Michelle James and Chloe Shimmin are the masterminds behind Hello Little People. A theatrical group exploring Manx folklore through music and play for younger audiences. We caught up with the two of them to find out more.
Q. What is your background in the arts?
Chloe: The Arts have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember! I was always in some sort of dance class, singing class or theatre production. I left the Island at 18 to train professionally as an actor. Since then I’ve been prancing about on stage and having a great time.
Michelle: Similarly to Chloe, the Arts have always been instrumental in my life. Whether I knew it or not, I have grown up with creativity at my core. The Isle of Man offered so many outlets for creativity and I will always be thankful to have grown up in such an artistically rich place. After school I left the Island to train at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Since graduating, I have been working as an actor in the UK and teaching Musical Theatre classes and workshops.
Q. Tell us about Hello Little People, what inspired it, how did it come about?
The two of us hadn’t seen each other in a number of years but both ended up back on the Island when Covid-19 began to take hold. When restrictions began to relax, we met up for a coffee (and an ice cream*) and the idea spiralled from there. We couldn’t hold our creative juices back and Hello Little People was born. We haven’t stopped since.
We are both passionate about children’s theatre and making new work. Collaborating together has been an absolute joy. It's a real treat to reconnect and learn from each other's skills, training and experiences.
We are the first company on the Isle of Man to be dedicated to creating and performing children’s theatre. The Culture and History of the Isle of Man inspires us and it is a privilege to share this with children and families on the Island in a unique and quirky way.
*for all important information about our favourite ice cream flavours, head to hellolittlepeople.com.
Q. You draw a lot of inspiration from Manx Culture and Folklore and use it to create a very unique theatrical experience for young people. Why was it important that you use Manx stories?
They are so much fun.
Manx culture and folklore is such a rich source of inspiration. There are so many stories and characters that we have thoroughly enjoyed bringing to life throughout our creative process. As Hello Little People, we like to embody the energy and mischief that the Little People themselves offer and share that joy with everyone we meet on the way!
The Isle of Man is such a unique place to live, work and enjoy and its culture and folklore is what makes it so special. It is our mission to continue to share the stories of the Isle of Man with the world through movement, music and laughter.
Q. Why is it important to encourage families and young people to engage with our arts and culture? How will Hello Little People help to achieve this?
The Arts are so powerful. We both are extremely passionate about encouraging as much engagement in the arts as possible across all ages and backgrounds.
Young people are our future and engaging from an early age with the arts and culture is one of the most powerful things you can do.
We are all about laughter. Hello Little People wants you to enjoy Manx stories in a fun and exciting way; to laugh at Manannan in a big cloak, boogie with the Moddey Doo or sing with the Cat with No Tail.
Hello Little People invite you to join the fun and venture into the unknown.
Q. What is your favourite folk story you’ve come across so far and why?
I mean it’s a no brainer; a story we have fondly named ‘Juan and his Crabs’
More commonly known as - Yn Dooinney Marrey.
Sophia Morrision’s Manx Fairy Tales is such a joy to explore and in the newest edition Julia Ashby Smyth’s illustrations bring the whole book to life. We have loved drawing inspiration from each and every story, there are so many to choose from that we are already buzzing with ideas for our next project after ‘A Beg Adventure’.
Q. What sort of feedback have you received about the project so far?
We’ve had an amazing response. The support from the Manx public has been unbelievable.
There is such an appetite on the Island for this type of theatre. We can’t wait to share more and invite the Manx public into the world of Children’s Theatre.
We had our first preview last week and it was amazing to see both the adults and children laughing and enjoying the story the whole way through. It is nerve racking to put something you have created yourselves from scratch in front of an audience (especially very honest children!) but their response and feedback was so encouraging.
It is also important to say how grateful we are to Culture Vannin and Manx National Heritage for supporting our first production. We also couldn’t have achieved what we have done already without the incredible support and generosity of individuals both on and off Island. We have pulled in some big favours and the spirit of kindness from creatives to help get Hello Little People off the ground is truly heartwarming. Thank you to all of these wonderful souls.
Q. What do we have to look forward to next with Hello Little People?
A BEG ADVENTURE!
We are so excited to be performing at Castle Rushen! You can catch the show on Saturday 5th September at 11am, 1pm or 3pm. Tickets can be bought at hellolittlepeople.com.
If you can’t make the 5th keep your eyes peeled as we have more really exciting projects in the pipeline coming to you very soon.
