Funbox (theatre group) facts for kids

Funbox is a super fun Scottish music and comedy group for kids! They travel all over, putting on exciting shows filled with songs and jokes. They especially love to sing traditional Scottish playground songs that everyone can enjoy.

How Funbox Started

Funbox was formed in 2015 by three talented people: Anya Scott-Rodgers, Kevin MacLeod, and Gary Coupland.

Before starting Funbox, they were all part of another very popular children's group called The Singing Kettle. The Singing Kettle had been performing for an amazing 30 years! When The Singing Kettle stopped touring, Anya, Kevin, and Gary decided to create their own new group, Funbox. This way, they could keep making music and shows for children.

Meet the Funbox Members

Gary Coupland

Gary Coupland is the amazing musician and composer for Funbox. He was also one of the first members of The Singing Kettle. Gary studied music at Napier University and The London College of Music. He even received a special award called an MBE in 1999 for all his great work in children's theatre. Gary also supports Down's Syndrome Scotland.

Kevin Macleod

Kevin Macleod used to be the stage manager for The Singing Kettle. Later, he joined the group as a performer. He then helped create Funbox! Kevin also plays a super silly dog character named 'Bonzo' in the shows. He brought Bonzo with him from The Singing Kettle. Kevin studied stage management and often hosts events at big music festivals like Celtic Connections.

Anya Scott-Rodgers

Anya Scott-Rodgers became a lead performer for The Singing Kettle in 2013. She was chosen after many people auditioned! Anya studied at Glasgow University, Reid Kerr College, and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies. She is also a talented guitar player in the shows.

Funbox Tours and Shows

Funbox's very first performance was at a big music festival called Celtic Connections in 2015. After that, they went on their first big tour, which was called Pirates and Princesses.

Large Scale Tours

Funbox has created many exciting shows that tour all over! Here are some of their popular ones:

• Pirates and Princesses (Summer 2015): This was their very first tour!
• Santa's Sleepover Show (Christmas 2015): Their first Christmas show.
• Superheroes (Summer 2016)
• Winter Wonderland (Winter 2016): This show was called 'Christmas Wonderland' in November and December.
• Underwater Adventure (Summer 2017)
• Santa's Funtastic Factory (Winter 2017): After Christmas, this show was called 'The Funtastic Factory'.
• Dinosaur Safari (Summer 2018)
• Once Upon A Christmas (Winter 2018): After Christmas, this show was called 'Once Upon a Time'.
• Wild West Show (Summer 2018)
• Christmas in Toytown / Trouble in Toytown (Winter 2019)
• Jungle Party (Summer 2020): This tour was mostly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Santa’s Big Surprise (Winter 2020): This was their first online show because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Small Community Tours

Funbox also performs smaller shows for local communities. Some of these include:

• Pirates
• Highland Fling
• Rocking All Over The World
• Funbox at the Fringe
• Fancy Dress Fun
• Animal Magic
• Space Race