Welcome to this special feature on LAStheatre’s hit musical adaptation of The Littlest Yak, based on the beloved, award-winning picture book by Lu Fraser and Kate Hindley.
We sat down with cast members Jenny Trapp (Gertie), Kathryn Tindall (Bertie), Leona Craig (Mummy/Fluffy Sue) and writer and director Barra Collins to learn more.
The Littlest Yak is based on an award-winning children's book. How did you approach translating its beautiful illustrations and rhythmic prose into a theatrical world set in the Himalayas?
Barra: We started by breaking Lu Fraser's wonderful story into three acts, exploring where there were opportunities for the story to grow dramatically. As much as possible, we tried to tie any additions back to the beautiful world created by Kate Hindley's illustrations.
Barra: We started by breaking Lu Fraser's wonderful story into three acts, exploring where there were opportunities for the story to grow dramatically. As much as possible, we tried to tie any additions back to the beautiful world created by Kate Hindley's illustrations.
There were so many lovely details to explore. The unspoken relationships between Gertie, Frank the snow marmot and Barbara the blackbird. The yak constellations that fill the night sky. It's a rich world to be trusted with.
When expanding some sections of Lu's text, I definitely had David Attenborough in mind! We wanted to invite audiences to step into this extraordinary snowy world, to marvel at its beauty and discover the creatures that live there.
Gertie is eager to grow up and fit in with the Big Yaks. Why do you think this is something children can relate to?
Jenny: I think Gertie is one of those characters everybody can relate to. When you're little, all you want is to be bigger so you can do all the things the older children do. But when you're an adult, you often wish you could be young again, with no responsibilities, just running around and having fun!
Gertie is eager to grow up and fit in with the Big Yaks. Why do you think this is something children can relate to?
Jenny: I think Gertie is one of those characters everybody can relate to. When you're little, all you want is to be bigger so you can do all the things the older children do. But when you're an adult, you often wish you could be young again, with no responsibilities, just running around and having fun!
For Gertie, there's a lovely penny-drop moment when she realises that being small is actually pretty great too. There are things you can do when you're small that you simply can't do when you're big!
I think that's such a wonderful lesson for children to learn: to be comfortable in their own skin and realise that the way they are is exactly how they should be. That's something they can carry with them as they grow up.
Puppetry is central to the production. How did you approach designing Gertie and the Big Yaks and giving them their own personalities?
Barra: Everything started with bamboo, string and cardboard as we figured things out!
We knew scale was going to be really important. Gertie needed to be big enough to be seen on stage, but small enough to remain the Littlest Yak. And the Big Yaks needed to feel absolutely enormous beside her.
I think that's such a wonderful lesson for children to learn: to be comfortable in their own skin and realise that the way they are is exactly how they should be. That's something they can carry with them as they grow up.
Puppetry is central to the production. How did you approach designing Gertie and the Big Yaks and giving them their own personalities?
Barra: Everything started with bamboo, string and cardboard as we figured things out!
We knew scale was going to be really important. Gertie needed to be big enough to be seen on stage, but small enough to remain the Littlest Yak. And the Big Yaks needed to feel absolutely enormous beside her.
Then came the idea of representing the Big Yaks with these enormous puppet heads, while the mountains of the set become their bodies. It was a wonderfully clever and theatrical trick proposed by our puppet and set designer, Alison Alexander.
For at least some of the research and development, those mountains were actually shopping trolleys!
The distinct personalities really come from the actors. We have lots of fun in rehearsals finding the right voices and characters for the Big Yak Pack. There's Wobbly Mable, Jolly Judy and Stylish Kay, to name just a few!
Balancing puppetry, singing, musical instruments and acting requires incredible coordination! What does a typical rehearsal look like?
Jenny: For me, it starts before I even pick up a puppet! I approach Gertie like I would any character, thinking about what she wants and needs, how she feels and how those emotions affect her physically.
I'll explore those feelings using my own body and voice first. What happens to my body when I'm excited, angry or sad? How do I move and react? Then I work out how to translate those movements and emotions into the puppet.
The distinct personalities really come from the actors. We have lots of fun in rehearsals finding the right voices and characters for the Big Yak Pack. There's Wobbly Mable, Jolly Judy and Stylish Kay, to name just a few!
Balancing puppetry, singing, musical instruments and acting requires incredible coordination! What does a typical rehearsal look like?
Jenny: For me, it starts before I even pick up a puppet! I approach Gertie like I would any character, thinking about what she wants and needs, how she feels and how those emotions affect her physically.
I'll explore those feelings using my own body and voice first. What happens to my body when I'm excited, angry or sad? How do I move and react? Then I work out how to translate those movements and emotions into the puppet.
With Gertie, there's also that extra layer of being a very young child. She has this wonderful energy and innocence, and she doesn't always fully understand why she's feeling certain things. So there's lots of playing with different voices, movements and emotions, adding an extra level of energy and gradually building up her personality until she really comes to life.
Kathryn: A typical rehearsal involves bringing all those different skills together at gradually increasing speeds, until everything feels seamless.
We spend time getting to know the puppets and their personalities, working on the timing of the music and songs, and making sure everything feels natural. It's the same with the instruments. You start small and gradually add more as you go. The trick is not to overload yourself too early!
There's lots of repetition to build up muscle memory, but also plenty of playfulness! The aim is to reach a point where everything feels instinctive and we can really enjoy bringing the characters to life.
The show is full of catchy tunes and vibrant musical moments. How did you create a musical world that captures both the grandeur of the mountains and the playful energy of a young yak?
