We are thrilled to announce our return to Moseley Park & Pool for the 5th year of Little but LIVE! This year's festival is a celebration of our local community, featuring a Paperback production of The Railway Children with both amateur and professional actors, a Community Ceilidh, and the Live at the Hive "Folk-ish" Open Mic, which will be touring from the Moseley Hive to Moseley Park and Pool for one night only!
Tickets are £5 or Pay What You Can, and capacity is limited, so be sure to book early. Check out the programme of events below.
Friday 20th September
"A Friday Laugh" hosted by Rachel Baker
Do you like the silly stuff? A Friday Laugh is full of it. The finest mix of Brummie comedians are back from some brilliant fringe runs and trying out a mixture of new and tested material. Hosted by the chaotic and cheeky Rachel Baker. Other acts TBA.
Ticket Info:
Doors and donation bar open: 7pm
Comedy begins: 7.30pm
£5 Entry
Saturday 21st September
Storytelling in the Glade with Juliet Fry
Join us in the tranquility of the glade in Moseley Park for a peaceful, family friendly storytelling session with Juliet Fry.
Juliet is a storyteller and Forest School leader based in Birmingham. She has worked with children and families on a variety of storytelling projects with schools, early years settings and in outdoor spaces.
She loves telling folk tales and stories steeped in nature to help children engage with the natural world and develop their creativity.
Ticket info:
11am and 12am
The event will last 30 minutes.
Pay What You Can. Choose between £0.00 / £2.00 / £5.00
"Itchy Fingers" Acoustic Improv Session (for all levels aged 16+)
A relaxed, informal space to have fun with music, without judgement or criticism. Whether you’re a nervous novice or a virtuoso, come and join our creative ensemble of genre-bending music-makers in the tranquil woodland surroundings of Moseley Park's Glade. Our facilitator Solomon Smith will start us off with some short-form games as we get to know each other, before going deeper with a few longer lasting improvised pieces. Whatever your level of experience, you’re welcome to pop in and have a play, make some friends, and make some music.
Ticket info: Pay-What-You-Can. Choose between £0.00 / £2.00 / £5.00
The event will begin at 1pm and will be an informal drop-in session where you are welcome to stay as long as you like.
There will be some musical instruments made available at the session, but you’re encouraged to bring your own acoustic instruments if you have them. Please note that we often switch instruments around, but it’s fine to keep precious ones just for you to play — whatever you’re comfortable with!
Songwriting Circle (for all levels aged 16+)
Birmingham composer and musician Tyriq Baker welcomes you to a safe, supportive space to share your musical and lyrical ideas — whatever stage of development they’re at. If you love writing songs, of any genre, but get nervous about playing them to people in public, bring them along to this wellbeing-focussed session in the tranquil woodland surroundings of Moseley Park’s Glade. Together we’ll create a generous, open listening space where songwriters support each others’ creative development, and in doing so enrich their own. So leave your cynicism at the gate, and get ready to find the joy in other people’s brilliant songs!
This is event is for music-makers of all levels aged 16+. For families with younger children we have a family songwriting circle which you can book for below.
Ticket info:
4pm
Pay-What-You-Can. Choose between £0.00 / £2.00 / £5.00 You’re welcome to simply listen if you like, but we encourage you to bring an idea for a song, whether it’s a finished piece or simply some scraps of lyrics or a little tune that’s stuck in your head. You’re very welcome to bring your own instrument if you have one.
Summer, 1905. When their father disappears in mysterious circumstances Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis are put on a train and sent to the peace and quiet of the countryside. In a small railway village, they make friends with the locals, discover the thrills of the railway line at the bottom of the garden and solve the mystery of their father’s disappearance…
Paperback Theatre returns to Moseley Park with THE RAILWAY CHILDREN. Mike Kenny’s charming adaptation of Edith Nesbit’s classic wowed audiences when it premiered at the National Railway Museum before transferring to London’s Waterloo Station in 2010. Now, a community cast of local amateurs perform alongside professionals to stamp some Birmingham pride onto this well-loved story of childhood lost, community gained and lots and lots of trains.
THE RAILWAY CHILDREN © MIKE KENNY 2008
Copyright agent: Alan Brodie Representation Ltd
www.alanbrodie.com
Supported by the Inclusive Communities Fund - a Legacy of the Commonwealth Games.
Ticket info:
4pm
Pay What You Can. Choose between £0.00 / £5.00 / £7.50 / £10.00
Your ticket does not come with a seat, so please bring a camping chair or blanket to make yourself comfortable, and come prepared for the rain and cold as the show will go on whatever the weather (barring extreme thunder/storms).
Live at the Hive "Folk-ish" Open Mic Night
Live at the Hive, our monthly inclusive folk open mic night, returns to Little but LIVE! for 2024, and this time it has escaped the confines of the Moseley Hive and is setting up in the beautiful surrounds of Moseley Park's Glade. A welcoming evening of chilled, laid-back live music with a folk-ish flavour (although all genres are welcome). If you would like to play you can pre book slots by emailing us at liveatthehivemoseley@gmail.com or messaging us over social media. Or if you're feeling a little more impulsive we'll have a limited number of sign ups available on the door.
