“Dear Ros, You pulled it out of the bag again last weekend! You gave the younger guests of the Québec Fête nationale the most amazing time. Thank you for being so energetic, imaginative and caring entertainers to our young audience. You invest every ounce of energy and put in all your heart every time. A deeply felt humble thank you!” ~ Barbara Daniel, Government of Québec.
The Bedlam Bunch Children’s Theatre & Entertainment. What is it and how did it all begin?
Stemming from her love of clowning, physical theatre, magical fantasy worlds and working with children, Rosalind Parker created the buffoon-like characters and the bonkers world of The Bedlam Bunch in 2007. Since then, The Bedlam Bunch has provided interactive adventure shows, annual pantomimes and community theatre for thousands of children in London and throughout the UK.
One day, during a financially bleak and somewhat desperate period around 2005, Ros found herself dragging her heels to a child’s fifth birthday party where she’d been booked to entertain a group of twelve children for two hours in a stranger’s home. At this point in time, she had two major fears; children and improvisation, so this seemed like an ill-fitting job, however, it was either this or lap-dancing, according to the classified job adverts for “resting” actors in The Stage newspaper. Nearly 20 years later, she looks back on this experience as a miraculous revelation. It woke up parts of her soul that had been dormant for far too long and it is now true to say that two of her most loved things in life are children and improvised comedy.
Creating The Bedlam Bunch Children’s Theatre & Entertainment allowed Ros the opportunity not only to immerse herself in the marvel of improvisation, but also to write many comedy stage plays based on her loveably idiotic Bedlam Bunch characters and their topsy-turvy home of Bedlam Island (which, incidentally, is about 3 and a half thousand miles away from anywhere you happen to be at any given moment in time). The Bedlam Bunch has led a rich and colourful life, with a company of highly skilled, London-based physical theatre actors who are all just as fabulous as the characters they play. In the absurd and often outrageous home of Fairy Fidget, Pirate Pratswagg, Mrs Midge and Detective Drigglestopper the Fourth (to name a few), feather dusters are magic wands, red Wellington boots are emergency telephones, the Bridge Troll is forever setting impossible tests to cross The Bridge to Anywhere and everyone eats cabbage cake for breakfast.
Read on for information on The Bedlam Bunch’s popular pantomimes and stage shows…
1 - Mission Implausible
2 -Pirate Pratswagg and the Magic Lamp
3 - The Mystery of the Missing Cabbage
4 - Ernie & the Beanstalk
Hire The Bedlam Bunch
The Bedlam Bunch is available to hire for private events, corporate events and community events where children with oodles of energy and wild imaginations are invited to join their ludicrous fun and games.