Barra: The show is full of earworms! You'll be singing the yak-yak-yakety yak until kingdom come.
Our composer, Joseph Hardy, has done an incredible job with the music, and the cast make all that close-harmony singing look so easy.
The show is full of catchy tunes and vibrant musical moments. How did you create a musical world that captures both the grandeur of the mountains and the playful energy of a young yak?
Barra: The show is full of earworms! You'll be singing the yak-yak-yakety yak until kingdom come.
Our composer, Joseph Hardy, has done an incredible job with the music, and the cast make all that close-harmony singing look so easy.
I think the grandeur of the mountains really comes through in songs like Every Star's a Story. And I think that comes from having the confidence to slow things down.
In what's otherwise quite a high-energy show, we take a moment to marvel at our place in the universe. You can't really deliver big moments without quiet, gentle ones too.
That might sound risky when you're staring down a front row of toddlers! But it's so important to the ebb and flow of storytelling and the experience of theatre.
And those quieter moments mean we can really revel in the energy of being young without it becoming overwhelming. In Stuff Being Little, Gertie gets to rock out and let out some of her frustration with the world!
There's really something for everyone.
How did you design the set and staging to make young audiences feel as though they're embarking on an adventure into the Himalayas?
Barra: It's always important to me that our work is filled with the power of possibility. I love it when audiences discover that something on stage can become something completely different.
Barra: It's always important to me that our work is filled with the power of possibility. I love it when audiences discover that something on stage can become something completely different.
The set constantly shifts and transforms, keeping everyone on their toes. Mountains become the bodies of enormous yaks before transforming back into mountains, as tiny yaks emerge and journey across their spines.
In many ways, the set is actually very simple. It appears to be made from paper, but it's constructed from a hard-wearing, recyclable material sourced from the building trade. Another ingenious find by Alison!
And the staging is non-stop. Our three actors barely get a moment to rest between dancing, singing, puppeteering, playing musical instruments and embodying the majesty of a flatulent yak!
With so much happening on stage, how do you prepare yourself for a performance?
Leona: We always start with a really good warm-up, making sure we've stretched and our voices are ready for the show. There are lots of close harmonies in The Littlest Yak, so we'll practise some of the trickier ones together.
With so much happening on stage, how do you prepare yourself for a performance?
Leona: We always start with a really good warm-up, making sure we've stretched and our voices are ready for the show. There are lots of close harmonies in The Littlest Yak, so we'll practise some of the trickier ones together.
We also play lots of games backstage and in our dressing rooms, which really helps us get into the mindset of becoming the characters and storytellers.
One of my favourite moments is just before the show begins, when you can hear the audience coming in. Hearing all the children getting excited really gets me ready to tell the story!
Children are wonderfully honest and expressive theatre-goers! What's been the most surprising or delightful reaction you've had from a young audience member?
Kathryn: At the end of one show, when the puppets get to go out into the audience, a little girl rushed straight over to give Bertie the Yak the BIGGEST hug!
It was such a lovely moment. Children can be so wonderfully uninhibited, and seeing how much they connect with the characters is one of the most rewarding parts of performing for them. It's a real reminder of the magic of live theatre!
Leona: There's a moment in the show when Mummy is about to tell Gertie a story about the stars and what they all mean. But Gertie keeps interrupting her and suggesting different stories instead.
During one performance, a child in the audience shouted out, quite loudly, "Oh, just let her finish!"
It was so funny! I love it when children shout out and join in with the show, because it means they're really engaged with the story. They're right there with you, wanting to know what happens next!
Making theatre that appeals equally to toddlers, primary school children and adults can be a delicate balancing act. How do you make sure there's something for everyone?
Barra: I think every good show should be an onion!
During one performance, a child in the audience shouted out, quite loudly, "Oh, just let her finish!"
It was so funny! I love it when children shout out and join in with the show, because it means they're really engaged with the story. They're right there with you, wanting to know what happens next!
Making theatre that appeals equally to toddlers, primary school children and adults can be a delicate balancing act. How do you make sure there's something for everyone?
Barra: I think every good show should be an onion!
There should be layers of storytelling and stagecraft nestled together, each offering something different, surprising and engaging audiences of all ages.
Toddlers love the puppets, the energy and the musicality of the language. Primary school children really connect with Gertie's frustration, excitement and sense of wonder.
Meanwhile, parents can enjoy the quality of the writing, the detail in the music and all those little theatrical surprises. And I think they'll really feel for Mummy as she gently guides her little one through some rather big questions about life and the world around her.
You want audiences of all ages to come away having experienced the same story, but perhaps having found something slightly different within it.
Finally, when families leave the theatre after watching The Littlest Yak, what's the one thought or feeling you hope they take home with them?
Barra: I am perfectly me.
Barra: I am perfectly me.
The Littlest Yak plays on tour, visting;
27th - 29th October HOME, Manchester
30th and 31st October - Theatre Royal Plymouth
6th and 7th November - Connaught Theatre, Worthing
8th November - Britten Pears Arts Studio, Suffolk
11th - 13th November - Curve, Leicester
14th November - Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales
15th November - Kidderminster Town Hall
5th - 19th December - Theatre Clwyd, Wales
21st - 24th December - Bicester Leisure Centre
26th and 27th January 2027 - Lancaster Grand
31st January - Blackheath Halls
4th - 7th February - Royal and Derngate, Northampton
12th and 13th February - Epsom Playhouse
15th and 16th February - Chelmsford Studio
17th and 18th February - Birmingham Rep
21st February - Theatre Royal Winchester
For booking and further information, visit https://www.lastheatre.com/littlest-yak/
Post a Comment