside Folktales website, follow us on social media (Instagram:@firesidefolktales & Twitter: @firesidefolks), like our Facebook page, or have a listen to the Fireside Folktales podcast!

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe

2019-01-30T00:25:00.003+00:00

The cast & crew of 'The Lion, The
Witch & The Wardrobe' 2018

“Utterly brilliant, spellbinding and wonderful. I have a lump in my throat as I think about it ....” Celia F

“Great evening last night - your show is amazing!!! Well done and very pleased that the BCA supported this production.” Steven Mindel, Chairman of the Barnes Community Association

“Emma King-Farlow has mounted a truly magical production…” Mia Gibbons, Churches Together in Barnes

Edmund (Alice Hope Wilson) & Lucy
(Lucy Evans) in the Narnian snow

“This production was such a pleasure. The fine story by C.S. Lewis was performed by a great team of actors, all of them perfectly in character. The Christian allegory worked gently but effectively in the beautiful mediaeval St Mary's Church, Barnes. Acting the part of Aslan, the lion King of Narnia, is inevitably impossible, but Will Forrester gave it drama and dignity. The White Queen & her wolf were superbly malevolent & frightening! The opening 40’s dance set the scene in wartime Britain, from where the evacuee children escape through the wardrobe to Narnia. Costumes were inventive & the simple set was used imaginatively. Many thanks to all. A special evening.” Anonymous audience Member

Maugrim (Carly Borrow) captures
Edmund (Alice Hope Wilson)

These were just a few of the many personal reviews that we received from audience members, following our recent(ish!) production of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe at St Mary’s Barnes (29^th Oct – 3^r^d Nov 2018). The show turned out to be rather more of a challenge than I first envisaged, and perhaps not quite as financially successful as it could have been if we hadn’t found ourselves up against the final of The Great British Bake Off early in the week! It was, however, even more successful than I hoped in terms of the glowing feedback received and, it seems, the very different but similarly positive experiences enjoyed by cast, crew and audiences alike. Indeed, the cast and crew - quite possibly the loveliest group of people I have had the privilege of working with - remain astonishingly close knit and in regular contact, and we are still hearing how much the audience thought of the show nearly three months after closing night!

Mr Tumnus Sr (Martin Parsley) watches
Maugrim terrorise small children!

None of this would have been possible without the financial and practical support of St Mary's Church and help from the Barnes Community Association, who recognised the potential of the project early on and awarded us a £500 grant to put towards the considerable costs involved. I am extremely grateful to both organisations for their faith in the production, and to Bishop Richard Harries, whose fascinating pre-show talk on C.S. Lewis ensured that, despite adding as many extra chairs as we could, we still had to turn people away on the Friday night!

The White Witch (Kat Merrick)

Finally, I am delighted that the success of the production has enabled us to make donations not only to St Mary's but also to two fantastic children's literacy charities, both doing invaluable work with disadvantaged children around the country: BookTrust and First Story.
This wonderful play brought to an end a year of exhausting and exciting achievements for Shadow Road Productions and we now look forward to an equally exhilarating 2019!

A Look Back at UNBROKEN 2017

2018-02-19T17:38:00.000+00:00

Following a hugely successful debut at Theatre503 on World Mental Health Day the previous year, the UNBROKEN festival returned in 2017 with the inaugural UNBROKEN Short Film Prize; a creative writing project and festival bookstall; a talk on ‘Mental Health in Current Children's Literature' by Charlie Sheppard, Publishing Director at acclaimed children's publisher Andersen Press; and Under My Skin, a funny and powerful play about adolescent mental health by award-winning playwright Ali Taylor, having been added to the art exhibitions, live music, new writing, original choreography and panel discussions that proved such a hit in 2016.

Find out much more on the UNBROKEN Festival website - see in particular the Reactions and Gallery pages - and do get in touch if you'd like to get involved this year!

In the meantime, you might enjoy watching the following film from WinkBall Video, who reported from the festival on its final evening, Monday 30th October:

UNBROKEN 2017 - The Programme!

2017-10-11T13:17:00.001+01:00

World Mental Health Day has just ended and the second UNBROKEN mixed arts mental health awareness festival, produced by Shadow Road, draws ever closer!

As I'm sure you can imagine, it's pretty hectic right now! Despite the stress, however, I'm really excited that we've managed to expand from one day at one venue in 2016, to three days and two venues this year. We have also, with the new Short Film Prize, been able to encourage exploration of the issues through yet another art form.

I would love it if you would consider joining us for any/all of the festival at the end of this month. We have put together a fantastic programme which offers something for everyone of all ages - from theatre, film and literature, to art, music, dance, discussions and even a taste of some therapy!

The new writing, original choreography, art exhibition, live music and panel discussions that proved such a hit in 2016, have this year been joined by a practical Art Therapy taster workshop; a literary event with Charlie Sheppard, Publishing Director at Andersen Press; Under My Skin, a powerful play about adolescent mental health by award-winning playwright Ali Taylor; a small festival bookstall and, of course, the inaugural UNBROKEN Short Film Prize at The Frontline Club!

