What's On The Alban Arena, St Albans 01727 844488 www.alban-arena.co.uk Tue 15–Wed 16 Oct Dear Zoo Dear Zoo the timeless children’s classic book returns to the stage! See the characters write to the Zoo. Who will be delivered? A cheeky monkey, a jumpy frog and of course a perfect puppy. Help your children learn as the book leaps onto the stage and share a magical experience as the story unfolds with child-engaging puppets, music and lots of audience interaction. Sat 26 Oct Cirque: The Greatest Show An all-star cast performing the big, big numbers from your favourite shows are joined by mesmerising circus stars– making for an enchanting production that is charming and astonishing in equal measure. Enter the extraordinary world of Cirque. Artsdepot, N12 020 8369 5454 www.artsdepot.co.uk Sun 15 Sep Little Red Riding Could A playful and mischievous retelling of the familiar fairy tale, with original songs and signature Roustabout silliness, that dares you to step off the path and write your own story. Ages 4+ Sun 22 Sep Roald Dahl and the Imagination Seekers Especially made for ages five and up, the show develops both creative and literacy skills through performance, games, and creative play, while exploring Roald Dahl’s extraordinary stories, including The BFG and The Twits along the way. Ages 6-11 Sun 29 Sep Make Some Noise Award-winning poet Dommy B shares a surprising story about growing up, finding a brilliant (but naughty) imaginary friend, becoming ‘Junk the Punk’ and joining a great school band (Whizzkid and the Veggie Burgers)! Ages 5+ Fri 4–Sun 6 Oct The Tiger Who Came to Tea Join the tea-guzzling tiger in this delightful family show; packed with oodles of magic, sing-a-long songs and clumsy chaos. Ages 3+ Sun 13 Oct Boxville Work with the BOXVILLE engineers to craft-a-long with the story and build your own way through the tasks and trials of Boxville, earning everything you need to become a fully fledged cardboard engineer! Ages 4–8 Sun 13 Oct Mrs Giggly’s Magic School A totally wild, utterly bonkers and hilariously nutty circus-opera for children by Chloé Charody. Mayhem, music, madness and more explode from Mrs Giggly’s classroom in this absolute firework of a show! Ages 4–8 14 Families North West London
Sun 20 Oct Windrush Adventures Dawn is very excited to be going on a big ship with her Auntie Lin to England. Soon she’ll be at a new school, make some new friend and to see her mum again! Sing and dance along in this interactive show. Ages 4+ Sat 26–Thu 31 Oct The Gruffalo Join Mouse on a daring adventure through the deep, dark wood in Tall Stories’ magical, musical adaptation of the classic picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Ages 3+ Wed 30 Oct WiFi Wars WiFi Wars returns with the live comedy game show where you all play along! Log in with your smartphone or tablet and compete in a range of games, puzzles and quizzes to win the show and prizes! 3pm ages 6+. 7pm ages 11+. The Beck Theatre 020 8561 8371 www.becktheatre.org.uk Mon 28 Oct Bring Your Own Baby Comedy Join in some hilarious comedy, where you can relax and have a good laugh at the best comedians in the UK, without needing childcare! There is a 15-month age limit for the little laughers, as comedians will be performing their usual grown-up jokes! Cadogan Hall, SW1X 020 7730 4500 www.cadoganhall.com Sun 13 Oct ABBA for Kids Following the success of last year’s show – designed with children and families in mind – ABBA for Kids is back! This is the perfect way to introduce your kids to live pop music, with the added luxury of a symphony orchestra. Ages 6+ Chickenshed, N14 020 8292 9222 www.chickenshed.org.uk Fri 6 Sep–Fri 18 Oct Planet Play: Autumn Season Welcome to Planet Play, a magical world of sensory learning, wonder and exploration, for babies and toddlers aged 0-3 years. Created by the Tales from the Shed team, Planet Play has been specifically devised to encourage play and early communication development in young children. Ages 0-3 Sat 7 Sep-Sat 19 Oct Tales from the Shed: Autumn Season Tales from the Shed are vibrant, inclusive theatre shows that are perfect for young children. Every carefully planned show incorporates educational songs, movement and language games, which help promote brain development and early learning in young children. Ages 0-6
