Preview: Ugly Duckling at ARC, Stockton

This December, ARC invites you to meet the most unusual duckling the pond has ever seen!

Ugly Duckling

ARC, Stockton

Tuesday 4 and Sunday 23 December 2018

Following the success of last year’s Christmas show, Pinocchio, December 2018 sees ARC bring a magical new show to Stockton as Tutti Frutti Theatre Company perform a new adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s much-loved tale – Ugly Duckling.

Image by Jessica Knight

In their nest at the edge of a pond, the baby ducklings wait impatiently for Mummy’s enormous egg to hatch.  But their new brother doesn’t look like everyone else. He doesn’t even quack like a proper duckling!

Teased and called Ugly by his siblings, our hero goes on an adventure in search of a place to fit in. As the woodland trees change from dark weathered branches to silver sticks of frost, the lost and lonely fledgling hides in brushwood and stares skyward at the migrating swans, yearning to belong and marvelling at their beauty; but where does he really belong?

Moving through all four seasons, Tutti Frutti and York Theatre Royal bring to life Hans Christian Andersen’s well-known tale. With a menagerie of mischievous animals, depicted through inventive performance, and live music that quacks and trills, this charming production plays with the importance of identity, self-worth and takes us on a journey to discover inner beauty.

Ugly Duckling’s writer, the Olivier Award winning, Emma Reeves, said: ‘Ugly Duckling is a classic story about families, identity and finding your place in the world. It’s funny, sad sometimes but ultimately uplifting. It’s great to be working with Tutti Frutti again, exploring such a timeless and joyful story.’

Tickets:

Ugly Duckling will be at ARC, Stockton between Tuesday 4 and Sunday 23 December.

Tickets are priced at £10 per person and £8 per person for groups of 6 or more. https://arconline.co.uk/whats-on/family/ugly-duckling