A more detailed version of the programme can be found on the festival website – www.unbrokenfest.com/2017-programme – but in the meantime, I have copied a simpler version below for you to look at. (The links won’t work, I’m afraid, as it’s a screenshot of our Facebook announcement!) If you aren’t able to join us yourself, we’d all be really grateful if you could please help us by spreading the word to others.

Thank you very much and see you at the festival! :-)

UNBROKEN 2017 - the festival is back!

2017-05-27T21:41:00.000+01:00

As you may remember, UNBROKEN made its debut as a 'mini-festival' produced by Shadow Road at Theatre503 on World Mental Health Day 2016. Following an extremely successful and at times deeply moving day, we are delighted that the festival will return to 503 this year from Saturday 28th until Tuesday 31st October.

As well as the art exhibitions, live music, new writing, original choreography and panel discussions that were such a hit last year, the 2017 programme will feature some practical workshops, a literary event, a staged reading of a powerful play about adolescent mental health, short film screenings and a free event open to all. We will also be running a small but perfectly formed bookshop throughout the festival!

More information will be available on the new UNBROKEN website soon. Do get in touch if you're interested in getting involved - we'd love to hear from you!

UNBROKEN - A Mental Health Awareness Festival from Shadow Road on Vimeo.

A Last Look Back!

2016-09-21T15:23:00.000+01:00

Just when we thought that Robin Hood was all but behind us – at least for this year – another delightful review popped up in the September issue of Prospect!

Many thanks to Robin Eastwood for her very kind words about the show – we’re delighted that you enjoyed it, Robin! :-)

Our final 2016 Robin Hood-related gathering also took place earlier this month, when a small group of cast and crew members met back at the London Wetland Centre for a picnic lunch with a couple of our generous crowdfunding campaign supporters at one of the play’s locations.

The weather was fairly inhospitable, to say the least – but then, given the many turbulent meteorological experiences that we ‘enjoyed’ there throughout both the show’s rehearsals and the run, it wouldn’t really have been a proper ‘Robin Hood at the Wetlands’ event if it hadn’t been!

The brilliant Henry Weston took this photo – a lovely memento – towards the end of an afternoon filled with plenty of good food, great company, fun, laughter, trampoline tennis, ring toss and, of course, rain! :-D

Dreams from the Pit & 22 Push-Ups!

2016-09-20T20:01:00.000+01:00

Taking its title from the work of WWI poet Siegfried Sassoon, Dreams From The Pit - an original play of mine that Shadow Road Productions first staged in 2013 in aid of Forces charity Combat Stress - follows three soldiers, Razor, Jacko and Sully, as they deploy together to Afghanistan. Life in 'Afghan' is tough but for some the return to civilian life is even harder...

I was recently nominated for the #22PushUpChallenge by both Amy Bolger-Floyd and Maia Gibbons (arguably a bit of overkill there, people!) which is also designed to raise money and awareness for Combat Stress and to draw attention to the horrifying rates of suicide and mental suffering evident in both US and UK veterans.

As I am, however, decidedly NOT a fan of appearing on any screen anywhere for any reason at all - much less while doing push-ups! - I chose instead to fashion the video below, in the hope that it might have a similar result. I actually am also doing the push-ups at home each day as well - but there'll be some severe climate change in Hell before I film them and post the video online! ;-)

I do hope you get something out of the film. Anyone who would like to donate £5 to Combat Stress can do so by texting PTSD22 to 70004.

Thank you!

#22PushUpChallenge from Shadow Road on Vimeo.

Introducing UNBROKEN...

2016-07-26T00:27:00.001+01:00

AN INVITATION FOR SUBMISSIONS TO A NEW MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MINI-FESTIVAL IN AUTUMN 2016

Have you written a short play or a standalone scene – or created a piece of spoken word, music, movement or dance – dealing with mental illness, its effects and consequences, or the realities and myths surrounding the subject? Would you like to? Or would you like to direct one?

As part of my tiny theatre company's longstanding commitment to the issue of mental health we will be staging UNBROKEN, a mini-festival on that very subject, in London this October and we would like to invite anyone interested in getting involved – either as a writer, director, choreographer or composer – to get in touch.

UNBROKEN will showcase a number of new short plays and performance pieces, all dealing with the issue of mental health from different angles. It will also include at least one or more panel discussions.

As mentioned above, we are open to both short plays and scenes/extracts from a larger work that are able to stand alone in performance, as well as pieces of music, movement, spoken word or dance. Each of the chosen pieces will deal with some aspect of the issue, but the precise approach taken or subject explored will be up to its creator – for example, living with someone suffering from mental health problems can, in some ways, be just as difficult or alienating as suffering from the condition yourself.

