Peter Glanville On The Refurbished Polka Theatre

Polka is one particular of the few theatres in the Uk committed solely to kids. Dependent in Wimbledon considering that 1979, Polka results in entire world-course theatre for young children aged -12yrs. There are in excess of 90k guests yearly, and for several youngsters, it might be their 1st knowledge of theatre.

Polka has been through a historic transformation not long ago, with the completion of a £9m cash redevelopment. It has been really a journey, and all over we’ve been thinking about what a 21st Century Theatre for young children really should look like. In essence, we retained the first integrated thought of Polka when very first designed – that the full developing is imaginatively baby-centred and that it features a array of absolutely free indoor and outdoor resourceful play areas as properly as the two theatres.

So, we’ve designed the Play Den, a large indoor place wherever kids can dress up, act out stories, participate in with a large magnetic board or chill out in the looking at corner. We’ve produced an underwater corridor with wave baffles overhead, illuminated portholes and a lighthouse. We labored with experts ‘The Room to Play’ to construct a new massive summary house in our Outdoor Play Location and we have made a beautiful sensory backyard garden with giant pink pots.

It is really a wonderland for small children and family members, who can also cling out in a train carriage in our new larger café, or have a glance all-around the Polka Shop. All this with improved accessibility during.

But we know that if we want to make earth-course theatre, we need to have to also guidance artists with far better sources and amenities. We now have a far more adaptable 100 ability Journey Theatre with a gallery to help technical groups. Our Main Theatre (300 seats) has had a facelift but also now has a lift which gives accessibility to the stage. We’ve also constructed The Nest, a new rehearsal place which is also riggable. It is a considerably cry from using the services of a minimal church hall nearby and obtaining to wheel the set down a cobbled highway at the stop of the day.

I’m at times provocatively questioned why a theatre solely for young children is necessary when there are lots of ‘adult’ theatres that also create and programme good function for young children and families. Well, appear to Polka or The Unicorn or The Egg in Bathtub. The effect of youngsters moving into a building that has been intended entirely with them in mind is empowering and gives them an fast sense of possession – it encourages their spirit to perform in a planet that is built for them.

The cultural landscape has transformed substantially around the earlier 10 years and theatres throughout the country are undertaking their utmost to make the visitor experience as welcoming as possible for kids and people. Even so, I’ve also been to venues around the previous 5 several years in which there is no specified buggy area or where by people have a 10am welcome to the smell of stale beer from the previous night’s cabaret present. A unusual experience, luckily.

Polka’s most recent creation, previewing from 20th May well, is a revival of my adaptation of The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson, co-developed with Minimal Angel Theatre. It’s a lovely celebration of a kid’s imagination, which also sensitively introduces themes of loss and memory.

Julia was extremely hands-on with the enhancement of this function. Following an preliminary meeting with her to talk about my intentions for the adaptation. She also attended the research and improvement time period to give feedback as nicely as coming along to the very 1st press show, as did Rebecca Cobb, whose illustrations impressed the aesthetics of the puppets and established, designed by Lyndie Wright. Luckily she was entire of praise with quite few notes .

I was notably delighted that the Guardian called it “a puppet-run weepie”. Like the e book, I think the output will not dilute the intensity of the encounter of reduction when the dolls are reduce up or the resonance of our memory being like a aspiration world wherever people we have lost reside. The intention to regard children’s perceptions and emotions is paramount.

No matter whether we are presenting modern dance, as with our modern co-production of Plastic Drastic Superb with Akademi, or inclusive theatre as with Pink, a promenade enjoy that re-opened our creating, the commitment is normally to create do the job that means a little something to young children. Productions that help them to assume about the planet, their ordeals, their relationships – to themselves, to their mates, their loved ones. Get the job done that is nourishing and life with them, not just a momentary ‘fast-food’ working experience.

The Paper Dolls is at Polka Theatre from 20 May perhaps-7 August

Photograph Credit rating: Hufton & Crow