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Poetry in motion as the dinosaurs descend on Stanley Halls

The Great Big Dinosaur Show is coming to Stanley Halls in South Norwood in half-term week next month.

Simon Mole and Gecko will be staging two family shows full of poems, raps and songs about all your favourite prehistoric protagonists (and some you haven’t heard of yet!).

Which dinosaur menaced the seas instead of the land? Which dinosaur was barely the size of a dog, and which made a noise like a goat playing a didgeridoo? And what could a chicken possibly be doing in The Great Big Dinosaur Show?!

Following the show’s premiere at Oxford University Museum, there will be two performances at Stanley Halls on Sunday February 18 (12pm and 3pm), giving young dino fans a joyful blast of interactive live entertainment. The show lasts approximately 50min, and tickets are £5-£8.

The production is particularly suitable for families and young audiences of four to 11 years.

Simon Mole’s A First Book of Dinosaurs, illustrated by Matt Hunt, was published by Walker Books in September 2023, providing inspiration for the stage show. “It has been so exciting to turn my book of poems into a live performance,” he said.

“It would make me very happy if we can introduce a few young dino fans to poetry, and the fun they can have playing with words.”

Gecko is a singer-storyteller who has performed at Glastonbury, Latitude and Womad, has shared stages with Ed Sheeran, Tim Minchin and Billy Bragg, and appeared on BAFTA winning television show Life and Rhymes.

“The story of the dinosaurs is a continually evolving one,” he said.

“We know so much more about dinosaurs than we did when I was a kid, and who knows if one of the children watching this show might grow up to discover the next puzzle piece of the story.”

The Great Big Dinosaur Show is created by Simon Mole, Gecko and Peader Kirk. It is produced by Rua Arts and funded by Arts Council England.

Visit stanleyarts.org/series/the-great-big-dinosaur-show for more information.

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