Providing children from the earliest age with access to high quality children’s theatre while offering a dedicated space for under 10s and their families to relax is the mission of the Pleasance Kidzone.
Started in 2009 as a way of supporting the children’s theatre programme, the Kidzone has led to an explosion in children’s activities at the Pleasance over the last eight years. In 2015 ticket sales for Children’s shows exceeded 40,000 compared to only 4,000 when it started in 2009. This year, 18 different children’s shows feature in the Pleasance programme.
The Pleasance remains the only venue in Edinburgh to offer a completely dedicated child-friendly area. The Kidzone features a giant inflatable igloo theatre, home to a varied and largely interactive theatre programme, a cafe serving child-friendly food, a nappy change, pram shelter and weather-proof art pods where children (and adults) can engage in imaginative and fun arts and crafts activities.This year, Kite-making, face-painting and grizzly monster-making are just a few of the workshops taking place in a new workshop tent adjacent to the art pods.
Pleasance Kids Coordinator Candida Alderson said: “We created the Pleasance Kidzone to give parents and children a hassle-free and inexpensive way to experience the Fringe.
“Deciding which shows to see, worrying about food, where you’re going to put your pram and change a nappy, as well as working out how you’re going to keep the kids occupied between shows, are all big concerns when you’re planning a family day out on the Fringe. We are easy to get to, and have all the things you need, close at hand, which hopefully ensures a great Fringe Day Out for the whole family.
“It’s become a popular Fringe destination for families, many of whom returneach year, because we programme top class children’s theatre from around the globe for all ages, and run lots of creative and imaginative activities to occupy the kids between shows, so that the adults can sit for a while and read the papers, chat to other parents (it’s the best place to pick up word-of-mouth show suggestions) and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Courtyard, without feeling that they’re getting in the way. It’s very easy to spend a whole day with us, and not feel too frazzled by the end of it!”
One of this year’s highlights – model-making workshops from renowned Aardman model maker, Jim Parkyn, who will also be creating an ongoing installation, with the help of performers and passers-by, on Beside, the venue next door to the Kidzone. Pleasance Kids also makes its pop-up debut at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, with two very special interactive shows for young children, from Edinburgh-based Starcatchers, and the renowned Bootworks Theatre.
CHILDRENS SHOWS
Little Red is clever. Little Red is bright. Little Red will find a way to beat you in a fight. Olivier-winning producer Paul Taylor-Mills and the writing duo behind the success of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ bring their musical hit Red Riding Hood to Pleasance Beyond for a limited run. The same Taylor-Mills is behind the much-loved take on Dr Seuss’s The Cat In The Hat which comes back to Pleasance One for undoubtedly another sell-out run.
The Showstoppers, Olivier-winning West End improvisation group, bring their children’s show back to the Fringe and it promises to be one crazy adventure filled with music and laughter! Children aged 0-5 can also enjoy Moo on the Fringe, an interactive music session on The Green.
Pleasance Kids presents a pop-up venue within the Edinburgh International Conference Centre this August, which hosts two special interactive shows: Hup andThe Many Doors of Frank Feelbad. For the very little ones, Scottish based, pioneering organisation Starcatchers in association with the RSNO and Pleasance Kids present Hup, taking both babies and grown-ups alike on an unforgettable music journey. How do we cope when things go missing? From Bootworks Theatre, who brought the highly-acclaimed The Incredible Book Eating Boy, comes The Many Doors of Frank Feelbad – Frank has lost his Mum and uses everything from a scavenger hunt to dub-step to find her.
Equally superb in dealing with a difficult matter is Follow Me, the story of Nansi who has just become a big sister for the first time and, worrying her world will change forever, escapes to an imaginary world. Future Perfect by Small Storiesrevolves around Dominic who goes back in time to change the past and make his future perfect.
Acclaimed Edinburgh based Drama Specialists, The Acting Scene are running interactive drama workshops based around a brave snail on a life-changing adventure, whilst a different snail also embarks on an adventure on the tail of a humpback whale with her seafaring father in Tall Stories’ wonderful production ofThe Snail and The Whale, based on Julia Donaldson’s popular book. Mermalade is not a tale of a Little Mermaid but of a mermaid on a quest to make sense of a cryptic note and a pearl she was left with – brought to Edinburgh by Manhattan Children’s Theatre and following its successful show The Last of the Dragons last year.
The theme of the sea continues in Jellyfish, an inspiring story of a family sharing a house with a giant glowing jellyfish which uses puppetry and original music to explore the topic of parenthood and mental health. Ribber Ribbet Croak is a playful story of Grandma and Grandpa Frog who leave their pond to plan for a big surprise. This interactive show by Moulded Theatre uses puppetry, Makaton (language programme using signs and symbols to help people communicate) and music and is suitable for children of all needs.
Also on a quest – to rescue his kidnapped friends – is Captain Flinn in Les Petits Theatre’s Captain Flinn and The Pirate Dinosaurs 2: The Magic Cutlass. This is a sequel to Primary Times Children’s Choice Award-winning part one.
The Pleasance’s favourite regulars are also back: Aardman’s animator Jim Parkyncomes to The Green with series of model-making workshops for children and adults alike – creating a mini masterpiece to feed into The Amazing Scene Machine and celebrating Aardman’s 40th birthday is The Amazing Scene Machine Does Aardinburgh! where audiences will help create a very special 3D painting of Edinburgh featuring some of Aardman’s stars including Morph, Shaun the Sheepand Wallace and Gromit.
Also returning is The Guardian’s cartoonist Harry Venning with Release Your Inner Cartoonist and the irreverently funny I Hate Children Children’s Show, as well as the much-loved Art Pods on the Green. And staying along an interactive theme Pleasance Kids has commissioned kite-making workshops from Go Fly Your Kite, Grizzly Monster-making activities with our extraordinary resident designer, Paul Garner and Make-Up Workshops with remarkably gifted regular Kidzone face painter Lynn Fraser (Fantoosh).
PLEASANCE FUTURES
Pleasance Kids is part of Pleasance Futures, the development arm of The Pleasance Theatre Trust. The Pleasance’s enduring mission is to provide a launch pad for the very best emerging talent and the brightest of new ideas. In 2016 The Pleasance Theatre Trust will provide over £125,000 of direct financial support to up and coming talent both on and off stage through a number of Pleasance Futures projects.
Pleasance Kids aims to nurture a love of the creative arts from an early age, using it to inspire and engage children to learn. This year, Pleasance Kids is seeking funding to programme theatre from around the UK, specifically supporting topics in the Curriculum for Excellence, initially into primary schools in the Edinburgh and the Lothians. To kick this off, from 15th August, Pleasance is offering schools a specialBack to School ticket offer, with the added opportunity of performers visiting schools to run a workshop or activity after the show (for schools who have booked 20 or more tickets) for free.
Tickets available at:
www.pleasance.co.uk or by phoning 0131 556 6550