TakeOff Festival, England’s leading children’s theatre festival, returns to County Durham this month with a jam-packed week of theatre for all the family.
The annual festival returns 16 – 22 October ending with a Festival Family Day in Durham City on Saturday 21 October. TakeOff Festival is produced by Theatre Hullabaloo and supported by Durham County Council.
Miranda Thain, Creative Producer at Darlington-based Theatre Hullabaloo, says: “We have an amazing programme for all ages and will be welcoming schools and families from across the county to see some brilliant theatre made especially for children from around the world. 2017 marks the 30th anniversary of TakeOff Festival and we will be celebrating with companies from Mexico, Spain, The Netherlands, Italy, Iceland and the UK. With 90 performances across 26 venues, there promises to be something for everyone.”
Highlights from across the week include Leaf (0-3), a playful theatrical experience for the very young inspired by nature and the seasons. Dutch clowning show iPet (2.5+) is a hilarious performance for young audiences filled with music, movement, magic – and iPads!
Other highlights include Book Story (5+) where puppetry and song combine for a magical musical about reading and Twist (13+) a radical adaptation of Dickens’ classic novel for older children that looks at contemporary issues of migration.
Cllr Ossie Johnson, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for tourism, culture, leisure and rural issues, said “We are looking forward to welcoming families to our county as they come and experience some world class theatre.
“We are particularly excited about the performances set to take place at the Gala Theatre in Durham City including a reworking of Little Red Riding Hood and The Party, an acrobatic circus show.”
The Festival Family Day on Saturday 21 October in Durham City has 15+ performances for children aged between 0 and 12 years and their grown-ups, plus a number of free family events. Join us for circus street theatre on Millennium Place from The Flying Bazazi Brothers, or take part in Micro-Shakespeare, a pay what you decide event which casts the audience as a performer or viewer of five mini-Shakespeare classics played out using cheese graters and plasticine. Our amazing Bubbleologist will also fill the skies with hundreds of bubbles throughout the day.
For a full list of TakeOff Festival 2017 performances and to book tickets visit www.takeofffestival.org.uk