On Saturday 18 September, our autumn children’s theatre programme opens with Dommy B’s Best Adventure Ever. Dom’s energy on stage is awe-inspiring and we can’t wait for his show to captivate young families! Ahead of Saturday, we catch up with Dom for some positive vibes and insider info on what to expect.
Hey Dom, thanks for joining us! Let’s get started tell us about you!
Hello! My name is Dominic, and when I was a kid, I hated my name. So, I always wanted to be called some sort of nick name, and out of the hundreds (no lie, I do mean hundreds) of names I made for myself (junk the punk, swingarm and howzer are three that come to mind), Dommy B is the one which has stuck.
But you can call me Dom!
I hated my name, but I loved poems at school. I was fascinated by rhyming words, loved the idea of big stories being told in very few words, and loved it in year 3 when out of all the children in my class, my poem alone was chosen to go up on the class wall.
I was so proud, but I didn’t realise back then that writing and saying poems was something a person could do as a job. It is! That’s all I do for money, write and say poems, and I never knew when I was growing up that that was a thing some people got to do.
I became a professional by entering lots of competitions, not doing very well at them at all, feeling very sad, then entering some more, not winning them either and feeling even more sad. But I kept going, trying to make up better poems than the ones I had made up before, until eventually I started to win awards.
Now, I’m not saying making up poems is all about getting prizes – it isn’t – making up a poem has its own reward. But doing something I love for work is a good thing, and I do really, really love my work.
You are the one of the artists that Z-arts supported during lockdown/covid, tell us about the support, why it mattered and why it made a difference to you?
Z-arts and I have worked together for years and it’s always a joy to work together. The people who work at Z-arts are very kind and clear communicators of what kind of art they like. Their ideas also come from a very well-informed place, because they’ve all seen so many shows for young people!
Dommy B’s Best Adventure Ever is something I started writing before the first lockdown. As part of the creative process, it was important for me to share the work with audiences as it developed.
Through lockdown, Z-arts helped me share the work with audiences online and face-to-face as restrictions lifted. With their support, I’ve been able to test the work and see how kids and their families react. This has enabled me to make the story better and better and better!
Why should children and their families book tickets and join Z-arts for Dommy’s B’s Best Adventure Ever on Saturday 18th September?
Because it IS my best adventure ever!
I’ve been making this for such a long time, with so much input from so many kids, families and arts professionals. I am super confident that this show is fun, exciting, surprising, moving and memorable. I’m really going to enjoy performing it, and I’m sure you will really enjoy seeing it!
It’s the first story I have set from the point of view as me as a child. I reckon kids in the audience will find a lot they can relate to and the kinds of questions the show addresses are the ones that important to young people today. I don’t want to say too much though because I don’t want to spoil what happens!
What do you hope children and their families get from the show / take away?
For all kinds of complicated reasons, writing in school is not always fun and I’d like young people who see this show to take away the fact that writing can be really rewarding and really fun!
Sometimes people go to school and end up thinking making poems and stories is too hard and boring and not for them, and that’s a shame! I believe being creative is for everyone and we can be creative in lots of different ways.
Plus, being creative and making stuff helps so much with emotions – like feeling sad, or scared, or angry – it certainly helps me. Just the act of creating is magical and takes you to a different world.
Dommy B’s Best Adventure Ever is on at Z-arts on Saturday 18th September at 11am. Created for children age 5+ and their families, the show is 60 minutes in duration and tickets are £7.
Join us for the show and book here: https://www.z-arts.org/events/dommy-bs-best-adventure-ever/