Ticket info:
7pm Start
Pay-What-You-Can. Choose between £0.00 / £2.00 / £5.00
This is an outdoor evening event so please bring something warm to wear!
Sunday 22nd September
Summer, 1905. When their father disappears in mysterious circumstances Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis are put on a train and sent to the peace and quiet of the countryside. In a small railway village, they make friends with the locals, discover the thrills of the railway line at the bottom of the garden and solve the mystery of their father’s disappearance…
Paperback Theatre returns to Moseley Park with THE RAILWAY CHILDREN. Mike Kenny’s charming adaptation of Edith Nesbit’s classic wowed audiences when it premiered at the National Railway Museum before transferring to London’s Waterloo Station in 2010. Now, a community cast of local amateurs perform alongside professionals to stamp some Birmingham pride onto this well-loved story of childhood lost, community gained and lots and lots of trains.
THE RAILWAY CHILDREN © MIKE KENNY 2008
Copyright agent: Alan Brodie Representation Ltd
www.alanbrodie.com
Supported by the Inclusive Communities Fund - a Legacy of the Commonwealth Games.
Ticket info:
12pm
Pay What You Can. Choose between £0.00 / £5.00 / £7.50 / £10.00
Your ticket does not come with a seat, so please bring a camping chair or blanket to make yourself comfortable, and come prepared for the rain and cold as the show will go on whatever the weather (barring extreme thunder/storms).
Calathea Arts presents Myths from the Marches, a vibrant new storytelling piece suitable for all the family. Dive into the world of magic, where all the folktales are true! Meet knights, dragons, giants and elves…
Join storyteller Ruth Mestel to hear Shropshire’s legends of heroes and battles, witches and ghouls, of stories long forgotten. Who knows what secrets you might discover?
Ticket info:
12.30pm
Pay-What-You-Can: £0.00 / £5.00 / £10.00
Have your kids got the musical bug and want to give writing a song a go?
Do you want to try something new as a family?
Do you just fancy a sing-song in the picturesque surroundings of Moseley Park? Then our Songwriting Circle is just the ticket for you!
Our expert music facilitator will support the group to play together, develop their own original music ideas into songs, and co-create great arrangements.
This is our event for music-makers under 16 and their adults. For adults looking for a less family-oriented event we have a songwriting circle for those 16+ on Saturday which you can find links to above.
Ticket info:
3pm
Pay-What-You-Can. Choose between £0.00 / £2.00 / £5.00
Some musical instruments made available at the session, but you’re welcome to bring your own acoustic instruments if you have them.
Welcome to the Moseley Community Ceilidh! Get ready to kick up your heels and dance the night away at The Moseley Hive. With traditional dances from Britain and beyond, join us for a fun-filled evening of dancing, live music, and good vibes.
Whether you're a seasoned Ceilidh dancer or a complete newbie, everyone is welcome to join in on the fun. So grab your friends and family, put on your dancing shoes, and come on down to the Moseley Hive for a night you won't forget.
For those of you who haven't attended a Ceilidh before it's kind of traditional Scottish/Irish dance party. Under the watchful eye and kind guidance of our wonderful professional caller's, Jake and Siobhan, you will learn new folk dances with set steps to whirl the night away to some amazing live music. Come on your own or in a group, we'll all be dancing together by the end.
Ticket info:
5.30pm
£5 Entry
Please note this event involves a lot of dancing so make sure to wear clothes you are comfortable moving around it.
Suitable for all ages - if you have any access concerns and want to discuss whether this is the right event for you please email paperbacktheatre@gmail.com
Genre-bending, energising, mesmerising, boundary-crossing… Juniper are a group of close friends who combine their collective musical influences on the stage to create a show full of bold, intriguing traditional and contemporary sounds.
They draw in their listeners with driving riffs, joyous tunes, and intricate textures and contrast this by stripping back the sound world, returning to their roots of listening to and playing folk music with mesmerisingly delicate and intimate arrangements.
2024 marks the release of their highly anticipated debut album, Framework.
Juniper played at the very first Little but LIVE! in 2020 and we are delighted to have them back for 2024 as our headline act closing the festival.
Ticket info:
£5 Entry
Doors and donation bar open: 7.30pm
Music starts: 8.00pm
Previous Festivals
Little but LIVE! was our hopeful response to the outbreak of COVID-19. In September 2020 we organised the first Little but LIVE! in Moseley Park - a small socially distanced outdoor festival. This featured a varied programme of events across one weekend, including Indian Dhol drumming, stand-up comedy, reggae, folk, and our own production of Romeo and Juliet.
We partnered with Sebastian Hicks, from Coventry University, who provided us with the beautiful Chapel of Many, a unique performance space made up of folding chairs. We were also gratefully supported by Moseley Together, a local community fund to support the recovery from COVID-19.
After the success of the first festival we returned in 2021, a little bit bigger and a little but better with a range from fantastic acts from BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2018, Xhosa Cole, to our own charming adaptation of The Wind in the Willows to a range of workshops targeted a families and young people.
In 2022 we were delighted to receive Arts Council funding for the first time to allow us to produce a new version of The Comedy of Errors and to provide a range of free workshops for families and adults! And in 2023 we returned with a brand new adaptation of The Wizard of Oz relocating the well known story to modern day Birmingham.
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