The Owl Who Came for Christmas Performance Information Pack by Curve Theatre

Relaxed Performance Information Pack for The Owl Who Came for Christmas Saturday 9 December - Saturday 6 January 2024

Box Office Telephone: 0116 242 3595 Box Office Email: tickets@curvetheatre.co.uk Address: Curve, 60 Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1SB

Contents Hello and What is a Relaxed Performance?.........................................................2 Getting to Curve…………………………………………………………………………………………..3 - 6 Visual Story: Your Visit to Curve…………………………………………………………….….7 – 17 The Owl Who Came for Christmas: The Story and Sensory Moments….….18 –23 Useful Information…………………………………………………………………………………….24-25 Meet the Cast……………………………………………………………………………………………..26-27 My Visit to see The Owl Who Came for Christmas: Communication Sheet………………………………………………………………………………………………………………28

Hello! We are looking forward to welcoming you to Curve for our Relaxed Performance of The Owl Who Came for Christmas. This pack is designed to give you a bit more information about the performance and our theatre ahead of your visit. What is a Relaxed Performance? Relaxed Performances are open to everyone but are especially tailored to support audience members who may benefit from a more relaxed performance environment. This might include children, young people and adults who are neurodivergent, including individuals with autism or other learning, sensory or communication needs. The Owl Who Came For Christmas has been created to be warm and welcoming for as many people as possible. Throughout the performance the lights in the Studio Theatre will remain on at a low level, and whilst the doors will be closed, audience members will be able to come and go from the space if they need a break from the performance. There will be a relaxed attitude to audience reactions during the show, with moments of interaction and audience participation throughout. You may also notice the cast using non-verbal communication methods, such as Makaton, throughout. Widgit Symbols © Widgit Software 2002-2023, www.widgit.com.

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.

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. When parking at NCP Rutland Centre for up to 2 hours, you can access a cheaper rate of £5.90. If parking at NCP Rutland Centre between the hours of 5pm and 2am, you can access a cheaper rate of £6.95 if you pay via the NCP ParkPass App, or £7.95 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*

Haymarket Leicester, LE1 3HP Access Spaces: 5 Hourly charges from £1*

NCP Lee Circle Car Park Leicester, LE1 3RE Access Spaces: 4 | Max Height: 1.93m Hourly charges from £1.95*

Newarke Street Leicester, LE1 5SN Access Spaces: 1 Hourly charges from £1*

Dover Street Highcross John Lewis Car Park Leicester, LE1 6PW Leicester, LE1 4QJ Access Spaces: 14 | Max Height 1.98m Access Spaces: 109 | Family Spaces: Hourly charges from £1* 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. NEW – Hop! Free City Centre Circular Bus Service Launched in April 2023, the new 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

Hop! Route Map

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. The outside of Curve looks like this:

Halford Street Entrance

Rutland Street Entrance

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There are two main entrances into the building: Halford Street, by our Green Room Café, and Rutland Street, by our Box Office. All entrances have a set of glass double doors. The doors will open outwards automatically as you move towards them. There is level access into the building from all entrances. Halford Street

Rutland Street

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.

There are also large digital screens displaying upcoming shows and events throughout the building.

Our Foyer is also filled with Christmas cheer, ready for the festive season! There are several artificial trees and garlands placed around the Foyer, each decorated with static, warm fairy lights, shiny red and gold baubles and a sparkly star on the top.

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.

It may also be noisy in the Foyer as other audience members will be arriving to see The Owl Who Came For Christmas or our Christmas musical, Evita. You might like to wear a pair of ear defenders during this time, or bring a comfort toy to play with before the performance. Ear defenders are available at Reception if you have not brought your own.

Here is a map of the Ground Floor of Curve.

In the Foyer next to the Rutland Street doors, you will find our Box Office. Car parking tickets for cars parked in the NCP Rutland Centre Multi-storey 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. Throughout the run of The Owl Who Came for Christmas, the toilets by the Green Room Café, the gender-neutral toilets on the Mezzanine and all Accessible toilets on the ground floor will be sensory adapted. This means that all hand dryers will be switched off and hand 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. 12

The male and female toilets by the Box Office will not be sensory adapted, and will have working hand dryers as well as paper towels.