UNBROKEN is an entirely voluntary event which will be staged in connection with one of the UK’s main mental health charities. This mini-festival will be the first of its kind for Shadow Road. Given our enduring concern with the issue of mental health, however – particularly when examined in relation to the military, as was the case with our original full-length play, Dreams From The Pit – we do hope that it may prove to be the first of many.

If you are interested in getting involved with UNBROKEN, there is plenty more information available – including submissions details and dates etc – here on our website: www.shadowroad.com/page6.htm

Please have a read and then drop us a line at shadowroadproductions@gmx.com.

We look forward to hearing from you! :-)

Farewell to the Merry Men!

2016-07-18T20:01:00.000+01:00

There are still a few more days of admin to conquer, a couple of meetings to attend, one or two costumes to return and some crowdfunding thank you’s to write and perks to arrange but, all of those notwithstanding, Robin Hood‘s day is almost done – at least for this year.

Before leaving him and his Merry Men behind, however, I thought you might like to see this lovely photo of the cast and a couple of the crew and to read the fantastic write up that the show received from local reviewer Roger Pettit… :-)

“Shadow Road Productions is a small professional theatre company based in South-West London. It specialises in presenting new and unfamiliar works in quirky, unusual ways. Its production of Robin Hood at the award-winning nature reserve in Barnes, the London Wetland Centre, demonstrates the company’s modus operandi to perfection.

Written and directed by Shadow Road’s Artistic Director, Emma King-Farlow, it’s an alfresco production – the first ever at the London Wetland Centre. Based on the Robin Hood legend, it tells the story of the outlaw’s struggle (with his band of men: Little John, Friar Tuck, Alan-a-Dale, etc.) to assist the people of Loxley in trying to overcome the ruthless reign of terror of the villainous landlord (and Prince John supporter) Guy of Gisborne.

The programme notes describe this production as “immersive”, and it’s certainly that. The audience literally follow the action as it moves from one part of the nature reserve to another. We get a wedding, spectacularly-staged sword fights, romance, death and music and songs, all skilfully staged to make the most of the spectacular outdoor setting. The cast is very talented, and I was particularly taken with Frank Teale’s performance as Gisborne. You really did want to see him get his comeuppance, thanks in no small measure to Teale’s success in portraying the cruelty, ruthlessness and sheer savagery of the character. A brilliant performance!

Robin Hood is family entertainment at its best. There’s something for everyone. The four people I went with (two adults and two young children) all thoroughly enjoyed it. I did too. On this evidence, Shadow Road Productions is a company with a very bright future.”

Roger Pettit

Robin Hood on the Radio!

2016-06-29T18:08:00.001+01:00

The lovely Jean Somerville-Rabbitt from Wandsworth Radio's ArtsWatch programme joined us for a chat about Robin Hood in advance of this week's final four shows. This interview was the result...

Robin Hood is on at the London Wetland Centre on Thursday and Friday evenings at 6.30pm and 8.15pm until July 1st 2016. Get your tickets here: www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london/whats-on/2016/06/09/robin-hood

Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall...

2016-06-21T19:57:00.001+01:00

...Or so Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and various others would have us believe. If that is the case, I think everyone involved in Robin Hood at the London Wetland Centre had sufficient rain to last an entire lifetime falling into their lives last Thursday!

A genuine 'wrath of God' style rainstorm not only interrupted the first performance but soaked a number of our valiant actors (and several of the audience) to the skin within moments, while the lightning threatened to electrocute several others who were standing in a big metal box (our Prison set), in possession of big metal sticks (colloquially known as 'swords'), staring in apprehensive disbelief at the swiftly rising tide!

via GIPHY

With the exception of there being a little more daylight than is shown, this gif is an entirely accurate representation of the weather we endured - if anything, it's a little milder than the storm that quickly flooded so many of the Wetland Centre's paths and pools!

Being my first open air production, this was the moment I had truly been dreading - the time when, despite the best will and the most encouraging clichés in the world, the show simply could not go on any longer. At least not for a while...

Thankfully, however, we are lucky enough to have a stage management team for whom no obstacle is too large to overcome and, while the ever-adaptable actors and I were running through a very quick rehearsal in a new indoor space, they speedily set about creating some simple but evocative sets in opposing corners of the large, and aptly named, Water's Edge Room.

A few waterlogged audience members did go home between the two shows but those who stayed were extremely vocal in their appreciation of the indoor version of the show, and wonderfully supportive and uncomplaining. Some of them are due to return for a second viewing of Robin Hood this week, when they will hopefully be able to see it performed outside against the various Wetland backdrops, just as it should be seen. We will, however, always be very grateful to everyone - cast, crew and audience alike - who helped to turn an evening that could have been a total washout in every sense of the word into something of true triumph against all the odds! :-D

Robin Hood is on at the London Wetland Centre on Thursday and Friday evenings at 6.30pm and 8.15pm until July 1st 2016. Get your tickets here: www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london/whats-on/2016/06/09/robin-hood