Touring Shows
The Gift Of The Gadget
A newly invented spoken word family show touring libraries this summer and autumn
From the wheel to the world wide web, via the toilet flush that made Queen Elizabeth the First blush, Justin Coe’s brand new show celebrates the weirdest, wackiest and most wondrous inventions ever.
Join Justin as he experiments with comedy, rhyme and a ridiculous pair of balloon shoes, helping you channel your inner-genius to conjure up some crazy innovations of your own. All good fun for everyone, aged 5- 11 and their families.
“It was lots of fun and the children had a wonderful time!” audience member, Southend Library shows
“Excellent! Educational! Enjoyable!” audience member, Southend Library.
The Wild Wild Word Show
Based on the Summer Reading Challenge theme - Wild World Heroes - performing at libraries, on-line and outdoor settings in London and Southend, summer 2021
Performance Poet Justin Coe is taking his words for a walk on the wild side! Inspired by our collective experiences of lockdown, The Wild Wild Word Show explored the outdoors with some unruly rhymes, excitable rambles and rowdy sing-a-long songs, encouraging children to create some playful poetry of their own along the way.
Audience Feedback:
“Justin was so engaging and put everyone at ease. He included everyone. A lot of fun for kids and parents.”
“Thoroughly engaging and entertaining. Fun for all the family!”
“We had a really good time - very entertaining.”
“Fun and interactive, well loved by all of us.”
The House That Jackson Built
A spoken word theatre show for children aged 4 - 11 - with Half Moon Presents - toured March 2020 and Summer 2021.
Jackson’s dad is building a new house out of weird and wacky bits and bobs that people have thrown away. The last few years have been hard for young Jackson, living without his mum. Now his dad wants to make a new start, but Jackson isn’t ready to move on. Not until he blows the dust off mum’s favourite old book and conjures up the Story Fairy. But can stories really help Jackson to believe in himself and to be happy in a new home?
Celebrating books and the joy of reading, The House That Jackson Built features a larger than life pop-up book and thrilling adventures, including a giant who cannot say “fee-fi-fo-fum”, an Elephant Professor and the Wordy Wordy Birdie. This magical spoken word theatre show delights in family, recycling and the power of imagination.
Music - Johnny Tomlinson Design - Adam Nee Image - Stephen Beeney Direction- Chris Elwell
“All in all, it is superb children’s theatre that draws you into “the land of stories”.” A Younger Theatre, FIVE STARS.
“Coe’s story fizzes with energy as a range of characters of the fantastical type parade before us, helped by an oversized pop-up book. There’s a message, about being more careful about what we throw away, and a moral about understanding each other, but the show is never preachy and is very funny.” My Theatre Mates.
Are We Being Silly?
First performed at Queens Theatre, Hornchurch. Toured 2017 -2019
A stand-up poetry show packed full of punchy jokes and playful mischief with plenty of opportunities for audience participation.
Are you being silly? For goodness sake, sit up straight and pay attention! Performance Poet Justin Coe is now 37 YEARS LATE for his homework! He desperately needs your help, before his angry teacher finally catches up with him and sends him back to school for DETENTION. There’s much work to be done but no doubt Justin will still find plenty of time to show –off his ridiculous rhymes, rib-tickling tales and zany songs. Beautifully suitable for gigglers, wrigglers and scribblers, wander-abouters, shouter-outers, dads, mums and fidget-bums, Justin’s poems will prove that there’s no experience too sobering or too silly for words.
”It was a really good show. It got all of the children involved and thinking about new words” (Audience Member)
*It was very funny and silly” (Audience Member - child)
Young Herbert’s Horrors
With Half Moon Presents. Toured 2018-2019
Young Herbert is a little horror. Living on a boat should be the ideal life for a wannabe pirate, but the boat’s grounded until Herbert can learn to tidy his cabin, eat his greens and be more polite. A big storm brews when Herbert is sent home from school and Mum calls on Great Uncle Albatross – navy captain and scourge of all pirates – to warn him of the dangers of rebellion. But who is Great Uncle Albatross and do his cautionary tales really have the power to make Young Herbert behave? Or will they just give Young Herbert the horrors? Featuring swashbuckling verse, jaunty music, gallows humour and the obligatory parrot.
Music - Greg Hall Music Design - Adam Nee Image - Stephen Beeney Direction - Chris Elwell
“If your kids love the high seas and pirate-adventures this is the show for you… A one-man show packed with poetry, jokes and a real feast for the imagination – we had a great family outing courtesy of Herbert!” (Kidadl, 2018)
“Bravo! Fabulous, funny and the children were mesmerised” (Audience Member)
Big Wow Small Wonder
Half Moon Presents - toured nationally 2016- 2017
Justin is the smallest boy in the whole town. So small that he can swim with goldfish. So small his sister takes him to school in her lunchbox. So small the class bully, Bother Boots Bradley, wants to catch him and keep him as his new pet.
Justin just wants to be like his giant Dad, but when he finds out his Dad is not the Big Wow, he sets off on a journey to find who – or what – the Big Wow really is! Can the Big Wow help Justin to be tall in time, before Bradley puts him in a cage ready for the school show and tell in assembly?
With the help of a pigeon, the mountain and the World Ant Weightlifting Champion, Justin soon realises that being big might not be all its bigged up to be.
Told with huge helpings of humour, poignant poetry and original music, this was a tall story about the wonders of being small.
