Getting to Curve
Our address is Curve, 60 Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1SB.
Here is a map of where Curve is in the Cultural Quarter, and the surrounding area.
Due to some ongoing building maintenance work at Curve, there are currently road closures in place around our theatre – these are indicated by the red triangles on the map.
Getting here by Car
There are a number of car parks close to Curve, with the multi-storey NCP Rutland Centre Car Park being the closest to our Theatre. Customers are advised that none of the car parks detailed on this page are owned or managed by Curve or Leicester Theatre Trust Ltd.
NCP Rutland Centre Car Park (Multi-storey)
56 Halford Street, Leicester, LE1 1TQ
Access Spaces: 7 | Max Height: 1.93m
Curve visitors can park in the NCP Rutland Centre adjacent to Curve for £7.95 when validated at Box Office, Green Room Café or Stage Door Bar during your visit.
If parking at NCP Rutland Centre between the hours of 5pm and 2am, you can access a cheaper rate of £5.95 if you pay via the NCP ParkPass App, or £6.95 if you pay your parking at the machines located in the NCP on the day.
Southampton Street
Leicester, LE1 1TG
Access Spaces: 4
Hourly charges from £1*
NCP Lee Circle Car Park
Leicester, LE1 3RE
Access Spaces: 4 | Max Height: 1.93m
Hourly charges from £1.95*
Dover Street
Leicester, LE1 6PW
Access Spaces: 14 | Max Height 1.98m
Hourly charges from £2*
Haymarket
Leicester, LE1 3YT
Access Spaces: 5
Hourly charges from £2*
Newarke Street
Leicester, LE1 5SN
Access Spaces: 1
Hourly charges from £2*
Highcross John Lewis Car Park
Leicester, LE1 4QJ
Access Spaces: 109 | Family Spaces:
56 | Max Height, 1.98m
Hourly charges from £3.50*, plus flat evening rate of £2.50* between 5pm and 6am.
There is also a drop-off point outside our theatre. *Prices subject to change.
Getting here by Bus
All Leicestershire bus services have stops within a three to 10-minute walk of Curve, with services terminating on Humberstone Gate, Haymarket Bus Station or St Margaret’s Bus Station.
For more information about travelling by bus in the city, visit www.leicester.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/travelling-by-bus, or call Traveline on 0871 200 2233.
Hop! Free City Centre Circular Bus Service
Hop! shuttle buses are free to use and serve Leicester City Centre, looping in an anti-clockwise between Haymarket Bus Station, Highcross, Jubilee Square, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Railway Station and the Market.
Part of the greenlines electric network, the service also links with the Hospital Hopper service at Royal Infirmary and St Nicholas Circle, Meynell’s Gorse and Enderby Park & Ride at St Nicholas Circle, and Birstall Park & Ride at Savoy Street.
The nearest Hop! stop to Curve is Stand CK on Charles Street, circled in red on the map overleaf. The service operates every 10 minutes, Monday – Saturday between 8am and 6pm.
For more information about Hop!, including a service leaflet and larger route map, visit leicesterbuses.co.uk/hop. A route map is also provided on the next page.
Getting here by Train
Leicester Train Station is less than a 10-minute walk away via Charles Street. For the latest service information, please visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Visual Story: Your Visit to Curve
Curve is a large, round building with a glass front, as shown below. The outside of Curve usually looks like this:
Halford Street Entrance
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Rutland Street Entrance
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As we are currently undertaking some building work at the front of our theatre, there is a mixture of fencing and scaffolding creating partially covered walkways to our two entrances. This is what the area looks like:-
There are two main entrances into the building – Halford Street, by our Green Room Café, and Rutland Street, by our Box Office. Both entrances have a set of glass double doors.
Halford Street Rutland Street
The doors will open outwards automatically as you move towards them. There is level access into the building from both entrances.
When you enter the building, you will be in the Foyer. Our Foyer is one big circle which wraps around two of our performance spaces – the Theatre and the Studio Theatre. As you make your way around the Foyer, you will notice lots of large pictures on the big red walls. This is our production gallery, and features pictures from our previous productions.
In addition, there are large digital screens displaying upcoming shows and events throughout the building.
www.widgit.com
A number of automatic hand sanitiser points are available around the building. To use these points, simply hold your hand beneath the dispenser.
Push dispensers are also available around the building.
Before the show, there will be some loud announcements in the Foyer telling you how long it is until the show begins, and other useful information about your visit.
Widgit Symbols © Widgit Software 2002-2022,
It may also be noisy in the Foyer as other audience members will be arriving to see the show. You might like to cover your ears or wear a pair of ear defenders during this time. There are ear defenders available at Reception, if you would like to borrow some and do not have your own.
Widgit Symbols © Widgit Software 2002-2023, www.widgit.com
Here is a map of the Ground Floor of Curve.
