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Bear and Butterfly to Take off at Middlesbrough Town Hall

Screen Shot 2015-09-16 at 09.09.23YOUNG children and their families will be captivated when Theatre Hullabaloo bring Bear and Butterfly to Middlesbrough Town Hall on Tuesday, October 20. 

Bear and Butterfly is a charming tale of changing friendship aimed at youngsters aged four to seven.

The show is part of the TakeOff Festival – England’s leading festival of theatre for young audiences and also the Get Creative Family Arts Festival which brings together more than 2,000 events across the UK created especially for families.

Bear & Butterfly – based on a story by Gordon Poad – is a collaboration between Theatre Hullabaloo, one of the UK’s principal children’s theatre companies, and Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, Cumbria, one of Britain’s leading regional theatres.

Theatre Hullabaloo Creative Producer Miranda Thain said: “Bear & Butterfly brings together the expertise of both organisations to create a warm, funny and uplifting theatre experience; the perfect introduction to theatre for children aged four and above.

“It’s a tender and gentle piece about friendship, love and loss with puppets and live music which should appeal to the whole family.”

The play was developed with the help of children in a primary school in Darlington and written by Annie McCourt, Theatre by the Lake’s Head of Education and Participation.

Annie said: “The story begins when we meet Bear, who is very settled in his life which doesn’t change from year to year.

“He is a bit grumpy, a bit of a stick-in-the mud. But his routines are altered when he meets Caterpillar and the two develop a relationship like that of a grandfather and grandchild.”

Bear tells Caterpillar tales of catching fish and raising cubs, and stresses how big, strong and fierce he is.

But when Caterpillar goes into a long sleep and cannot be woken, Bear thinks he has died. He is bereft – until Caterpillar reappears as Butterfly, who flies off to have adventures and then returns to describe them to Bear.

Annie added: “By four, children will know about the life cycle of caterpillars and butterflies.

“Bears live a long time compared with the short lives of caterpillars and butterflies and the play is partly about understanding how relationships change.”

Puppetry, live music and beautiful storytelling combine in this charming tale about love, loss and friendship.

This is the latest in Middlesbrough Town Hall’s popular series of family shows which also includes Scottish Dance Theatre’s Innocence (September 30) and two shows by Town Hall favourites Blunderbus Theatre Company – The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark (November 1) and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (December 23 & 24).

Bear and Butterfly is suitable for children aged four to seven and takes place at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Tuesday, October 20 at 12.30pm and 2.15pm.

Tickets are £5.50 each and group discounts are available.

To book or for further information, call Middlesbrough Town Hall Box Office on 01642 729 729 or book online at www.middlesbroughtownhallonline.co.uk

By admin