Marty MacDonald’s Farm was our first children’s production, introducing audiences to Marty, the nephew of famous Old MacDonald! Down on the most colourful of farmyards, Marty MacDonald is joined by Sally the Scarecrow, Crafty the Crow, Pongo the Pig, Sheena the Sheep, Molly-Moo the Cow and more, for a wealth of wonderful adventures packed with songs and laughter.
Whether they’re planning a surprise birthday for Pongo, visiting the Easter Bunny’s hidden chocolate factory, or on a treasure hunt for Crafty’s family jewels, their escapades combine traditional storytelling with pantomime-style audience participation. Alongside the fun, they include educational and environmental elements too, such as counting songs, colours and recycling themes. All of this and more have made our family theatre shows loved by children and adults alike – and lead to many sell-out performances!
Kate Ashmead - Director & Producer
Kate Ashmead trained at the Birmingham School Of Speech & Drama and has enjoyed a varied career both in performance and production. Favourite stage roles have included the title role in Educating Rita, Wait Until Dark and The Importance of Being Earnest, while younger audiences may have seen Kate in the BBC's Tweenies - suffice to say that she has more than a passing acquaintance with the youngest Tweenie, Jake!
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Among numerous screen appearances are Rosamund Pilcher’s Silver Wedding, psychological thriller Intangible and most recently, ITV1’s Tonight programme.
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Kate added producing to her list of credits when she helped to devise and produce the successful theatre tour of Doctor How’s Global Warning, bringing green issues to wider audiences in an accessible and entertaining way. She is enjoying creating more family entertainment for audiences across the UK, at the helm of Honalee Media's children’s productions!
Martin Parsons - Writer & Director
Originally from Sussex, Martin Parsons has enjoyed children’s entertainment and puppet characters since his childhood, from Play School to Rainbow to The Sooty Show – so now it seems only natural that he’d end up creating his own! Martin graduated from London's Academy Of Live And Recorded Arts in 1996 and spent the next five years appearing as an actor in productions ranging from EastEnders to Doctor Who to Hotel Babylon.
In 2001 he filmed his first presenting work and has since travelled across the UK and France hosting over two hundred programmes, including History File, To Market and property programme Homesearch.
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As well as presenting, another of Martin's passions is writing for children and he has written all eight (so far!) of Honalee Media's Marty MacDonald's Farm shows, along with their six Santa Shows. Before this, Martin's children's work included touring the UK in Playdays Live, Thomas The Tank Engine Live, and coming full circle presenting The Sooty Show. In addition, he has appeared in the Children's Party At The Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's birthday and starred in numerous pantomimes across the UK - including Mother Goose, Cinderella, Beauty And The Beast, Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Babes In The Wood – and is looking forward to the next adventure for the Marty MacDonald’s Farm gang!
Our
Family Entertainment
is a unique range of original, interactive, family shows, that tour their colourful, musical performances to theatres across the UK throughout the year.
