Which dinosaur had teeth as big as a banana? Which dinosaur weighed the same as 10,000 cats? And what could a CHICKEN possibly be doing in The Great Big Dinosaur Show?!  

Join poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for a family show full of poems, raps and songs about all your favourite prehistoric protagonists (and some you haven’t heard of yet). Come and get your groove on to some Jurassic Classics!  

The show is inspired by Simon Mole’s 4th book; A First Book of Dinosaurs, illustrated by Matt Hunt, published by Walker Books in September 2023. 

All audience members are invited to bring a sock of any size or colour to become part of our sauropod sock herd. We advise these being additional socks to the ones you will be wearing on your feet… 

Running Time: 50 mins approx, no interval 

Age Guidance: Children aged 4yrs – 11yrs, and their parents/guardians, siblings & family. 

AUDIENCE EXTRAS 

All audience members are invited to attend a free online event; THE GREAT BIG POETRY PARTY funded by Arts Council England and Apples and Snakes. Contact the box office to find out more boxoffice@heverfestival.co.uk 

BIOGS 

Simon Mole (he/him) is an acclaimed children’s poet (and sleep deprived dad) who has shared stages with Michael Rosen, Kae Tempest and John Hegley. He is a National Poetry Day ambassador, with over ten years of experience using poetry with children and families.  

Former poet in residence for the National Literacy Trust, Simon works in schools and libraries across the country and overseas. The videos on his YouTube channel are used by hundreds of thousands of children and teachers across the world each year and have been featured on the BBC.   

A First Book of Dinosaurs will be followed by A First Book of Bugs in 2025. His other books are picture books Kites, I Love My Bike (shortlisted for The Sunday Times Children’s Sports Book of the Year) and I Love My Cat, illustrated by Sam Usher.  

Simon lives in Berkshire. Simon’s favourite dinosaur is Coelophysis. www.simonmole.com 

Gecko (he/him) is a Singer, Storyteller and Musician. His playful lyrics cover the big things in life; think iPhones, libraries and Guanabana fruit juice to name but a few.  

With more than 4 million views and 1 million likes on TikTok in the past year, Gecko’s previous appearances include Glastonbury, Latitude, Bestival, BBC Scotland, BBC London and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has toured the UK, Europe & New Zealand. Gecko’s music has also been featured on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X and BBC Introducing. He has twice been awarded ‘Album of the Year’ by The Morning Star newspaper.  

In 2020, Gecko released his second album, Climbing Frame, crowd funded by his audience in just 48 hours. He appeared on BAFTA winning TV show ‘Life & Rhymes’ hosted by Benjamin Zephaniah and has shared bills with the likes of Tim Minchin, Eddie Izzard, Ed Sheeran and Billy Bragg.  

Gecko’s favourite dinosaur is Deinonychus. www.geckoofficial.com  

TEAM CREDITS

Created by Simon Mole, Gecko & Peader Kirk  
Performed by Simon Mole & Gecko  
Direction Peader Kirk  
Score & Composition Gecko  
Lighting Design Martha Godfrey  
Tree Costume Design Andie Scott  
Illustration Matt Hunt  
Promotional Photography Hugo Glendinning  
Production Photography Suzi Corker

Poster Graphic Design Martha Hegarty  
Photo Graphic Design Cat Lips & Lewis Bootle  
Publicity Alison Duguid  

Production Management Andrew Crofts  
Stage Management Levi Hemming  
Project Management Maeve O’Neill  
Produced by Simon Mole & Rua Arts  

Supported by Norden Farm, artsdepot, Herts Libraries & Oxford University Museum of Natural History  
Funded by Arts Council England 

Allocated Covered Seating

£17.60

*Festival Friends & Hever Castle, Hever Golf and Wellbeing Club Members 

*Groups, over 20 tickets 

*Please contact the box office, we can reserve tickets for you while you organise your group. We will also remove the 7% booking fee from your purchase.

Joint Theatre and Castle Garden entry

Please Note: Ticket prices have remained at 2024 prices. We have however embedded the booking fee for the first time.

Two Sisters’ Theatre

Located on the Two Sister’s Lawn, our theatre has… 

One continuous roof, every auditorium seat is undercover and allocated. The roof section over the auditorium is transparent so you will be able to enjoy the full vista, as you watch The Stars on stage!  

We can close our walls for events outside the summer months. The walls are clear so you still feel you are in the beautiful garden just with protection from the weather.  

Please check our   access page for further information. 

The theatre bar will be open before the event and during the interval (if the show has one) for hot and cold drinks, snacks and ice cream.