by Tim Nuttall
An award-winning poet is set to bring his latest children’s show to Withernsea next month as part of a successful national tour.
Dominic Berry, under the guise of his children’s poetry persona Dommy B, will be taking to the stage of the Community Room at Withernsea Methodist Church next month for a performance of the Best Adventure Ever! – a fun, magical and interactive story about compassion and living with change.
Inspired by his childhood, where a 10-year-old Dominic was faced with changing schools and trying to make new friends, the performance will transport the audience into a powerful world of escapism through the poet’s wonderfully weird imagination.
Leaving behind friends and familiarity, Dominic is ready to share his exciting rhymes about meeting a mischievous goblin and the story of what happens at a lake when he attempts the greatest bike stunt in the world.
As he tries to adjust to moving home and missing what he has left behind, the show will explore how far he will go to gain acceptance from the coolest kids at his new school where attitudes seem very different from anything he has seen before.
Creating a fantastical world on stage, using only his words and imagination, Dominic will explore the challenges and triumphs of making new friends when everything around him was so different and strange.
Dominic said: “Unlike any of my other stories, this one is far more about relationships between real people, and the trials of trying to make friends when you find yourself in a strange new place where folks are doing stuff differently to what you are used to. There will be funny bits and, if you like joining in, there’s an opportunity to get involved with some silly poems.”
As a star of CBeebies Rhyme Rocket – a series aimed at introducing children to laugh-out-loud poems and rhymes in a universe full of words – Dominic is no stranger to the world of children’s poetry.
His shows have toured theatres, festivals and schools for the past 10 years, delighting audiences and presenting young people with accessible poetry.
Dominic added: “I love performing kids’ shows because children make the best audiences. As well as loads of fun, I’m hoping to off er my audiences a really good experience of poetry, so that they’ll see that it’s not boring, or something that you’ve got to be a grown-up to understand and enjoy. It’s something everyone can join in with, and most importantly have a great time listening to.”
Dominic’s visit to Withernsea has been organised in conjunction with Blaize – a community arts organisation that works nationally, but predominantly throughout the north of England, aiming to bring quality theatre, music, dance, children’s entertainment and comedy to isolated rural communities.
Through its ArtERY rural touring scheme, Blaize helps to deliver professional performances throughout East Yorkshire. The event on Saturday, November 19, is free and suitable for children aged five to nine. It will start at 2.30pm and finish at about 4pm. All children must be accompanied by at least one parent, guardian or grandparent. Seating is strictly limited.
Please text Gordon on 07977 685878 to reserve your free seats and please leave your full name on the text, plus the number of adults and children who will be attending.
Dominic was the 2017 Glastonbury Festival Poet in Residence, winner of the 2017 and 2020 Saboteur Best Spoken Word Artist award, and has toured his verse across USA, Canada, India, New Zealand, Australia, South America and Europe.
He has also performed two of his shows at the Edinburgh Fringe festival and extensively toured the UK as part of his own tours and as part of a 2015 Children’s Poetry Tour which saw him appear at the Freedom Festival in Hull.
April 2021 saw the launch of the Best Adventure Ever! as a book. Adapted from the author’s poetry theatre show, the book is filled with humour and memorable rhymes. It includes 25 black and white illustrations which complement the magical themes of the story.
Meanwhile, Dominic’s first published short story has recently been included in a collection of work from a new wave of children’s writers. Tales of the Bold, the Brave and the Beautiful features 11 original tales from the “boldest, the bravest and the most beautiful cast of characters this side of anywhere!”
For more information about Dominic, visit dominicberry.net.
