Children’s theatre offers a magical world for young minds and it's great fun for adults too.
There are many joys to be had when becoming a grandmother. High up on the list for me is rediscovering the thrill of live performance through the eyes of a child. When my grandson, Arthur, was three-and-a-half we went to The Drum in Plymouth to see The Elves and the Shoemaker from Stuff and Nonsense.
Wide-eyed with wonder, he laughed as the naughty elves (real in his world) bathed in the sink and popped out of cupboards when the shoemaker was not looking. We’ve been back every year since including last Christmas when Arthur (now five-and-a-half) thrilled as sheds became mountains and duvets were transformed into snow in The Man Who Wanted To Be A Penguin. This year he is thrilled to be going to Pinocchio.
Stuff and Nonsense’s artistic director Niki McCretton trained in circus skills, which explains the physical nature of their shows. She says they engage children in the process from the start. 'In my experience, making work for children means you need children in the room,' she says. 'It is a child-centred process and they have brilliant and challenging ideas. There’s a real authenticity to it that doesn’t work if I invite children in and tell them what we are going to do. It’s a very genuine partnership and it continues to evolve when you get it before an audience.
'It’s a magical experience. At Stuff and Nonsense we have really physical performers and, for children, it’s exciting to see adults being physical.'
In Exeter, Theatre Alibi has been making theatre for 40 years with productions for adults and work for children, much of it in schools.
'Our work for adults and our work for children feed each other,' says artistic director Nikki Sved. 'The focus on storytelling is clear in both of them.'
Over 40 years many productions have emerged from Theatre Alibi’s base in Emmanuel Hall, St Thomas. One particular show that Nikki remembers is Teapot (2002, 2008).
'We were looking at war stories in South Devon and they were based around a teapot that was dug up on a farm,' says Nikki. 'It was a collection of things coming together – really beautiful puppetry, a mixture of real and the fantastical, it was about friendship and caring and it had a wonderful cellist who composed music that was heart-stoppingly beautiful. It was very simple storytelling, and honest.'
New show The Parcel is touring Devon primary schools and there are performances at Exeter Library on December 16-18. Tickets online.
Also in Exeter, but much younger, is Paddleboat Theatre. 'There were five of us who had all graduated from Exeter University in 2014 but we hadn’t really worked together during uni,' recalls Michael Smith. 'There was a pot of money to do a play and we thought ‘absolutely we can do that’ and we decided to stick with it.
'We make shows for the family and we want them to be accessible. We are now working on making a production of Hansel and Gretel with a deaf actor which will be touring this Christmas. It’s important to create this safe space for audiences and safe performances. One of our most exciting projects is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. We’re working in partnership with the Deaf Academy, based in Exmouth to create a historic virtual exhibition of Deaf Education in light of their 195th anniversary. We started this in September and will open the exhibition up to the public in November.'
Stiltskin Theatre in Plymouth has its own base – the Soapbox Theatre in Devonport Park. Built in 1942 it started life as a wartime mustard gas decontamination centre - thankfully never used - and after the war as a scabies clinic. But in the early 90s it had a much more agreeable role as home to a model railway group before it became a theatre.
Jacqueline Slade and husband Iain put on shows for babies, toddlers and families alongside workshops for children and work in schools. During the pandemic, they used the park to make an amphitheatre and an outdoor space for shows.
'When we open the doors at the end of the shows, people walk out into the park,' says Jacqueline. 'A lot of people come here for the day. It’s a great experience. We have created a community art garden and we are building a sleeping giant. We want to raise the roof and have a café and offices and make more jobs for those in the creative industries.
'We feel we are very much part of the community here and we want to carry on doing that.'
ROLE CALL
Stuff and Nonsense, founded in 2000 and based in Poole, has an artistic director, Niki McCretton, and a small team of staff, all part-time, and freelancers. Next shows are an adaptation of Three Little Pigs and Pinocchio, heading for The Drum at Christmas. Niki’s first exposure to theatre was at her Honiton Primary School in the 1970s and 'really great' Theatre In Education companies that came into the school.
Theatre Alibi was established in 1982. Their work is about 'telling stories' according to Nikki Sved who runs a small team of part-time staff. Their next show about a flood in Exeter in the 1960s will be part of the St Thomas Festival. Her first, slightly vague, memory of theatre is seeing The Sooty Show. 'I can remember watching with my eyes and my mouth wide open. It was very enchanting.'
Paddleboat Theatre has three core members – Michael, Katy Dash and Hattie Brown. Their next project is a non-verbal show, still in development, and they continue to work with schools. Michael grew up in Maidenhead where he saw lots of shows including Trouble Maker – 'I just enjoyed being silly!'
Stiltskin at the Soapbox Children’s Theatre Plymouth. Iain and Jacqueline Slade have been making theatre indoors and outdoors for 21 years. Their next show is Pirates of the Imagination at Easter. Jacqueline remembers her first theatrical experience – Pinocchio. 'They were giant puppets and at the end I ran down and on to the stage and asked them to show me everything and how it worked.'
