Polka Theatre announces its dazzling 2022 season
Photo credit: Hufton+Crow
Polka Theatre has announced its 2022 season to follow on from its wonderful re-opening in 2021. The season, which runs from January to August 2022, will feature a large array of sensory plays, world-class family shows and a variety of workshops and activities for children of all ages.
Inside the Main Theatre, there will be tales for all ages with literary revivals, puppetry, BSL and swashbuckling adventures in the shape of How to Hide a Lion, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Pirate, The Princess and The Platypus.
Kicking off the programme in the Main Theatre will be The Singing Mermaid, based on the original book by Julia Donaldson and adapted by Samantha Lane & Barb Jungr, running from 10-20 February 2022 and is aimed at ages 3-8 years old. Telling the story of the singing mermaid who is tempted away to join a travelling circus, will she ever escape?
Following this, from 23-27 February will be The Gingerbread Man, telling the story of the bravest biscuit of all time! Using puppetry, live action and music, Stuff and Nonsense take us on adventure of a gingerbread man lifetime!
Josephine and the Egg will come to the main theatre from 3-5 March 2022 and will tell the story of a little girl from Missouri who became a 20th century icon. A dancer, actor, activist, campaigner and spy, Josephine broke the mould but 50 years after her death, she is forgotten. The New York diner dedicated to her memory is facing closure and she can’t allow that, so with a blend of real and the imagined, we follow her incredible journey.
Later on in the yea,r literary revival of Helen Stephens How to Hide a Lion can be seen from 11 March-24 April, followed by Hans Christian Anderson’s classic tale The Emperor’s New Clothes from 28 April-22nd May.
Finishing off the season in the main theatre will be the classic Brothers Grimm tale of Snow White from 27 May-5 June and swashbuckling adventure The Pirate, The Princess and the Platypus from 18 June-20 August 2022, which features a pirate who wants to be a princess, and a princess who wants to be pirate, and a platypus who is happy being exactly themselves!
Over in the Adventure Theatre, you can catch Ready, Steady, GO! from 29 January-27 March. Join Sofia and her mum as they travel across mountains and lakes on mountain bikes. The play is a gentle show for younger children aged 2 – 5 years old and looks at the bond between mother and daughter whilst introducing different natural environments.
Following this will be Plastic Drastic Fantastic from 6 April-8 May and looks at our complex relationship with all thing’s plastic. Glisten Half Moon will follow this from 11-15 May where audiences are taken to a sparkling shimmering journey of reflective materials.
Finishing the season will be another Polka production with an adaptation of another Julia Donaldson book, The Paper Dolls, from 20 May-7 August 2022.
Polka’s Artistic Director Peter Glanville said: “As we head into the new year, we are delighted to have a new season of productions and workshops on offer, created to engage and inspire children from 0-12yrs. This is an exciting and historic time for us. Following our major capital redevelopment, Polka has been transformed into a hub for the community with a new café, shop, free-to-access indoor and outdoor play spaces – it truly is a wonderful space to spend an hour or the whole day!”
Tickets for shows are available now here.