Family Theatre Don’t forget to say you saw these events listed in Families Magazine! Compass Theatre, UB10 01895 673 0200 www.hillingdontheatres.uk Sat 26 Oct A Dragon’s Tale Foolishly John Lambton throws the strange googly eyed fish back into the river. What has he done! The Fish grew and grew and grew until… Well why not find out by coming to watch Paul Batten of Theatrix Arts perform this magical story based on the legend of the Lambton Worm through puppets, changing scenery, music and sound effects. Then meet the puppets and create you very own Dragon Puppet. Ages 4+ Harrow Arts Centre, HA5 0208 416 8989 www.harrowarts.com Tue 29 Oct Captain Calamity at the Monster Mansion Expect lots of spooky thrills and spills with Captain Calamity’s all new monstrous show! This horribly horrific adventure begins when Captain Calamity and Crew receive an invitation to attend Baron Ghoulstein’s Halloween Ball at The Monster Mansion. All the Crew are invited to ‘costume up’ in their most Spooktacular outfits and travel by Ghost Train to this mysterious destination on the far side of the Phantom Forrest. Ages 4-12 Fri 1 Nov Minny Stynker What would you do if you moved to a strange new city? All your friends are far away, your new house smells weird, and it rains all the time?! Join Soap Soup Theatre on their most riotous, colourful adventure of all - where a bedroom becomes a forest, a school turns into a solar system and the drawings in your bag have a life of their own! A story about the magic of creativity. Ages 3+ Sat 2 Nov Fireman Sam Live! The Great Camping Adventure Norman wants to go on an adventure to impress his friends, so when two famous animal explorers arrive in Pontypandy, he decides to follow them into the mountains. But when Norman discovers a rare red squirrel, one of the explorers decides to take the glory for themselves, leaving Norman stranded in a cave. Now it’s up to Fireman Sam to save the day and ensure everyone is safe on their camping adventure! Ages 2+
Headstone Manor & Museum Harrow, HA2 6PX www.headstonemanor.org
Thu 31 Oct Dracula: The Undead Diva This laugh-out-loud Halloween pantomime combines the spooks of All Hallow’s Eve with a healthy dose of panto mayhem. Expect plenty of opportunities for audience participation, a dollop of slapstick, and a special vampiric sing-a-long! Ages 3+ Little Angel Theatre, N1 020 7226 1787 www.littleangeltheatre.com Fri 13 Sep–Sat 16 Nov Dogs Don’t Do Ballet The sublime and the ridiculous combine in this hilarious story of a small dog with a big personality and even bigger dreams, brought to life using beautiful puppets, well-loved ballet music and dazzling theatrical comedy. Ages 3-8 Sat 21 Sep–Sun 17 Nov The Mystery of Little Angel Theatre Join super sleuth Danyah Miller to unravel ‘The Mystery of Little Angel Theatre’. Combining live board game elements with a thrilling evidence hunt, you’ll become a detective faced with intriguing suspects, curious objects and a detailed theatre map. Ages 6+ Puppet Theatre Barge, W9 020 7249 6876 www.puppetbarge.com Until Sun 22 Sep The Selfish Giant (Richmond) Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant is brought to life in this beautiful and heartwarming adaptation by James Boswell. Ages 4+ Sat 7–Sun 8 Sep My Shadow and Me (Richmond) My Shadow and Me is like a cartoon created live out of nothing but darkness and light. One person (and his shadow) meet and go on an incredible, imaginative, shadowy journey where creatures emerge, engage and transform. Ages 4+ Sat 19 Oct–Sun 3 Nov The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (Little Venice) These two famous cousins visit each other and both experience exciting new sights and sounds. The Town Mouse must face the wild countryside, while the Country Mouse watches for the house cat and learns to navigate the noisy city traffic. Ages 3+ The Radlett Centre, WD7 01923 859291 www.radlettcentre.co.uk
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Sun 22 Sep Science Museum: Live on Stage Join London’s world-renowned Science Museum as they bring you this brand-new stage production aimed at igniting your curiosity, fuelling your imagination and inspiring you in new and exciting ways. Ages 5+ Familiesonline.co.uk