May Half Term is normally filled with festivals and family friendly theatre. This time last year we were at Brighton Fringe and this year we were deliberating either returning to Brighton or heading up to Edinburgh for Imaginate Children’s Festival. For obvious reasons, we are doing neither of those things but that isn’t going to stop us watching plenty of family friendly theatre from home. Here’s what we have to look forward to this week.
OnceUponA Children’s Festival: Suitable for ages 18 months to 8 years
OnceUponA Children’s Festival is going digital from Monday 25 to Saturday 30 May, with a week full of arts, theatre and storytelling sessions live on Zoom. Most sessions cost £3 per household, with free tickets to Ifeoma Onyefulu’s The Girl Who Married A Ghost available to every family who books for another session.
Check out the full line-up and book tickets here
Perfect (Omnibus Theatre): Suitable for ages 4+
Perfect is the touching story of a boy meeting his disabled sister for the first time, with stunning puppetry, original live music, animation and physical theatre from the award-winning Tessa Bide. Visit the Omnibus Theatre website for full details.
Vancouver International Children’s Festival: Suitable for all ages
Vancouver International Children’s Festival is running online from 26 to 31 May. It features family theatre and workshops, including a digital screening of White from Catherine Wheels Theatre Company. Check out the full line-up here and catch all the action on their Facebook Page .
The King with Dirty Feet (Omnibus Theatre): Suitable for ages 4+
Join Sally Pomme Clayton at 11am on Friday 29 May for an interactive storytelling session via Zoom. The king has not had a bath for a whole year, and he is starting to smell. When the king finally bathes in the river, he can’t get his feet clean. Can you help solve the problem of the king’s dirty feet? Get ready to join in with actions, rhythms, call and response. Just make sure you have some shoes to hand! Find more information and book your space here.
The Polar Bears’ 10th Birthday Party: Suitable for ages 2-5
Join Big Polar Bear and Little Polar Bear for a Zoom party to celebrate their 10th birthday party at 3pm on Friday 29 May. Follow the Polar Bears on Facebook for the link to join the fun.
Anansi The Spider Re-spun (Unicorn Theatre): Suitable for ages 3-8
After the success of their production of Anansi The Spider last year, The Unicorn Theatre (in partnership with The Guardian) has produced an online adaptation of the show (filmed at home by the original actors) which will be streamed on Saturday mornings. Originally available in the summer, it has been re-released for Black History Month. Check out our review of the live production, then head watch the online episodes below: