heatre breaks
national sales manager for the theatre break specialist, said it was important to showcase its offering to the trade. “The trade sees us as a theatre
specialist so it’s great to be able to show them what it’s all about,” he said. “We’ve done incentives for agents in the past that have included Les Miserables, Mary Poppins and Dirty Dancing. We wanted to do War Horse because it is our most popular play. “Some people don’t see
London as a sexy product, but it really is when you add a theatre break and a stay in a nice hotel. “It’s a very popular product
for us and one in four of our bookings for London include a theatre break.” SuperBreak joined forces with
Travel Weekly to reward four agents with tickets to see War Horse, a pre-theatre dinner and a night at The Cavendish hotel in London. They also got the chance to meet the puppeteers and Joey the horse on stage.
WAR HORSE: THE FACTS
l The world premiere of War Horse was at the National Theatre on October 9, 2007.
l As of May 2014, more than two million people have seen War Horse in London, with more than five million seeing the production worldwide.
l War Horse has been seen by The Queen, Prince Philip, Princess Anne, Prince William and Prince Harry. It’s also been seen by Michael Caine, Rupert Everett, Keira Knightley, Annie Lennox, Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Will Smith and Sarah Jessica Parker.
l Having seen the show at the New London Theatre, Steven Spielberg turned War Horse into the 2012 film starring Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Emily Watson.
l It takes eight months to build a complete set of puppets for War Horse; they are hand made by 14 craftsmen and women.
l The puppets are made of cane, leather and tyvec, a material used in book-binding. The torso is reinforced with aluminium and able to carry a rider on top.
l Puppeteers train for eight weeks before they begin performing.
SuperBreak trip as a weekend getaway to London. She said: “I didn’t know London
very well so it was great for me to be able to find my way around. Seeing the show is something I won’t forget and I hope this will help me sell more London theatre breaks. Now I’ve experienced it for myself, it will help me clinch sales.” In her entry, Tuck said she was spellbound at how puppets could be brought to life on stage. Helen Young, of Travellers World,
entered the competition because, as a horse owner, she was also keen to see the puppets brought to life. In her entry, she said: “I would be so grateful to see a truly captivating play that I’m sure stands out from all others – emotional, heart-warming and truly outstanding.” Anita Dagg, national sales manager at Avios, was eager to bring her daughter along to see the show because of her love of everything horse related.
From left: Jane Atkins, SuperBreak; agents Helen Young, Rebecca Tuck, Anita Dagg and Dawn Wilson; and Graham Balmforth, SuperBreak
26 June 2014 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 35
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