Toddler Theatre

I love the theatre. There is something special about settling back to watch a live performance and immersing yourself into the story unfolding in front of you. Whilst I can lose myself in a good film at the cinema, there is nothing quite like the magic of a stage performance.

I was therefore very excited to find a theatre with performances just for kiddies and we booked our first ever show for EDtot at the Polka Theatre. We went to see Wash by Birdsnest Theatre and it was brilliant! I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, but as the audience consisted of a bunch of (normally) energetic toddlers, I did think there would be a fair amount of shushing and scrambling to drag various tots back from the stage. In actual fact they all sat mesmerised by the beautiful story of a toy monkey needing its first wash.


The seating consisted of some cushions on the floor and the performance took place at the same level a few feet away. Luckily the audience numbers were kept to a reasonable level so there didn't seem to be too much craning to see the action, but it still helps to grab a front seat cushion on arrival! Be prepared to sit still though as moving around by the adults would mean some poor tot behind not being able to see.

The performance itself was a lovely mix of songs and movement and included an impressive amount of dexterity on the part of the musician who accompanied the action with a range of quirky instruments and everyday household objects to add a fun rhythm to the story.

EDtot sat happily throughout the show and the playtime at the end meant she could interact with the musical props and, most importantly, monkey himself. The theatre itself has a lovely play area for before and after the show complete with old fashioned rocking horses, books, colouring in and an outdoor play area if the weather is good.

We are still at the lunch time nap phase for EDtot (and her friend who joined us for the show), but we managed to grab a quick lunch at the theatre cafe before rushing home whilst trying to keep the tots awake in the car. It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning out and I would happily take EDtot to see the same performance all over again!


p.s.we weren't asked to mention any of the venues/companies referred to...just in case you were wondering!