In the Foyer inside the Rutland Street doors, you will find our Box Office. Car parking tickets for cars parked in the NCP Rutland Centre Multistorey Car Park next door to Curve can be validated at the Box Office for £7.95. Ticket enquiries for this performance and future shows at Curve can also be made here.
In the Foyer you will also find our Green Room Café.
Here you can buy a drink, snack or ice cream to enjoy before the performance.
There may be a small queue at the Café.
If you need to use the toilet before you take your seats, there are male, female and accessible toilets near the Green Room Café and Box Office. There are also gender-neutral toilets on the Mezzanine floor. The hand dryers in the toilets will be switched off, and paper towels will be provided.
There is a Changing Places Facility with adult hoist on the Ground Floor next to Theatre Door 4. Please note you will need to bring your own hoist straps to use this facility.
You will be watching The Very Hungry Caterpillar in our Studio Theatre, which has new red seating as shown in the picture below. If you have visited our Studio Theatre before, you will find it looks quite different during this visit!
This is where you will sit to watch the performance.
Your ticket will tell you which door to enter through – Studio Theatre Door 1 or 6 - and where to sit, based on a row letter and seat number.
A member of our Visitor Experience Team can help you find the right door and your seat by looking at the letters and numbers on your ticket.
They will be wearing black shirts and/or fleeces with a colourful Curve logo.
When you enter the Studio Theatre, the lights will be on and it may be noisy as the audience will be getting ready to watch the show. You might like to cover your ears or wear your ear defenders to soften the noise and bring a comforter to use before the performance starts.
To access most rows in the Studio Theatre, you will need to take a number of steps.
When entering at the Stage Level via Studio Theatre Doors 1 or 6, there are 28 steps from the stage to Row P at the back of the theatre, with two steps between each row.
You will need to pull the bottom of your seat down to sit on it.
Booster seats are available if you can’t see the stage comfortably, and a member of our Visitor Experience Team can get one for you.
They will also be happy to help you with anything else you may need to enjoy the performance.
Once seated, you will be able to see the set for the show, which looks like the picture to the left. The set is placed on the stage and is where the story will take place.
When the show is about to start, the lights in the Studio Theatre will be dimmed but it will never go completely dark.
The doors of the Studio Theatre will remain open, so you can leave the space at any time and return when you’re ready.
If you would like a break from the performance, you can visit our chill out space on the Mezzanine (Level M). You will need to take the stairs between Studio Theatre Doors 5 and 6 to access the Mezzanine, and a member of our Visitor Experience Team can help you find it. There is also a Ground Floor quiet space opposite Box Office.
When the show has finished, the cast will come back onto the stage and bow. The audience will clap to show the cast they enjoyed the performance, and the lights will get brighter. It may be quite loud during this moment.
Widgit Symbols © Widgit Software 2002-2023, www.widgit.com
Useful Information
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show is based on the book of the same name by author and illustrator, Eric Carle. You might have read this at home!
The running time for The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show is 50 minutes with no interval, meaning there isn’t a break in the middle.
The performance is recommended for children and grownups of all ages.
If there’s anything we can do to support you and your party during this part of your visit, or if you have any concerns about waiting inside the Studio Theatre after the performance, please call the Box Office on 0116 242 3595 before your visit or speak to a member of the Visitor Experience Team on the day.
There will be different lighting throughout the show, with some moments in bright lighting and others in darker lighting. The house lights will dim and remain dimly lit throughout the performance. During the moments the audience will be asked to join in, the lights will become brighter so the characters can see you!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - The Story and Sensory moments
Spoiler Alert!
Below is a summary of the story, which means we tell you what will happen during the show. This might be helpful to know before you come to the theatre, but if you want the story to be a surprise then we suggest you don’t read these pages. Please don’t share these with other people as they might want the surprise too.
If you do not want to read the full story but would like to see the key sensory moments during the show, please see the green boxes.
While you are waiting for the show to begin, the stage will have a background covered in colourful spots with the four story books stood up on the floor of the stage.
The actors will appear on stage dressed in white dungarees and white t-shirts and pick up the story books while some light, bouncy music plays.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear
Narrator talks to Brown Bear and asks what they see.
Brown Bear walks on stage with some of the actors beside them and sees a Red Bird.
Red Bird swoops in on stage and is controlled by one of the actors. The light, bouncy music plays again. The stage lights up red.
Narrator asks Red Bird what they can see.
Red Bird sees a Yellow Duck.
Yellow Duck scoots in across the stage and some more music plays. The stage lights up yellow.
Narrator asks Yellow Duck what they can see.
Yellow Duck sees a Blue Horse.
One of the actors opens a window on stage revealing Blue Horse. The stage lights up blue and the music continues to play.
Narrator asks Blue Horse what they can see.
Blue Horse sees a Green Frog.
