Tribes of strange, shrieking little creatures will be seen running around the floors of the Manx Museum this coming half term, causing mischief and mayhem wherever they go.

They in turn will be following more weird and wonderful characters, who will be telling tales based around the fantastic folklore of the Isle of Man.

The two-man children’s theatre company, Hello Little People, will be hosting ’Freaky Folklore’, their latest production based on some of the exhibits contained in the museum which have a particular connection to Manx legend and fairy tale.

Actors Michelle Jamieson and Chloe Shimmin, who make up the entire cast of Hello Little People, frequently playing multiple characters each within a short period of time, have created the special theatrical tour around the Manx Museum especially for children, aged up to 11 years.

They put together ’Freaky Folklore’, using the museum galleries and collections for inspiration.

In particular, they used one of the museum’s most unusual treasures, the Fairy Cup of Ballafletcher, a small engraved glass which, according to folklore, is blessed by the Manx spirits, the Lhiannee Shee and will keep its owner in peace and plenty.

Performing as several different characters, such as the mysterious Dooiney Oie, Ginny the Witch, the Glashtan, and the deadly Tehi Tegi, who lures men to a grisly end, Chloe and Michelle take the children on an adventure to help gather clues and solve the mystery of the cup.

Hello Little People were commissioned by Manx National Heritage to create a fun and immersive experience for children and has already been performed to more than 250 school children, shortly before Christmas.

’It was such a cool play and it got such a great reception that we ended up doing it around 10 times,’ said Michelle.

’It was something we are happy to bring back.

’You get the children to see and experience the museum in a totally different way.

’It is a very interactive and immersive show and we get the kids to run around the museum and its galleries and make a lot of noise, the sort of thing you are not really supposed to do in a museum.

’But the kids have a lot of fun and get to appreciate the museum and what’s in there in a totally new and fun way.

’We passionately create theatre that embraces Manx culture, folkore and stories,’ Michelle added.

’We were thrilled to have had the opportunity to create an entirely new, immersive show inspired by Manx myths and folklore.

’We set up Hello Little People to provide new theatrical experiences to the Manx community and the children of the Isle of Man.

’Manx National Heritage has supported us every step of the way, and allowed us to bring our crazy, ground-breaking ideas to life. We’re so pleased that the children who have been to see it have loved it so much.’

’Freaky Folklore’ runs from Wednesday, 17 through to Saturday, 20, February, with each show beginning at 4pm.

Tickets are £10 per person, available from manxnationalheritage.com

by Mike Wade

Twitter:@iomnewspapers