Starting at the end of February the TARA studio present the Shakespeare RE-MIXED Festival. This exciting festival offers contemporary interpretations of classic Shakespeare works which are accessible and have been restyled for a 21st Century audience.

The programme features local and international artists and plays host to a selection of the UK’s best storytellers. Topping the bill is a highly inventive version of Romeo and Juliet presented by Tiny Ninja Theatre, the timeless love story is to be performed by an unlikely cast of vending machine figurines. This pioneering troupe hail from New York and have not been seen in the UK since the RSC’s Complete Works Festival in 2007. Not to be missed, director Dov Weinstein inspires magic and enchantment as miniature toy figures are brought to life and transported to fair Verona.

Othello is the new imaginative reduced Shakespeare production from ArtsBeat, TARA’s dynamic, young people’s theatre group. ArtsBeat’s history of performing innovative re-tellings of classic Shakespeare ranges from Romeo and Juliet to Macbeth and Twelfth Night. This exciting production of Othello fuses contemporary storytelling with energetic performances, a passion for language and powerful narratives.

Jan Blake the storyteller in residence at the National Theatre will deliver the exciting adventure of Pericles, Shakespeare’s tale of the Prince of Tyre who is tasked with deciphering the dangerous riddle set by King Antiochus. King Lear, Shakespeare’s tale of vanity and ambition, is brought to life by fellow renowned storyteller Inno Sorsy.

Also joining in are two vibrant youth theatre groups who join forces to produce a double bill of Shakespeare: Macbeth is presented by Little Actors Youth Theatre based in Cheshire, the young cast use dynamic physical theatre to portray the play’s themes of morality, love and the supernatural; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by South West Youth Theatre from Earlsfield which is set in a laboratory where nothing is what it seems.

Booking: 020 8333 4457 / www.tara-arts.com
Venue: TARA Studio, 356 Garratt Lane, London SW18 4ES

Specialists in productions for the very young, Oily Cart, present their new production Drum, the successor to Baby Balloon. Drum is to premier at the TARA Studioo, Earlsfield in February and the production will then tour to children’s centres and nursery groups in the Greater London area until 12 March 2010. For each 55 minute show up to 30 babies and toddlers and their parents and carers will join a playful performer and an accomplished musician in a multi-sensory exploration of drums and rhythm.

Drum is a highly interactive piece, which can readily adapt to the specific requirements of audience members and like all Oily Cart’s work, it will be multi-sensory, aiming to delight each and every one of the senses.

Tim Webb, Oily Cart’s Artistic Director, who created the show tells us, “Everything rolls into the performance space inside a very big bass drum. Within this drum are nested a whole family of smaller drums, Russian doll style. The big bass drum can be set down and, with a light underneath used as a huge, circular light box. Patterns of gels or lentils can be made on this light box surface. Raised up on its side, with a light source behind, the drum will become a shadow screen, to show the strong, uncluttered images that young babies prefer. The smaller drums within the base drum have a wide range of functions. There is an ocean drum to evoke the sound of the sea, monkey drums for the young children to handle themselves, African, Indian, Irish and other drums from around the world. There are up-turned drums containing perfumed petals to be smelled, and others containing rice grains through which you can run your fingers.”

Booking: 020 8333 4457 / www.tara-arts.com
Venue: TARA Studio, 356 Garratt Lane, London SW18 4ES

This February the critically acclaimed Imperial Ice Stars, the world’s leading theatrical ice skating company, are bringing their spectacular new production of Cinderella on Ice to the Royal Albert Hall. In a novel twist on the timeless tale, set in a Siberian town, The Imperial Ice Stars tell the story of Cinderella, a humble chorus dancer who is thrust into the spotlight as a prima ballerina and captivates the handsome Lord Mayor’s son, the most eligible bachelor in town, with her graceful performance. Despite rival attempts by her ballerina stepsisters to steal his heart, engineered with true villainy by her stepmother, the local ballet mistress, true love triumphs thanks to the magical powers of the Gypsy Fortune Teller and Cinderella’s kindly father, the town’s Watchmaker.

Cinderella on Ice is set to be one of the most ambitious challenging ice shows ever created, and has been gathering fantastic reviews during its tours of Australia, New Zealand and the UK and has travelled to Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan and South Africa as part of an extensive two year world tour.

