Following a critically acclaimed run at the Salisbury Playhouse, Simon Reade’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s children’s story Toro! Toro! embarks on a national tour this autumn.
Young Antonito lives an idyllic life on his parents’ cattle farm in southern Spain. But the peace is shattered when he realises that his favourite bull-calf, brave Paco, is destined to fight in the bullring. Taking both their destinies into his own hands, and risking the lives and love of his family, Antonito hatches a daring plan. But it will take enormous courage – because this is 1936, and the drums of civil war are echoing across the Spanish plains.
Originally produced by Salisbury Playhouse and nominated for the TMA Award for Best Show for Young People, Toro! Toro! captures the passion and drama of rapidly growing up in the heat of war and is recommended forchildren aged 8 upwards.
Adapter Simon Reade has previously dramatised Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice (Theatre Royal Bath Productions UK tour/Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre/Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis), Ted Hughes’s Tales from Ovid and Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children with Tim Supple for the Royal Shakespeare Company where Simon was Literary Manager & Dramaturg. Other plays include: Michael Morpurgo’s Twist of Gold (Polka Theatre); Philip Pullman’s The Scarecrow & His Servant (Poonamallee Productions/Southwark Playhouse); Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful and The Mozart Question, Jill Tomlinson’s The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, Philip Pullman’s Aladdin & The Enchanted Lamp and Geraldine McCaughrean’s Not the End of the World for Bristol Old Vic. His award-winning version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is to be revived at Polka this Christmas. Simon is also a film-maker. Most recently he co-wrote the screenplay for Filter Theatre’s What You Will and co-produced and wrote the critically acclaimed screenplay of Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful.
‘Excellent … Gary Turner does a splendid job … Reade and Wilson stay true to the author’s intention with the accent on powerful story-telling.’
– The Stage
Toro! Toro! is on UK tour from 8 October. Visit the events calendar for booking details.
