I just had an AMAZING morning (theatre for kids in North London)

[hub2dee]

I went to 'Tales' this morning at the Chicken Shed Theatre in Southgate (click on 'Tales form the Shed' in the left hand pane) and dd just loved it.

The children can speak, move, run onto the stage etc. and it's integrated into the interactive performance (it works better than it sounds like it might, LOL). I think they have a variety of characters, stories etc. and they also had two musicians accompanying the singing / dancing / performing side of stuff.

It was fantastic. dd (15 months) is not yet walking but had a good bounce and the atmosphere was magical. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who can get there with a young child.

I don't really know very much about the Chicken Shed but it's an 'inclusive' theatre. You can read more about the company here .

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thanks, will try this one Saturday. Are all performances of the Tales for all ages (since I notice you went on a weekday when ds would be at nursery)? And for planning purposes: do you have to book a long way in advance? are seats allocated and, if not, is there a scrum to get a seat with a toddler height view (as we've found with one or two theatres)?

I think their Web site says 'under 7s'. I think most of the children there were around 2 1/2 years old, with a few older and a few younger. There were one or two other young babies, but I think almost all were walking. (Sorry, not very good at judging the ages yet; dd is our first !).

I arrived a minute or two before the performance started (with no seat reservation) and there was room for us. A woman with a toddler arrived several minutes later and there was a seat for her, so I expect you should be OK particularly if you arrive a little early.

I don't think seats are allocated. I think it is first come first sat.

In terms of views... the stage and the seating area are all on one level (the theatre room is not all that large either, so it all feels quite intimate). Ickle ones are on the floor with their parents also sat on the floor and older ones tend to sit /stand behind, with their parents on chairs. There is no slope to the floor. There's lots of jumping and running up to stroke animal characters in the performance etc.

hth.

Maybe a regular Chicken Shedder will come along to shed some light on any possible scrum etc. ?