It’s official… children and teenagers who are exposed to live theatre are more likely to develop emotional and cognitive skills, claims a recent study by the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck University as commissioned by Encore Tickets.
Meanwhile, the UN’s World Health Organization recently recommended that toddlers and young children should spend no more than an hour a day indulging in sedentary screen time.
Therefore, this October half-term we’ve pulled together a thrilling range of activities and productions across Norfolk and Suffolk that will get kids off their screens and into the region’s leading theatres and museums… and what’s more, the more you see the more you’ll get…
Simply collect stamps on the flyer you can pick up at participating venues and you’ll receive the following incentives*…
3 stamps: a drink and/or snack to the value of £3.50 per ticket holder at any participating venue
5 stamps: 25% discount per ticket holder on tickets for selected future events at participating venues
7 stamps: a free ticket to the Christmas pantomime at either the Theatre Royal, Norwich or the New Wolsey Theatre
*Stamped flyers and proof of ticket purchase will be required to redeem rewards.
Check below for what’s on and where…
NORFOLK:
NORWICH Theatre Royal
The Little Prince
Norwich Theatre Royal
22 October – 3pm & 7pm
£10 & £14
T: 01603 630 000
Award-winning adaptation of multi-million-selling children’s book, realised through dance, humour and spoken word.
more information
NORWICH Playhouse
Horrible Science
Norwich Playhouse
Thursday 24 October – 11am & 2pm
£8.50
T: 01603 598 598
Author Nick Arnold reveals the nastier side of science through interactive experiments, games and quizzes.
more information
NORWICH Castle
Bat Out of Hell
Norwich Castle
19-26 October (excluding Sunday)
£8.50 to £9.90
T: 01603 493 625 / 495 897
Explore all things dark and spooky across the museum’s most gruesome collections. Crafts, tours and more.
more information
NORWICH Puppet Theatre
Various productions & workshops
Norwich Puppet Theatre
19-26 October
£9 to £9.50
T: 01603 629 921
Numerous fun-packed activities, workshops and performances from Norwich’s much-loved puppet theatre
more information
CROMER Museum
Crafty Cromer Creepiness
Cromer Museum
23 October
£3.50 to £4.10
T: 01263 513 543
Create creepy Halloween decorations while listening to spooky stories from the local area.
more information
GREAT YARMOUTH Hippodrome
Halloween Spooktacular
Great Yarmouth Hippodrome
19 October to 3 November
£11 to £22
T: 01493 844 172
All-new all-hallows eve show, spectacularly staged in Britain’s last surviving purpose-built circus.
more information
SUFFOLK:
IPSWICH New Wolsey Theatre
Soonchild
Ipswich New Wolsey Theatre
21 October
£5 to £8
T: 01473 295 900
Russel Hoban’s big-hearted Arctic adventure brought to life with live music and innovative puppetry.
more information
The Pirate Cruncher
Ipswich New Wolsey Theatre
22 & 23 October
£5 to £8
T: 01473 295 900
Comically gruesome adventure of pirates, monsters and the ingenuity of one small girl, lifted from swashbuckling best-seller.
Oi Frog & Friends
Ipswich New Wolsey Theatre
24 & 25 October
£5 to £8
T: 01473 295 900
It’s a new day at Sittingbottom school and Frog needs somewhere to sit. Rhyming fun in this playful adaptation.
Disgusting Songs for Revolting Children
26 October
£5 to £8
T: 01473 295 900
Jay Foreman takes a break from radio and TV to deliver a cheeky hour of mucky songs, poems and comedy for all ages.
more information
IPSWICH Art Gallery
Marvellous Machines
Ipswich Art Gallery
until 3 November
free admission
T: 01473 433 681
Unleash your inner inventor at this hands-on exhibition of automated contraptions that blend art and engineering.
more information
IPSWICH Pacitti Company
Parade Skills Workshop
Ipswich Pacitti Company
17 October
free admission – booking required
T: 01473 216 545
Prior to the Ipswich Pyre Parade, come and craft your costumes, masks and effigies with local artist, Kirsty Thorpe.
more information
BURY ST EDMUNDS Theatre Royal
Dear Zoo
Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal
23 & 24 October
£10.50 to £14
T: 01284 769 505
This 1982 book has made animal lovers of millions of children, but how will the animal crate translate to the stage…
more information
LOWESTOFT Marina Theatre
Alice in Wonderland
Lowestoft Marina Theatre
22 October
£10 to £14
T: 01502 533 200
Head down the rabbit hole in this all singing and dancing brand-new staging of Lewis Carroll’s family favourite.
more information