Green Frog hops on to the stage. The stage lights up green and the music is playing. Green Frog.
Narrator asks Green Frog what they can see.
Green Frog sees a Purple Cat.
One of the actors opens another window revealing Purple Cat. The stage lights up purple and the music plays.
Narrator asks Purple Cat what they can see.
Purple Cat sees a White Dog.
White Dog bounds on stage. The stage lights up white and the music plays again.
Narrator asks White Dog what they can see.
White Dog sees a Black Sheep.
Black Sheep walks on stage. The stage lights up yellow and the music plays.
White Dog asks Black Sheep what they can see.
Black Sheep sees a Goldfish.
Goldfish swims on to the stage and the stage lights up orange, the music plays again.
Black Sheep asks Goldfish what they can see.
Goldfish sees a Teacher.
Teacher walks on to the stage and the stage lights up white while the music plays.
Goldfish asks Teacher what they can see.
Teacher sees Children and looks at the audience! Teacher will ask who you can see on stage, can you tell them?
The stage lights up all different colours and music plays. The audience will join in shouting things they can see. You can join in if you would like to!
Ten Little Rubber Ducks
Three actors all enter the stage talking about Ten Little Rubber Ducks.
They open little windows to pull out the Ten Little Rubber Ducks, putting them in a box.
The Ten Little Rubber Ducks are loaded onto a ship by the captain and taken all around the world.
Suddenly, there’s a storm and the Ten Little Rubber Ducks fall off the ship!
Once the storm has calmed down, the Ten Little Rubber Ducks float along in the wide sea.
A projection of ducks spinning in a circle appears on stage and the stage lights up blue.
The ducks begin to float away from each other to different areas of the stage and come across different animals including a dolphin, a seal, a polar bear, a flamingo, a pelican, a turtle, an octopus, a seagull and a whale!
The next morning, the Tenth Rubber Duck meets a Mother Duck and her ducklings and the ducks float along with them.
The moon is projected onto the back of the stage with a face on it.
The back of the stage changes to colourful circles and the lights dim.
The Very Busy Spider
The lights come back up and the stage is blue.
Narrator tells us about a spider that was blown by the wind into a farm.
A sparkly Spider appears and starts spinning a web across the stage.
Spider meets Horse who says neigh and asks if Spider wants to go for a ride, but Spider is too busy spinning her web.
Spider meets Cow who says moo and asks if Spider would like to eat some grass, but Spider is too busy spinning her web.
Spider meets Sheep who says baa and asks if Spider wants to run in the meadow, but Spider is too busy spinning her web.
Spider meets Goat who says maa and asks if Spider wants to jump on the rocks, but Spider is too busy spinning her web.
Spider meets Pig who says oink and asks if Spider would like to roll in the mud, but Spider is too busy spinning her web.
Spider meets Dog who says woof and asks if Spider wants to chase a cat, but Spider is too busy spinning her web.
Spider meets Cat who says meow and asks if Spider would like to take a nap, but Spider is too busy spinning her web.
Spider meets Duck who says quack and asks if Spider would like to go for a swim, Spider has now finished her web.
Spider meets Rooster who says cock-a-doodle-doo and asks if Spider would like to catch a pesky fly, Spider catches the fly in her web!
A projection of a web appears on stage.
Spider meets Owl who says whoo whoo and asks who built the beautiful web, but Spider has fallen asleep after a very busy day.
The stage is then lit in different colours and lights gently flash as Spider dances across the stage.
The stage is lit with the colourful circles once again and the lights dim.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
A large leaf with an egg on top is brought on stage.
The moon is projected on stage again with a face looking down at the leaf.
Narrator tells us that on one Sunday morning, a tiny and very hungry Caterpillar was born!
Caterpillar pops out of the egg and wriggles around the stage is lit with blue and pink lights.
On Monday he ate through one apple but was still hungry!
On Tuesday he ate through two pears but was still hungry!
On Wednesday he ate through three plums but was still hungry!
On Thursday he ate through four strawberries but was still hungry!
On Friday he ate through five oranges but was still hungry!
On Saturday, he ate through so many foods including chocolate cake, a lollipop, a sausage and more!
Some bouncy music will play and the lights will begin to dim.
After all of that food, Caterpillar gets a stomach ache.
On Sunday he ate through one green leaf and finally wasn’t hungry anymore but was a big fat Caterpillar!
Caterpillar builds a small house called a cocoon around himself for more than two weeks.
The lights will go down here and it will become dark while some music plays before becoming brights again to show that Caterpillar has become a beautiful butterfly! The stage is lit in different colours before returning to the coloured circles again.
That is the end of the show!
At the end of the show, the actors will take a bow whilst some music plays. Everyone will clap to show the actors they did a good job, you can clap if you want to!
When they leave the stage, the music will keep playing and the lights will get brighter. The show is now finished, time to go home!
Production Gallery
