HONEY

Journey into Bee reality!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Enthusiastic Bee guides Bombus and Borage invite you on an unforgettable trip into their giant Bee hive …Witness the birth of the Queen Bee, see giant pollen and fly deep into the heart of a flower to be encased in silky delicate petals and suck up liquified sunlight -the nectar of the flower!                                                                   There’s only one problem: their Bees dissapear!                                                                                                                                                                                                                 How will Bombus and Borage cope with this, will Bombus’s mechanical inventions save the day or will Borage be able to convince him that we need to nurture nature?

Honey is performed in a mobile blackout theatre (giant bee hive) up to 5 times a day, the show seamlessly blends puppetry, song, dance, crazy mechanical pollination machines, and animation in an intimate interactive performance for 28 bee explorers of all ages. Everyone waggles away with some wild flower seeds to help the bees and other pollinators. Bee prepared to laugh, cry, buzz and waggle!

Variations of HONEY are available, including walkabout piece The Bee Cart (see below for further info) and Waggle Dance workshops.

As part of its ongoing Plan Bee campaign to save the Honey Bee, the Co-operative is supporting performances of HONEY. Find out more about the fantastic Plan Bee at www.co-operative.coop/planbee. HONEY development was supported by Arts Council England.

 

 

Praise for Pif-Paf’s Honey 

“Loved it….[Honey was] Outstanding, really good fun and brilliant for our audience [….]We received fantastic feedback from our audience, you were really interactive and our festival goers loved the show […] ”

Sarah Bird Organiser, Just So Festival, 2010

“Excellent show that engages people on a very important issue in a fun and interactive way”

Ranjit Singh, Programmer, Co-op Membership Team, 2010

“HONEY really was one of the hits of the festival”

Frank Wilson, Director Stockton International Riverside Festival

“HONEY is about much more than bees…It is about coming to terms with the fragility of our own existence…its greatest gift is to allow us to emerge with a tangible sense of our own part in the narrative, an ethical responsibility, a duty to keep the end of the story open. I suppose this is what theatre at its best has the power to effect.”

Dr Stefan Skrimshire, School of Arts, Histories and Cultures, The University of Manchester

“[Honey] raised awareness of the plight of the honey bee in a fun way […] Really positive, everyone from 6yr olds – 80 yr olds enjoyed the performance and spoke really positively about the experience”

Lisa McIndoe, Programmer, Co-op Membership Team, 2010

 

“I am pleased to see your ambitions and achievements growing.”

Angus Mackechnie, National Theatre Watch This Space programme

 

 “I learnt the Bee dance”, “I like the way they really make us think about how they keep us alive, It’s important”, “amazing beekeepers outfits”,”fantastic singing”,“loved the props, especially engineering genius”,“I like the buzzing at the beginning and end”

Audience feedback

 

“I do hope we get the opportunity to work together again […] We all enjoyed the day as did everyone who attended the show that we managed to speak to. I do hope that we get the opportunity to work together again[….] we shall start to spread the word about Pif – Paf”

Mike Smithson, Programmer, Transition town Southport, 2010

“The company Pif-Paf have done their home work and it brings a topical and real problem to the attention of the public in a way that no others can do, their amazing props, lighting effects and sounds helped to create a believable story.”

Tony Maggs, TheHoneyPot.co.uk

 

“We had very positive feedback from audience members”

Derbyshire CC

 

“The intensity of the play is carried along by dynamic imaginative acting giving an enjoyable and memorable experience”

Audience feedback, accompanied by £25 donation!

 

“Like any quality show of this genre, Honey, whilst wondrous and entertaining for children, is equally enjoyable and challenging for adults. The show raises many questions about human behaviour and attitudes and has had a lasting effect, making us both view bees in a new and more enlightened way. We cannot recommend this show highly enough.”

Peer review

 

“Hi guys, Meeting you at the Respect Festival in Exeter  last year changed my life. It totally focused my gardening and now my planting is all about the bees and butterflies.  And thank you for my packet of seeds!”

Davrille Owens WI

 

“A cracking Job”

Head of Gardens, RHS Wisley

 

“Many thanks for the ‘Honey’ shows you put on for us last week. The visitors really enjoyed both the shows and the waggle dances and learnt a huge amount about bees as did I!”

Sarah Cathcart, Learning and Families Manager  RHS Wisley