Once again this summer, supported by THF and a number of other agencies, Tony Lidington of Promenade Promotions brought Sunshine Follies to a variety of seaside venues in South Devon.
Tony selected and trained two young people, Lucy Barallon (17) "Penny Plonk" and Thomas Cherrington (10) "First Mate Fry" how to be seaside entertainers, whose traditional skills so much enliven the British summer seaside experience. Stilt-walking, busking, Punch and Judy, flea circus, and magic tricks are among our favourites that Tony loves to keep fresh and alive for new generations.The two trainees worked with experienced, local, professional practitioners to learn skills in street arts and seaside performance. In addition, they received self-employment training from Tony - including, contracting, invoicing, risk assessment, health & safety and self-promotion.
They were each interviewed by BBC Spotlight and broadcast regionally on the news, local and regional press and media. They had to load and unload the van, as well as invoice for their work. Throughout, they each kept a blog of their activities. It was exhausting, but transformative to their practice! They are now equipped to be able to pursue freelance careers as self-employed street artists: Lucy is already planning her next foray and Thomas has been inspired to want to do it all over again next year!
Reports from Lucy and Thomas will appear in next month's THF newsletter.