This specially redesigned production will run for only eight performances and will be only the second time in history when the floor of the Royal Albert Hall has been frozen with ice, and the first since the John Curry Symphony on Ice featuring the Olympic gold medallist was staged 25 years ago. Performed on a specially-created stage, frozen at -15 degrees Celsius, Cinderella on Ice boasts stunning special effects including fire and rain, flying, magnificent projected scenery depicting a Siberian town square and a black and silver art deco theatre, and glorious costumes from Albina Gabueva, head designer at Moscow’s famed Stanislavsky Theatre.

This dramatic new interpretation of the classic fairytale is conceived and choreographed by the award-winning ice director Tony Mercer, together with three of the world’s most respected ice coaches: Evgeny Platov, dual Olympic gold medallist and four-time World Champion; and the 2006 & 2007 ice dancing World Champions Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski.

An exhilarating combination of theatre and sport, Cinderella on Ice breaks new ground in the world of ice dancing. Renowned for their daring on the ice and unique style of story-telling, the 25-strong cast of World, European and National Championship skaters will perform breathtaking skating feats, some never before attempted in competition or on an icy theatre stage and playing the lead role of Cinderella is Olga Sharutenko, who partnered John Barrowman in the first series of ITV’s Dancing on Ice in 2006.

Address: Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London, SW7, United Kingdom?
Website: www.royalalberthall.com
Box office: 020 7838 3100 (09:00-21:00 daily)

This weekend is the last chance to catch The Gruffalo at the Apollo Theatre. Be a brave little mouse and make your way through the concrete jungle to see everyone’s favourite bedtime story live on stage at the Apollo on Shaftesbury Avenue. The book by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler has sold over 4 million copies in 38 languages and was even adapted for television which aired on BBC1 on Christmas Day.

Since its 2006 premiere, this exuberant smash-hit production has been performed over 3000 times to the delight of 700,000 children aged 3 and above, across the UK, Eastern Europe, the Americas and even the Far East.

Tall Stories have created an inventive and clever show about the mouse on her quest for food who narrowly avoids being gobbled up by a wily fox, guileful owl and slithering snake by telling them of the terrible Gruffalo with who she is meeting for lunch. The show is full of fun and has bounds of energy, catch it while you can.

Read our review here.

Address: Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7EZ
Website: http://www.nimaxtheatres.com/
Phone: 0844 579 1971

For the fifth and final part of our Christmas roundup we’re covering some of the shows in the Capital. There’s so much going on this Christmas that we were spoilt for choice and very sorry we couldn’t include every show. Feel free to get in touch with us and tell us about some of the great shows you see over the festive break.

Petrushka
Little Angle Theatre, Angel
Featuring the music of Stravinsky and written by celebrated poet John Agard, this is a fabulous production with real heart. Please see our review of Petrushka.
http://www.littleangeltheatre.com

The Famous Five
Tabard, London : 8 December – 10 January
Enid Blyton’s Five on a Treasure Island brought to life on stage. Anne, Dick, Julian, George and Timmy are all there on stage for a ‘jolly good show’.
http://www.tabardweb.co.uk/

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
artsdepot, London : 5 December – 3 January
Big Wooden Horse present the little known L Frank Baum story, which tells of the origins of Santa Claus who was raised amongst forest folk.
http://www.artsdepot.co.uk/

The Enchanted Pig
Royal Opera House, London : 10 December – 2 January
Original shown at the Young Vic back in 2006 the show comes to the Royal Opera House this Christmas. It’s a family friendly opperetta based on the clasic Romanian fairy story about a princess who is fated to marry a pig.
http://www.roh.org.uk/

Charlie and Lola
Hampstead Theatre : 10 December – 2 January
Everyone’s favourite brother and sister, Charlie and Lola, are spending the Christmas period in Hampstead in their absolutely ever so wonderful stage show! The stars of the hit BBC TV series and books by Lauren Child are brought to life by a magical mix of puppets and music.
http://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/

Stick Man
Soho Theatre : 10 December – 10 January
The world is a dangerous place for Stick Man. A dog wants to play with him. A swan builds a nest with him. He even ends up on a fire! Will he ever get back to the family tree?
http://www.sohotheatre.com/

and finally a plug for the show I was involved with…

James and the Giant Peach
Polka Theatre : 13 November – 13 February
Join James and his new-found insect friends as they embark on an extraordinary adventure which takes them halfway around the world. Along the way there are dangers and excitement, friends and enemies, music and laughter. Will James survive the journey and find the new life he longs for?
http://www.polkatheatre.com/

We hope you have found our Christmas Roundups useful and you all enjoy whichever shows you catch this Christmas.

