anyone had a Perform drama party?

[mimsum]

dd's going to be 6 in October and says she wants 'a large party with an entertainer' - tbh, most of the entertainers I've seen at parties locally have been pretty grim (although the kids have enjoyed them) - it seems to be a profession with a preponderance of rather seedy-looking middle aged men ...

she's a pretty girly sort of girl, but she will want to invite a few boys so don't really want a fairy type do

I was thinking about the things she likes - ponies and performing - ponies not really feasible (or affordable) in SW London, but as I was googling I found that Perform do drama parties and they're quite a bit cheaper than some of the other entertainer options

does anyone have experience of these? I'm a bit wary of dd's guests being bombarded with a hard-sell of drama classes ...

dd went to one a couple of years ago when she was 4 and found it a little over-bearing but has now asked for this sort of party for her 6th birthday. I know a few friends who've used them and the kids have all enjoyed themselves. You need to have a hall (or large house) where the adults are kep separate from the kids as they don't like parents in the same room (inhibits the kids).

thanks - that's very helpful

yes DS had one of these for his 5th birthday. I thought the performer was very good, kept them all moving for the hour they were hired for. You do need a hall, and you need to work out what to do with the kids before and after the "perform" bit ie you can't just leave it all up to the entertainer (we played simon says and at the end turned the music up and let them all have a dance). They all appeared to have fun and got involved - even some rather reluctant boys. A lot of what they appeared to do was running up and down the hall pretending to find things/eat sweeties/hide from something (DS had a Charlie and the chocolate factory theme).

We've had 2 Perform Parties and they were both great. Party leader had such energy. Really controlled the children and played some lovely games. They are quite hard to book though, so if you want one, call soon as they only have limited numbers. We had to change our date to have one as they were so busy.