Brothers Grimms’ magical fairy tales, the return of Charlie and Lola, and an eggs-citing show especially for Easter have all been announced to play at Polka theatre later this year.
Award-winning theatre company Theatr lolo will kick off the spring/summer season from 5 to 23 March with Grimm Tales, a selection of playful, mischievous and deliciously scary fairy tales for six to 11 year-olds.
The Brothers Grimms’ magical offering will be followed by visiting shows Kid Carpet And The Noisy Animals for children aged four to eight years-old on 29 March and Comedy 4 Kids for six to 11-year olds on 30 March.
Children aged four to seven years-old can enjoy an Easter of magic and music at the venue with Egg (3 to 13 April), an adventure about a group of madcap birds who grapple with growing up and give into their natural instincts to take flight… and meet an egg.
Everyone’s favourite brother and sister Charlie and Lola will return to Polka theatre from 27 April to 17 August with Charlie And Lola’s Extremely New Play, a show for four to 11-year-olds that takes audiences on a magical journey through the seasons to find out what happens when Lola and her best friend promise to look after Sizzles the dog.
From 3 to 25 May, Polka will present Lullaby, a brand new interactive performance for babies aged up to 12 months, which is designed especially for parents and carers to engage and share with their baby. The show will be followed by Three Colours, a performance that uses colour and light to create a vibrant and sensory world for children aged two to four years-old.
The drama and excitement of Homer’s epic tale The Odyssey will be brought to Polka theatre’s stage from 5 June to 4 July. Adapted by children’s author Geraldine McCaughrean, the show has been created specifically for schools and brings the history of the Ancient Greeks to life.
The spring/summer season will also bring a wide range of workshops to the Wimbledon venue. During Easter, there will be everything from Spring Time Bugs & Butterflies (4 and 5 April) for ages three to six to Blossoms & Blooms (9 April) for six to 10 year-olds. May half-term will see a quartet of workshops taking place at the venue, including Puppet Pageant With Charlie And Lola, which allows children to create 2D puppets inspired by the show, while summer half-term brings more Charlie And Lola-inspired and behind-the-scenes workshops for children of varying ages.
The spring/summer season will begin following Polka theatre’s celebration of the Chinese New Year from 20 February to 2 March, when British East Asian theatre company Yellow Earth will burst on to the venue’s stage with Why The Lion Danced, a story that takes audiences from Tom’s family Chinese takeaway deep into the mountains of ancient China to tell the story of a village threatened by the dreaded monster Nian.