There is a creator. The Creator creates a hessian figure, rough and raw; a blank canvas. Help the creator to teach the his creation how to move and walk. The figure can be manipulated, twisted, morphed and shaped into anything that the you and the Creator want them to be. But how will it end? Join in this participatory dance event to find out.

Adam Gain is part of the James Wilton Dance Company, and Rosanna Wallis Gain is part of Joss Arnott Dance.

Adam likes to jump and slide and turn upside down. He also enjoys catching flies and cracking his bones.
Rosanna loves drinking tea by the pot full, loves the sea (listening to it, swimming in it and chasing it) and she also loves fruitcake.

Ruby and Jackson get the surprise of their lives when they discover a Thing living at the bottom of their gardens. But Thing is cute, and funny, even if sometimes when he’s upset he gets a bit ARRGHH! And that’s when the trouble starts. Like the time he goes to a pool party, and Ruby and Jackson find themselves face to face with an enormous inflatable monster!

Karen McCombie is the bestselling author of numerous children’s and teenage books, including the series Ally’s World, Stella Etc, Indie Kidd and novels An Urgent Message of Wowness and The Raspberry Rules. Before becoming an author she worked for teen magazines such as J17 andSugar. 

Originally from Scotland, she lives in London with her husband, young daughter and assorted cats, who all give her inspiration for her books, whether they like it or not.

Big thanks to

Arthur Rigby & the Baskervylles are an 8-piece Orchestral Pop band, based in Leeds. The sound the band creates is a genuinely beautiful mixing pot of lush orchestrations, poetic lyrics, romantic melodies and  powerful energy.

The music is the invention of front man and guitarist Benjamin, scoring songs for violins, piano, bass, trumpet, trombone, Saxophone and flute. Originally a 2-piece, with drummer Alex joining Benjamin, the Leeds based duo used orchestral backing arranged on laptops with samples and programming.

‘quintessentially English’ – Leeds Music Scene

There has been some leaping around at Curiosity Corner since Matthew Robins agreed to come to Just So, I can tell your. Our love for him knows no bounds.

While you are asleep at night Matthew is awake drawing pictures of crocodiles and cutting bits out of Barbra Streisand records to make her sing his name. He has also recently started making robots out of paper and cardboard soap operas.

When he is on-stage with his band, The Times noted “Robinsʼs music is in the indie-folk vein. Peppered with pop inflections, the tunes slip easily between tempos that vary from klezmer-like jauntiness to a lilting waltz. The tales they convey are odd slivers of surreal whimsy.”

Combining music, live animation, shadow puppetry, stories about foxes, audience craft-participation, and made-up games, Matthew has been touring his live show around the country for the last five years, performing at comedy clubs, museums, art galleries, the Royal College of Surgeons, nightclubs and both Tate Modern and Britain, as well as The National Theatre, The Barbican, The Roundhouse, The Little Angel Theatre, The Traverse in Edinburgh and the Waterfront in Belfast.

Matthew is now turning these live stage-animations into a series of short films and music videos, with his most recent projects including commissions from Dumbworld and The Barbican, and a short film for Opera North inspired by Wagnerʼs Mein Lieber Schwan.

Inspired by his up-bringing in the West Country living by the sea, and narrowly avoiding death as his first school slipped down a mine, Matthewʼs stories and songs are about animals, death, monsters, the ocean and love. When he wasnʼt outside looking for insects or sharks washed up beyond the high-tide line Matthew was at home watching old American science fiction b-movies, black and white musicals and Sesame Street. Now he tries to make his own versions out of cardboard and minor chords. After watching Matthewʼs recent Barbican Christmas show The Guardian wrote, “The whole thing feels like watching a silent movie in which every aspect has been created by a wayward child genius.”

Last Christmas Matthew was invited to make shadow puppet sequences for the National Theatreʼs new production of Beauty and the Beast, directed by Katie Mitchell. Michael Billington in The Guardian noted Matthewʼs work had “something of the deft wit of Picasso sketches.”

Matthew is currently working on another new show for the National Theatre, an untitled musical with music and lyrics by Tori Amos.

Last year Matthew released his first album, Noahʼs Ark – Matthew Robins live, and is currently working on a new one, I am a Robot, a collection of songs written and recorded over the last ten years, as well as new episodes from his cult shadow series, The Death of Flyboy.

“What drives his miniaturist universe is the romance of friendship and, as a corollary, an underlying longing to belong. Itʼs a place of boyhood crushes, loneliness and gentle obsessions that contain an implied tolerance for taking people as they are.”
The Times

Gobby folk? What’s not to like? Last seen with the explosive Man Like Me, Dan Hayes as yoB promises stomping, sing-a-longs and storytelling.

“Billy Brag meets Jarvis Cocker” Spider Stacy, The Pogues.

