Funbox (theatre group)
Funbox | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scotland |
| Genres | Children's songs |
| Years active | 2015–2022 |
| Members | Anya Scott-Rodgers Kevin McLeod Gary Coupland |
| Website | https://www.funbox.co.uk |
Funbox was a Scottish musical theatre group and children entertainers. The group toured, performing music and comedy for children, with a focus on traditional Scottish playground songs.[1] The group disbanded in 2022, having their final show at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.[2]
Origins
[edit]Members Anya Scott-Rodgers, Kevin MacLeod and Gary Coupland were all previously members of The Singing Kettle, when it disbanded in 2015 after 30 years.[3][4] The three were informed that the touring "Singing Kettle" company was not available for purchase, after the retirement of two of the group's founding members in 2012.[5] They therefore formed Funbox. One of the founder members of The Singing Kettle returned to touring in 2019 with solo performances.
Members
[edit]Gary Coupland
[edit]Gary Coupland MBE (born 26 March 1964) is the group's musician and composer. He was one of the original members of The Singing Kettle. He studied at Napier University (where he was named Alumni of the Year in 2014[6])and at The London College of Music. He received an MBE in 1999 for services to Children’s theatre[7] and is a patron of Down's Syndrome Scotland.[8]
Kevin Macleod
[edit]Kevin Macleod (born 9 March 1969) was originally The Singing Kettle's stage manager, before joining the group and later forming Funbox. He also plays 'Bonzo', a canine character he brought with him from The Singing Kettle.
He studied stage management at Queen Margaret College and compères at Celtic Connections and the Orkney Folk Festival.[9]
Anya Scott-Rodgers
[edit]Anya Scott-Rodgers (born 7 October 1987) fronted The Singing Kettle in 2013 after auditioning among hundreds of applicants. She is a graduate of Glasgow University, Reid Kerr College and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies. She plays guitar.[10]
Tours
[edit]The group's first appearance was at the 2015 Celtic Connections,[11] followed by their debut tour, Pirates and Princesses, in 2015.[1]
Large Scale Tours
| Show | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pirates and Princesses | Summer 2015 | Debut tour. First live DVD. |
| Santa's Sleepover Show | Christmas 2015 | First Christmas show. Only Christmas show released on DVD. |
| Superheroes | Summer 2016 | |
| Winter Wonderland | Winter 2016 | Nov-Dec shows billed as 'Christmas Wonderland'. |
| Underwater Adventure | Summer 2017 | |
| Santa's Funtastic Factory | Winter 2017 | Billed as 'The Funtastic Factory' for post Christmas and New Year shows. |
| Dinosaur Safari | Summer 2018 | |
| Once Upon A Christmas | Winter 2018 | Billed as 'Once Upon a Time' for post Christmas and New Year shows. |
| Wild West Show | Summer 2019 | |
| Christmas in Toytown/Trouble in Toytown | Winter 2019 | |
| Jungle Party | Summer
2020 |
only went to Glasgow in 2020 as of COVID 19 and was cancelled[clarification needed] |
| Santa’s Big Surprise | Winter 2020 | The first online show due to Covid-19 |
Small Community Tours
- Pirates
- Highland Fling
- Rocking All Over The World
- Funbox at the Fringe
- Fancy Dress Fun
- Animal Magic
- Space Race
References
[edit]- ^ a b Bruce, Keith (23 December 2014). "A box of fun beyond the kettle". The Herald. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ "Family entertainment favourites Funbox say farewell with final Glasgow show". What's On Glasgow. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ McKenzie, Steven (3 September 2017). "Lifting the lid on children's act Funbox". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- ^ Apter, Kelly (3 July 2016). "Box of tricks". The Times.
- ^ Pirie, Mark (4 June 2015). "Lanarkshire actor set to come back to her roots as Singing Kettle spin-off Funbox arrives in the area". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ "Final whistle for The Singing Kettle". www.scotsman.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ McKenna, Lynn (3 September 2014). "Singing Kettle will perform for the final time at Motherwell Concert Hall". dailyrecord. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Funbox - Scottish Family Entertainment Show - About Us - Gary". Fun Box - Scottish - Songs. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Funbox - Scottish Family Entertainment Show - About Us - Kevin". Fun Box - Scottish - Songs. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Funbox - Scottish Family Entertainment Show - About Us - Anya". Fun Box - Scottish - Songs. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Funbox opens at Celtic Connections". Evening Times. 31 January 2015. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
