Black History Month Storytelling for Schools and Libraries and Special Events
A Southern African Storytelling Spectacle
Heads and Tails
Click on the link below to the latest blog post ‘18 Months Later - Heads & Tails’
Heads & Tails – A Southern African Storytelling Spectacle
Join professional storytellers Andy Copps and John Kirk for Heads & Tails, a unique 45-minute performance of Southern African folklore and fables. Blending storytelling, audience participation, and creative props, these engaging sessions bring animal tales to life for all ages.
Perfect for schools, festivals, libraries, and community events (with online options available), Heads & Tails inspires imagination, resilience, and a love of reading, while exploring themes of ecology, respect, and community values.
Designed to be inclusive and accessible, the performance uses recycled props, sensory interaction, and audience involvement, making it especially impactful for SEND audiences and families.
Fees: From £250 (pricing tailored to venue, audience size, and number of performances). Rest assured that your budget will be taken into consideration.
Expect:
Immersive, interactive storytelling
Moral and ecological themes
Inclusive participation for all ages and abilities
Strong links to books, reading, and cultural heritage
Highly praised by schools and libraries across the UK, Heads & Tails is a fun, meaningful experience that connects generations through the power of story.
How will the performance workshop be facilitated?
Audience will arrive and assemble on the floor (and/or seating if available).
The performance can be delivered by 1 or 2 facilitators, by co-creators John Kirk and Andy Copps. It was purposefully designed this way, should either facilitator be unavailable.
This workshop can be delivered in any space available and will also work well in an outdoor setting. Given the limited use of props and accessories, it will be easy to deliver without any significant impact to the space and time in set-up and take down.
Time is provided at the end of the session, to invite the audience to come and interact with the props and instruments used in the session.
Handout worksheets are made available to enhance the learning objectives, which is particularly of interest to teaching staff.
What others have said about ‘Heads and Tails’.
‘Heads & Tails’ was performed at the Croydon Central Children’s Library a part of the Remix Croydon in April 2024. Two performances were delivered to family audiences across a diverse age and cultural demographic. It was very well received by the library management and Remix project team.
“The Heads and Tails storytelling was excellent. How they combined the stories with audience participation to really capture the children’s imaginations was fantastic.
Brilliant storytellers, really well pitched for the various ages of the children
The event was highly interactive, and I was made to feel welcome even though I was an adult. Thoroughly entertained, thank you! .”
“Andy is a brilliant storyteller, who captures the imagination of his audience. He shared African stories to family audiences in Croydon Children’s Library as part of the London Borough of Culture finale. The audience were enthralled with his stories, helped by a couple of parents acting out parts, much to their family’s enjoyment! He has a great manner and is able to instinctively adjust his storytelling in accordance with the audience energy! I would recommend Andy and look forward to the opportunity of working with him again.”
“Andy Copps visits us twice a year to help us celebrate storytelling and World Book Day, but came today to perform a new show Heads and Tails. This interactive and engaging performance alongside John Kirk had our Prep children captivated and entertained. An immersive theatre experience, the children were participants in the show, gaining much more than they would as just an audience member, becoming a part of the story. Andy and John expertly told several African stories, inspiring the children’s imaginations and creating a new world filled with animals and baobab trees! A big thank you for always supporting our children with your storytelling expertise. ”
“‘Heads and Tails’ was performed in five of our libraries and our audiences thoroughly enjoyed the shows. Andy easily adapted the performances for large and small numbers, and interacted well with adults as well as children of all ages. I recommend ‘Heads and Tails’ as a professional, fun and engaging storytelling experience for all the family”
Creative process and Copyright
The creation and design of the performance set was achieved through the research and work by Andy Copps and John Kirk. They are named co-creators of ‘Heads & Tails’ and due to the unique and original narrative design, are the copyright owners so there is no need for any further permissions to be obtained or royalty payments made.