Jude Simpson brings her show for children, A Noise Annoys, to the Lambeth Fringe.
“A Noise Annoys is a poetry show for all the senses! It features rhymes, noises, songs, surprises and lots of interaction.
Bursting with joyful humour and witty wordplay, acclaimed poet Jude Simpson takes the audience on a mind-bending journey through the sounds of languge and the language of sounds.”
Where: Vauxhall City Farm
When: 4 Oct (11am, 3pm)
Ticket link: https://lambethfringe.com/events/a-noise-annoys
What made you create A Noise Annoys? Do you have anyone who particularly inspires your shows for children?
I’ve been a performer of spoken word for many years, and started writing a collection of poems for children after having my own family.
A scratch night at my local theatre (Cambridge Junction) got me trying out some of the poems as performance pieces, and the reaction was brilliant!
The Artist Development Producer, Cath, asked me to put together a half-hour show for a Work-In-Progress slot coming up, and A Noise Annoys was born!
As you would expect, I constantly get inspiration from my own kids (I have four) – and other people’s!!!
The song about my son loving peanut butter, banana and cheese sandwiches is an absolute true story!
Why should audiences choose to come along to your show and what might they expect?
Audiences who enjoy playing with words are bound to love my show.
It appeals to all ages (we suggest 6 years + because it’s all about language) and Grandmas love it as much as young children!
You can expect witty wordplay, fun poems, silly noises, lots of laughs and heaps of joining in.
There’s a song about peanut butter sandwiches, a poem about the noises things make, and a tongue twister about badgers!
It’s an uplifting and joyful show, but it also has the occasional moment of beautiful hush!
Your show is on at Vauxhall City Farm. Is this a particularly inspiring place for you?
I hadn’t actually been to Vauxhall City Farm before, but the Lambeth Fringe put us in touch, and as soon as I heard about the place, I knew it was a great fit for the show.
It’s somewhere designed to include and inspire families and children, with people’s welfare at the heart of it, and I think you can say that about my show as well! I’m looking forward to it.
What’s next for the show?
The show continues on tour for the rest of October, visiting Hereford, Dorchester, Bedford, Cardiff, Cambridge and Weston Super Mare, among others.
Then I have some more dates in the Spring, and – here’s a cheeky piece of news – I’ve just heard that I’ve been commissioned by Peterborough Key Theatre to create a Christmas version of the show.
So I’ll be looking to get A Noise Annoys fully festivated ready for the Christmas season 2026!
I’ve definitely been bitten by the family theatre bug, so I’ll also be creating a new show once A Noise Annoys is done. Watch this space!