Best wishes for a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year,

The FCTBlog team

This time we’re looking at the top children’s and family shows from across the north of England.

White Christmas The Musical
Lowry, Manchester : 27 November – 9 January 2010
The spectacular stage musical of the classic 1954 movie starring Bing Crosby makes its North West debut at The Lowry featuring the voice of Aled Jones.
http://www.thelowry.com/

The Secret Garden
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds : 8 December – 23 January
Francis Hodgson Burnett’s beautiful story of young Mary Lennox who is is suddenly orphaned and she has to adapt to life in wintry Yorkshire. Spoilt Mary is won over by her caring maid Martha and her brother, animal lover Dickon, and the enchantment of a very special garden.

Grimm Tales
Library Theatre, Manchester : 5 December – 23 January
The Brothers Grimm’s twisted tales adapted by Carol Ann Duffy. These aren’t the fluffy tales you’ll find at other venues showing this Christmas at other venues across the country but dark and sometimes scary but a winner for the over sixes who love their gore.
http://www.librarytheatre.com/

Santa’s Naughty Elf
Customs House, South Shields : 19 – 24 December
Join Santa and his elves for a brand new Christmas sing-a-long adventure where all the all children will meet Santa and receive a special gift.
http://www.customshouse.co.uk/

Spaceship ‘87
Royal Exchange, Manchester : 16 December – 02 January
A fluorescent voyage exploring the power of the imagination, travelling through space, hopes and fears, accompanied by a classic 1980s soundtrack. A little girl’s bedroom has been turned into a spaceship – a place to dream of astronauts, aliens and asteriods. But there is a storm which threatens to destroy everything and only the little girl can stop it.
http://www.royalexchangetheatre.org.uk/

In the third part of our Christmas Roundup we are looking at the children’s and family shows in Scotland, there’s some real treats north of the border this year. Don’t forget to get in touch with us and let us know if you’ve seen or are planning to see any of these shows and let us know if you enjoyed it.

Peter Pan
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh : 26 November – 2 January
Always a festive favourite, Peter Pan comes to the Royal Lyceum in a world-class Christmas sprinkled with fairy dust. Join Peter, Wendy, John and Michael Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys for an awfully big adventure as they do battle with the wicked Captain Hook and his pirate crew! Crocodiles go tick-tock and little boys never have to grow up! It’s guaranteed to have you hooked!
http://www.lyceum.org.uk/

Zorro
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh : 5 –24 December
The caped crusader provides some swashbuckling fun this Christmas at the Traverse Theatre. Lock swords with Zorro as he ricochets from one sticky situation to another in a world where adventure is the name and justice is the game!
http://www.traverse.co.uk/

Little Red Riding Hood
The Arches, Glasgow : 2 December – 3 January
A joyous little production of the classic fairy tale of the mischievous girl in the red cape. Suitable from the very young to the very old.
http://www.thearches.cfco.uk/

The Nutcracker
Theatre Royal, Glasgow : 12-31 December (followed by a tour until 6 February )
The Scottish Ballet’s version of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece is a fresh and vivid production. Scottish Ballet are a continually growing company with a lot to offer and have had huge success in previous years with Cinderella and The Sleeping Beauty.
http://www.scottishballet.co.uk/

The Night Before Christmas
Macrobet, Stirling : 1 – 31 December
A heartwarming tale for the little ones about Carol, a girl who hates Christmas and all things festive, until she meets a lonely elf who helps her discover the magic of Christmas.
http://www.macrobert.org/

The Snow Baby
Howden Park Centre, Livingston : 16-31 December
Howden Park Centre celebrates its first Christmas with glitter and lights, fun and activities and a very special Snow Baby. A lady spends her life wishing for for just one thing, someone to share Christmas with. One magical Christmas eve she wishes on a star and the magic of Christmas brings her a special visitor for just one day.
http://www.howdenparkcentre.co.uk/

Alex Scheffler the illustrator of The Gruffalo, the Gruffalo’s Child and Room on the Broom is to sign books at the Pleasance in Islington on Saturday 19 December at midday.

The book signing will follow the 11am performance of Room on the Broom, Tall Stories new show based on the book by Julia Donaldson which was illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Children (and childish Adults!) wishing to get their books signed should all attend, it’s an opportunity not to be missed.

Address: Pleasance Theatre Islington, Carpenters Mews, North Road, London, N7 9EF
Website: http://www.pleasance.co.uk
Phone: 020 7609 1800

In the second installment of our Christmas round up we look at our top picks for Family and Chidlren’s theatre across the Midlands and the South East.