Music - Pete Coates. Design - Verity Quinn. Direction - Chris Elwell
“Justin’s belief in his audience’s patience for performance poetry pays off” Children’s Theatre Reviews
“It really helped my daughter see that it is OK to be small” (Parent)
Boys Don’t
Papertale Productions. In partnership with Half Moon Theatre, and Apples and Snakes (South East).Toured nationally 2017-18.
by Rosemary Harris with Justin Coe, Hadiru Mahdi, Tanaka Mhishi and Steve Tasane
Nominated for Off West End Awards for Best Production for Young People 8+, 2017.
What’s a boy to do? From the playground to the classroom, from home to the uncharted waters of online, boys learn that displaying their feelings is a no-no. But what happens to emotion that can’t be let out?
Boys Don’t explored through spoken word what happened when boys show their feelings, and was written from real-life experiences of the male cast. Through a series of funny, familiar and sometimes heart-breaking stories of boys in the emotional spotlight, the show delivered insights into male experiences of growing up, and offered the possibility of more open communication for us all.
“Has the power to reach those who fill alienated from the arts’ scene” Live Theatre UK
“A powerful and compelling piece of acting” Sardines Magazine
(Justin’s piece was called “Elmo The Big Strong Man” - photo by Stephen Beeney)
The Book of Record Breaking Rhymes
At Southend Libraries Summer 2015
A hyperactive, interactive, rhyming celebration of record breakers.
Audience Feedback:
“I loved it. It was funny, silly. It was a Record Breaker”
“Absolutely fantastic experience with the show today. There was something for each of my four children (ages 4-9). Justin kept a fantastic pace and kept the attention of the children, making sure everyone felt included and had a chance to participate. Thoroughly enjoyable experience.”
“Fantastic, imaginative, informative, interactive fun!”
One Way Ticket
Papertale Productions in association with Half Moon Theatre and Apples and Snakes. By Rosemary Harris, Justin Coe and Sophie Rose. Toured 2014-2015.
A powerful, poetic true story of stolen childhood.
Have you ever felt like you wanted to run away, far away where no one can find you? Be careful what you wish for…
Drawing on real-life stories, One Way Ticket was a gripping show presented by three poetry performers which was both funny and moving. The audience followed Jeannie, Ronnie and other children of the 1950s as they were sent by ship from children’s homes in the UK to tough new lives in Australia.
One Way Ticket offered a dramatic insight into the British Child Migrants’ scandal in the years following World War II, and the children’s continued search to be re-united with families today.
“The poetry is phenomenal, full of puns and personality. The rhyme becomes increasingly necessary, keeping emotion tightly packed together, buoying everyone along with the bobbing of the rhythm and the sea, and forcing the story on as it gets sadder and sadder. Through language, it struck a chord with something that cannot be put into words, and that’s why everyone should buy a (one way) ticket and go.” Children’s Theatre Reviews.
The Creepy-Crawly Storyhouse
Southend Libraries and toured regionally, summer and autumn 2013.
Justin moves to the countryside and his house in the middle of the woods is invaded by armies of insects…but as it turns out the best party is a pest party!
“Any parent will understand when I say that I was apprehensive at the prospect of taking my (rather naughty) 3 year old to a show at Diss Corn Hall. But her five year old brother was keen and the show sounded great so I bit the bullet and packed them in the car. Just walking in I felt myself relax. The atmosphere was very chilled out with a rug at the front of the seats for the kids to sit on. Before the show the kids were invited to sit at tables overflowing with craft materials to make their very own Creepy-Crawly. My two were in their element - what a great idea! But soon it was time to take to our seats as Justin Coe took to the stage with his guitar and rucksack full of props. For the next hour the children and I sat engrossed in his unique mixture of raps, poems and songs about a whole series of undesirable bugs that had invaded his house in the woods. Justin's clever use of repetition meant that even my daughter got into the swing of things and they both really enjoyed it.” Reviewed by Sarah Veness of Arts East Magazine.
The Dictionary of Dads
First performed as Danny’s Dictionary of Dads (scratch showing) at The Albany Theatre in 2011 and then as a stand-up poetry show at the Southend Children’s Book Festival 2012. Future versions including Mums, Dads and Little Monsters for a Halloween tour in 2018.
Images - Ed Boxall music - Pete Coates
“Justin’s performance was slick and professional, magical and inspirational. The children and dads enjoyed the interactive elements and joined in with great spirit. The poems, raps and songs were diverse and engaging and appealed to a wide age group. Poetry has never been more popular!” Reviewed by Katharine Pond and Anne Bonham, Bookstart and Children’s Managers, Southend Libraries.
The Jumble Book
Brighton Fringe and toured 2010
written and performed by Justin Coe
illustrations - Ed Boxall music - Pete Coates direction - Juliet Chambers
“****…Lovely things include the splendid projected illustrations of Ed Boxall, recreated live as well by the multi-talented Justin Coe who tells us a tale of Jumble, a boy with dyslexia who discovers that stories do not need written words to light up an audience. As the illustrations appear, they become the cue for Justin to act out the characters, and soon we are quaking before the stern Mrs Fog, the stuck-up Claire Cloggs, and, my favourite of them all, the wonderfully rounded (in many different ways) Dr. Jigsaw.
This is a show of poetry, picture, music and story, of comedy and audience interaction, and there's a message here too. Most of all, as theatre, its a fun show of jumbled words, and putting things on back to front. Adorned with just a guitar and a generous dose of Charisma, Justin had us clapping and smiling….
The poetry is often beautiful, loaded with a sense of high craft, the delivery plays with mood, rhythm. Peter Coates' music is a perfect addition to the piece...all in all an inventive show, rich and heartful” Paul Levy, Fringe Review