The magic of books explored in one-woman show

I Believe in Unicorns is on October 8, 12pm and 2.30pm, a chance to join award-winning storyteller Danyah Miller as she brings Michael Morpurgo’s story to life, a piece set in a library full of books which hold more than stories within their pages.

At its heart is a tale of the bravery of a young boy called Tomas. Tomas loves playing in the mountains where he lives and hates reading and school, but his world is turned upside down the day he meets the Unicorn Lady, played by storyteller Danyah Miller, in his local library.

The show challenges the audience to try not to believe in unicorns after joining Tomas’s journey.

As Danyah says: “I am a story-teller first and foremost, and I have a daughter that began a story-telling circle when she was about seven. The mother of a friend of hers brought in I Believe in Unicorns, and I just fell in love with it.

“It is about a young boy that doesn’t want to read or write. He wants to be in the hills running free, and who wouldn’t be! But he gets dragged into the library by his mum who says ‘If you carry on playing on the mountain, I am going to have a goat for a son rather than a son for a son!’”

It works. He gets drawn in and discovers the world of his imagination – as powerful and as free as his life running on the hills. The key is reading: “He learns to recognise this wonderful place in his mind.

“For me, it’s a story about story-telling, about imagination, about books and the fact that the imagination is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. This magical librarian, the Unicorn Lady, has this way of just inspiring the children. The story spoke to me. It appealed to me, and it is also a story about community.

" It is a community, and as often happens in Michael Morpurgo’s books, it is a about a community into which comes war. It is about how the community pulls together. We show how Tomas goes with his father to save the books. As it is a one-woman show, we have used the journey of the Unicorn Lady as the thrust of the show, but what she is really doing is sharing the journey with Tomas. I suppose really it is their journey together. What I really adore about it is the way that it also appeals to adults. It speaks to the child inside them still.”

Also coming up at the New Theatre Royal:

Jordan Gray: Is it a Bird? (October 18, 7.30pm). Fresh off a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, a historic performance at The London Palladium and a game-changing set on Channel 4’s Friday Night Live, the UK’s premier transgender comedian returns to take on babies, boobies, bigots and Batman in this music and comedy show.

Uncanny: I Know What I Saw (October 28, 7.30pm). Join Danny Robins for the biggest investigation into the paranormal – ever. Be immersed in the sights, sounds and scares of brand new, real-life stories of the supernatural as thrilling tales are brought to life on stage.

Tickets from the venue.