Swallows and Armenians by Karen Babayan, directed by Persia Babayan-Taylor

Where East and West collide in a story of friendship and family, love and jealousy, with a good measure of sailing thrown in! Arthur Ransomes Swallows and Amazons is a classic book about children having adventures on a lake. The Walker family have always been depicted as quintessentially English but what is not widely known is that Ransome modelled his characters on an Anglo-Armenian family from Aleppo, Syria. This joyous actor-musician production delves into the uniquely fascinating but often fractured relationship between the British author and the family who inspired him to write this iconic book for children. Pre-show talk by Writer and Producer Karen Babayan at 6.30pm on the 20th and 21st June. Post show 'Circle of Life' circle dance event with dance artist Shakeh Major Tchilingirian. All welcome. Original photograph: Asadour Guzelian.