FREE RANGE CHILDREN
PETE CASTLE ON ZOOM
MONDAY 1st SEPTEMBER at 8pm
This will be a show about kids, not for kids. It won’t be Milly Molly Mandy or Enid Blyton, think more Lord of the Flies and come prepared for some serious misbehaviour!
Childhood was invented by the Victorians, before that they were just little adults and were expected to earn their keep. Even in Victorian times only the rich could be children, the others were up chimneys and down mines or working in factories.
When is a child a child? There are all kinds of legal definitions: under 18? Under 16? It was under 21 when I was growing up.
Even in my lifetime we have curtailed what children can do. People of my generation delight in telling tales about the escapades they got up to when they were allowed to take their bikes and a sandwich and stay out all day.
At the age of 5, once my parents were sure I knew the way, I went to and from school by myself. Even 12—15 year olds don’t these days. Children are capable of a lot more than we give them credit for if they get the opportunity, or if they have to be. Think of how they rally round in a time of crisis—ring the ambulance, fetch help etc. Alexander the Great was only in his 20s when he conquered most of the known world and guerrilla armies still use children, particularly in Africa.
In this programme we’ll sample some of the things children are capable of—both the good and the bad! Be prepared and drive carefully!
£5 or £10 if there are more than one of you, or you are feeling incredibly generous!
Tickets from: https://www.musicglue.com/tenterdenfolkfestival/tickets
The box office will close the day before the show so don’t leave it too late.
