Sci-fi, Cinderella and sword fighting will all play a part in Polka Theatre’s forthcoming spring/summer season, which kicks off at the Wimbledon venue next month.
The first of Polka’s 2015 offerings is Yeh Shen, the world’s first Cinderella story from China, which launches the season from 18 February to 8 March. Suitable for ages six and older, the timeless tale about an orphaned girl, her nasty stepmother and that iconic missing show is brought to life with puppetry, live music and all the excitement of the Chinese Spring Festival.
From a tale originating back to 9th century China to a futuristic story about robots, the season will continue with Error 404, an original piece of interactive theatre for ages eight and older. The story of a boy whose best friend’s thoughts and personality is transferred on to a computer will play from 4 to 29 March.
Following the sci-fi tale, it’s back to the world of folk tales courtesy of a show packed pull of genies, magic carpets and sword fighting. Suitable for children aged six and older, Operation Magic Carpet explores culture and identify through the story of a girl who is transported from suburban London to the mythical land of her Iraqi ancestors.
While this trio of eclectic productions provides the body of the season, a selection of other exciting shows, about everything from big red bath tubs to footwear-sporting felines, will enjoy short runs at the venue this spring.
Theatre Alibi’s take on Michael Morpurgo’s I Believe In Unicorns for ages six and older will provide much excitement about books from 12 to 15 March, while Nick Makoha will be telling his story of how to become a dad in My Father And Other Superheroes, which is suitable for ages eight and older, from 19 to 22 March.
For the May half term, Italian theatre company La Baracca will arrive at the venue with two productions playing from 27 to 31 May. First up, The Cosmic Dancer combines the tale of a girl who wants to swing from a star and be lifted by clouds with Debussy’s rich and evocative music for audiences aged four to eight-years-old. Running alongside it is Casa… Home, a gentle and touching play performed in Italian and English for little theatregoers aged between two and four-years-old.
Later in the summer there will also be a colourful and soapy adaptation of Julia Jarman’s Big Red Bath (3 to 7 June) for children aged between three and five, an exploration of friendship in the form of The Bockety World Of Henry And Bucket (10 to 14 June) for ages four and older, a classic adaptation of Puss In Boots (17 to 28 June) by CBeebies’ Patrick Lynch for children aged four to six, and, for ages five and older, there’s Action Transport Theatre’s energetic physical comedy show STATIk (1 to 5 July).
For full listings and to find out about the holiday workshops and creative courses accompanying the season, visit Polka Theatre’s website.