International digital storytelling by children for adults, devised and directed by Joshua Sofaer, with Kamini Ramachandran, Marion Leeper, and Stéphane Albert.

Bedtime Stories will take place across the globe during the summer of 2022, starting in England.

• Norfolk and Norwich Festival, England (16th-25th May)
• OFFTA, Montréal, Quebec (27th May-2nd June)
• StoryFest, Singapore (28th-30th June)

When you are ready for bed a child from somewhere else in the world will come and tell you a story.

Across the world, children aged between 9 and 12 years old, have been working together to build a collection of stories and will tell you one before you go to sleep.

Snuggle up in your favourite pyjamas and listen to tales of adventure, love, and inspiration, epic histories and domestic dramas.

Taking advantage of international time differences, children in one country tell bedtime stories to adults in another country in a series of one-to-one encounters, connecting the world through storytelling.

Bedtime Stories inverts the paradigm of adults telling children bedtime stories and engages with the global problem of safe-guarding children on the internet by empowering young people to understand their boundaries and take control of the technology. Bedtime Stories promotes cultural exchange by giving audiences a window into storytelling and literary traditions in other parts of the world.

Sweet dreams.

Performances last about 15 minutes. You will need access to a computer or tablet and a good internet connection. You purchase a ticket for an introductory session with the festival box office. During the introduction we will check you are comfortable with the technology, answer any questions that you have, and book in the date and time for your bedtime story.

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Bedtime Stories was created by Joshua Sofaer, 2022. Commissioned by OFFTA festival produced by LA SERRE – arts vivants, Montréal; co-produced with Norfolk & Norwich Festival, UK and StoryFest, Singapore. Executive Producer Philippa Barr. Funded by Conseil des Arts du Canada and Arts Council England.

Bedtime Stories illustration by Paloma Villarreal.