The North East’s very own celebration of theatre for young audiences, the Take Off Festival produced by Theatre Hullaballoo, is now in full swing. The three-year-old and I were lucky enough to go along to the St Cuthbert’s Centre in Crook for a performance of Neverland, a Tom Penn and Battersea Arts Centre co-production for one to three year olds.
Inside the St Cuthbert’s Centre we were invited into a magical space, where the audience is first tucked up in bed before setting off on a journey into a child’s imagination. The show is a dream-like sequence that quickly draws in both toddlers and grown ups, through music, movement, music and play. With speech in a combination of English, French and Japanese, we begin to experience more through our other senses as the performers take us through the story. The little ones are encouraged to join in, and quickly immerse themselves in the world of Neverland, catching fish and blowing leaves. Every child at the performance seemed transfixed, and parents and carers were clearly enjoying the relaxing, cocoon-like space.
It was a lovely opportunity to see a delightful performance with my little boy, but more importantly gave us a real chance to escape from the day-to-day rush and really concentrate on creative play. The idea of Neverland was inspired by J M Barrie’s concept of the Neverland in Peter Pan, and by the end of the performance I think I was ready to fully sign up to the idea of never growing up.
Thank you to the kind folks at the Take Off Festival and Durham County Council who invited us along as their guests. The Take Off Festival runs until 23 October and there is a family day in Durham on Saturday 22 October, with a wide variety of performances for all ages. For more information visit: www.takeofffestival.org.uk/