Penelope Tredwell is the feisty thirteen-year-old orphan heiress of the bestselling magazine, The Penny Dreadful. Her masterly tales of the macabre are gripping Victorian Britain, even if no one knows she’s the real author. One day a letter she receives from the governor of the notorious Bedlam madhouse plunges her into an adventure more terrifying than anything she ever imagined…

A thriller with a fast-paced cinematic style, Twelve Minutes to Midnight is an electrifying story from an exciting new author.

You can read the first chapter now:

Are you ready to join your Just So Tribe? Will you be in the parliament of owls, one of the crash of rhinos, or part of the flutter of butterflies? Every festival family will be randomly selected to be part of one of the Just So Tribes (you’ll receive an email nearer the time to tell you which one you are in).

There will be lots of marvellous activities over the weekend. Create your animal mask at the masked menagerie with those clever chaps from Teatro-Saurus, learn your animal’s tune or beat, and bring it all together to march with your tribe and round off the festival in style at the whooping, screeching thing that is the wild rumpus parade. We’re ever so grateful to National Geographic Kids for supporting the Just So Tribes.

Our lovely, twiggy bushcraft experts will, of course, be teaching you all you need to know to survive in the woods, including bug hunting, den building, foraging for food and campfire building. All hail Ranger Dan!

Get messy, be creative: join us amongst the trees to have some fun with clay. All you need is a tiny little bit of imagination. We’ll be bringing out the spirit and character of the trees by creating, or perhaps finding, faces and creatures for them. Is your tree happy or sad, fierce or friendly, does he sneer, sneeze or snort? We’ll be thinking about our own facial features and expressions whilst using clay, found objects and woodland materials to create temporary art on some of the trees. Big thanks go to Barefoot Ceramics.

Deep in Wild Things, an adventure awaits. Join the explorer lost in Amazon jungle and face real dangers and decisions. Your choices will determine your fate. Will you survive your encounters with piranhas, tarantulas, mosquitoes, monkeys, and jaguars? Or will you be forced to return home early? Only you can decide how to survive. Thanks go to Abrams and Chronicle.

A piano amidst the woods, trumpets hanging from the trees. Come and make sweet (!) music in the sound garden. If you’re struggling to find it, just follow the racket!

As dusk approaches, and the sun goes down, gather round the campfire for songs and stories. Stories will grow darker as the night does. Acoustic music and tall tales will weave their magic in this special night time spot.

There will be lots of marvellous activities over the weekend. Create your animal mask at the masked menagerie, learn your animal’s tune or beat, and bring it all together to march with your tribe at the whooping, screeching thing that is the wild rumpus parade.

Big thanks for their support goes to

We’re thrilled that Karma Canvas are coming with us to Rode Hall Parkland in 2012. Karma Canvas are a young, family run company specialising in canvas bell tent sales and events.  Why not indulge in a bit of luxury this year and make their gorgeous canvas village your festival base!  Spend more time with your family this festival and let them do all the pitching up and down for you!  Karma Canvas are offering generous 4 & 5 metre cotton canvas bell tents for hire – the perfect way to sleep under the stars!  Each tent will be finely furnished with comfy queen size air mattresses, coir matting, a table, fairy lights and bunting – creating real camping chic! Email them to enquire or book.

We are delighted to welcome back the lovely yurts from our friends at Yurt Events – available for you to hire for Just So. These were VERY popular last year, and so if you would like your very own yurt, fully furnished to a high standard awaiting your arrival at Just So, then get in touch with Fred and Kitty to make a booking

Wild Compass are doing something a bit different. They are offering the chance to stay in a gypsy wagon or airstream or tipi. But these aren’t just any old glamping boudoirs, these are the coolest pads in the countryside. Each one is themed and decorated for comfort and lots and lots of fun. Click here to or visit the Wild Compass website to find out more about Hope the Gypsy Caravan, Flying Cloud the Airstream, Emperor the huge emperor tent (complete with chandeliers), and Axel the Tipi.

Campervan space is now VERY limited. Please let us know as soon as possible if you are planning to bring your camper and you haven’t told us yet, and book your tickets pronto if you want to come to the festival with a campervan and haven’t booked yet.

There is no additional charge for campervans. Please email hello@justsofestival.org.uk or phone 01625 410 885 to let us know. The same applies to trailer tents. Caravans are not permitted.

Campervan camping is separate from tented camping. If, however, you have friends who want to camp in tents next to your camper, please get in touch and we’ll see what we can do. We don’t have any fancy electricity or water hookups!

Trolley Hire

The smaller members of team Just So will certainly be travelling by trolley this year, especially as dusk falls and little legs get weary. Trolley Tots will be hiring trolleys out to festival goers. Click here to find out more, and how to reserve a trolley.

Arriving, parking and leaving

How do we get there?

When can we arrive?

When do we have to leave?

What will happen when we arrive?

Can we bring our campervan or caravan?

Are cars allowed into the festival site?

Can we buy tickets at the gate?

Camping

Where can we camp?

Can we park near our tent?