Tag Archives: Children’s Parties

An Unbirthday Party

A Birthday Party is a very special thing.  When a child reaches the age when there is innocent pleasure in parlour games and jelly and ice cream its up to you to take advantage before this briefest of windows closes and they become too cynical for pinning tails on donkeys.

In the planning and execution of a Birthday Party its worth remembering that you are creating an indelible memory which will effect the child’s relationship with birthdays forever.  Some of my clearest childhood memories are from such parties: the joy of presents, the disappointment at losing party games, the sickness caused by too many sweets and too much excitement.

DSC03063Organisation shouldn’t be taken lightly.  There’s the cake, the birthday tea and of course the party bag and prizes.  The song says “it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to”; whilst it wasn’t necessarily referring to the party organiser, in an age of competition between parents the pressure to find an edge will drive you to distraction.

A storyteller offers a party just that edge.

It has been my pleasure to offer my experience to both children’s and adult birthday parties where “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” was an overarching theme.  For a children’s party I appear as The Mad Hatter, weaving Lewis Carroll’s poetry into an afternoon of games and activities ranging from group storytelling to decorating paper hats.  In the case of adults I work as coordinator and consultant, bringing a team of performers to mingle at the party.

John Kirk specialises in drama workshops and theatre for young people.For any age group a storyteller adds value to the celebrations.  Storytellers will delight and entertain guests whilst a strong sense of the narrative can define and guide a party purposefully with energy, colour and imagination.  The ability to collaborate with a storyteller means that the party organiser is able to request personal touches as your wildest dreams are brought to life.

The legacy of great storytelling at a Birthday Party isn’t difficult to quantify and will make all the hard work seem worth it.

“That was the best birthday party ever!”

“That was brilliant!”

… or sometimes – “thank you”.