George’s Marvellous Medicine
The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham : 26 November – 6 February
Roald Dahl’s amazing story about a young boy who makes a marvellous new medicine to cure his grandmother of her terrifying temper. But when his grandmother drinks his special new potion, the most incredible things start to happen. And George’s adventure has just begun!
http://www.oldreptheatre.org.uk/

The Railway Children
Brook, Chatham : 10 – 30 December
Edith Nesbit’s beautiful story, told with a split-level set featuring the mouth of a railway tunnel and a chorus provided by the Blunderbus Youth Ensemble this is sure to be a real festive treat.
http://www.medway.gov.uk/index/leisure/theatres.htm

Cindermouse
Norwich Puppet Theatre : 18 – 24 December
A wonderful show and as the title might suggest a twist on the tale of Cinderella. Told through the use of fantastically clever glove and rod puppet mice. It’s a charming show and we were lucky enough to catch it earlier in the year when it was on at the Little Angel Theatre.
http://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/

A Merry Little Christmas
Junction, Cambridge : 8 December – 3 January
Join an intrepid group of adventurers on the most exciting Christmas journey ever! Gomito productions have created this special show combining fairytales and carols especially for the Junction using their uniquely imaginative style of storytelling featuring live music, puppets and snowflakes!
http://www.junction.co.uk/

Snow Queen
Chichester Festival Theatre : 16 – 31 December
CFT have brought the Hans Christian Andersen favorite completely up to date in a new musical adaptation by Bryony Lavery and Jason Carr. The show is performed by over 70 members of the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre and features seven stories all wrapped up into one. The main story however follow Greta, a little girl who loses her best friend, a little boy, Kay. She must travel through many different lands to reach the Snow Queen’s Ice Palace.
http://www.cft.org.uk/

Christmas is coming and the family shows are growning! As the Christmas holidays approach we thought we’d share our tips on some great family shows. Over the next few days the Family and Children’s Theatre Blog will be posting our hot shows from different regions of the UK starting today with the South West and Wales. We’ve decided to concentrate on theatre and dance shows rather than on pantos.

We can’t possibly cover all the wonderful shows that are happening across the country but if you have seen a show and think it worthy of a mention please get in touch or post a comment.

Ali Baba
Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol : 9 December – 17 January
A brand new re-telling of the Arabian folk tale about the two very different brothers Ali Baba and Kasim Baba and how their life is completely changed when Ali discovers a secret. Directed by Sally Cookson with music by Benji Bowler (the team behind We’re Going on a Bear Hunt).
http://tobaccofactorytheatre.com/

A Christmas Carol
Sherman Theatre, Cardiff : 4 December 4 – 9 January
It’s not the only production of Dicken’s festive favourite this year but this is thought to be one of the best. There’s a touch of extra humour in Gary Owen’s new version with some modern twists including references to the MPs’ expenses scandal, hedge funds and the war in Afghanistan.
http://www.shermancymru.co.uk/

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Phoenix Exeter : 9-28 December
Grab your wetsuit and join Captain Nemo and the Nautilus as Quirk Theatre present an original adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic adventure story featuring singing, dqancing, pupperty and even film. This show is bound to make a splash!
http://www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/

3 Little Pigs
The Drum, Plymouth : 1-27 December
Mixing live action and some brilliant puppets this show is a real delight. Advertised as for 2 to 7 but a sure bet for all the family.
http://www.theatreroyal.com/

How Cold My Toes / Hansel and Gretel
Bristol Old Vic : 15 December – 16 January / 04 December – 23 January
Bristol Old Vic have two offerings for children this Christmas. How Cold My Toes for the over twos is a collaboration with local dance company Champloo. There’s also Kneehigh’s fantastic take on Hansel and Gretel which is a merry, witty and slightly scary re-telling of the fairytale with music, poetry and some amazing ‘gadgets and gizmos’.
http://www.bristololdvic.org.uk/

Arabian Nights
Courtyard Stratford-Upon-Avon : 5 December – 30 January
This year’s RSC Christmas production directed by Dominic Cooke. It’s Wedding Night at the palace of King Shahrayar and in the morning the new Queen Shahrazad is to be put to death like a thousand young brides before her. She has the one gift that can save her – the gift of storytelling. A show that is sure to bewitch the imagination.
http://www.rsc.org.uk/