You will be watching The Owl Who Came for Christmas in our Studio Theatre, which has bright red seating as shown in the picture below. 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 scan your ticket with a handheld scanner before you go in and take your seat. 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 wear a pair of ear defenders during this time, or bring a comfort toy to play with before the performance begins. 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.  You will be able to see the Forest, where Rosie and her friends live. There is a large moon in the centre of the stage, surrounded by trees and – occasionally – a starry sky. 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. You can leave the show at any time and return when you’re ready. If you would like a break from the performance, you can visit the Chill Space on the Mezzanine (Level M). This area is open to all audience members, and will include sensory toys, activities and areas to relax in. A picture of this area will be added to this pack soon. 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. Alternatively, you can take a seat in our Foyer. If you would like to be taken to a fully quiet space, please speak to a member of our Visitor Experience team.

Widgit Symbols © Widgit Software 2002-2023, www.widgit.com

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. The audience may also clap between the end of each song, you can clap too if you would like to!

Widgit Symbols © Widgit Software 2002-2023, www.widgit.com

The Owl Who Came for Christmas - 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. As you enter the Studio Theatre, you will hear sounds of the forest with jingly bells amongst them. There is a large moon in the centre of the stage that slowly changes colour as the sun sets. When the show is about to start, you will hear an announcement asking everyone to switch off their mobile phones and to not take photos during the performance. There are moments of audience participation throughout the show, these moments can be quite loud. The four actors – wearing colourful jumpers with white embroidery and blue jeans - enter the Studio Theatre from the left, greeting audience members as they take the stage. The actor wearing a red jumper runs their finger along a jingly instrument to mark the start of the story, as they begin to tell you about a little owl who came for Christmas! They invite you go with them to the Christmas tree farm, and to join in throughout the show from your seats using your body and voice. You can join in if you would like to! It is night-time on the Christmas Tree Farm. At this moment, the stage will get darker except for a bright blue moon and twinkly stars. ♫ Light, bouncy music will play. Squirrel scuttles on the stage and starts searching for nuts – she decides to save them for later! 18

There is a sound of sniffing. Fox sneakily steals Squirrel’s buried nuts! Then, hooves begin to clop, it is Reindeer stomping across the stage! Rosie the Owl appears in the tree and greets the animals. Rosie is a soft, felted puppet and is brought to life by one of the actors who will help her move and speak. She makes a ‘twit’ sound and the animals make a ‘twoo’ sound back. She also greets the audience – that’s you! - and invites you to ‘twit twoo’ too. Rosie is hungry, so the animals help her catch some worms to eat! The animals ask if there are any other worms in the audience - can you wiggle your body like a wiggly worm? After Rosie catches a second worm, Fox gives a third worm to a member of the audience on the front row. They will feed the worm to Rosie. Rosie and the animals love their home. They tell you all about it in a song called ♫Welcome to Our Home. During the song, the animals play instruments including a violin, tambourine and a string instrument called an autoharp. They will invite you to join in from your seat using your voice and body. As the sun rises, Rosie starts to get sleepy. The animals sing the ♫ Nest Lullaby Song as she closes her eyes and snuggles into the tree. A tree chopper called Bruce appears, singing a merry tune over a scratchy sound. He is joined by another tree chopper called Lee, who is wheeling a trailer. Both choppers are wearing hi-vis coats and a yellow hard hat. Fox and Squirrel hide! Bruce and Lee introduce themselves and talk about the Christmas tree farm. They grow and chop trees especially for families to take home and decorate. Fox and Squirrel try to wake Rosie up.

The animals will ask for your help. If you want to join in, shout Rosie as loud as you can when Fox and Squirrel count to three. No luck – Rosie is still asleep! Fox and Squirrel hide as Bruce and Lee reappear. Bruce is sure he saw something in the tree. A deep piano sound will play as they investigate the movement in the trees. Getting back to work, Bruce and Lee decide which trees are ready to be cut. They agree that Rosie’s tree would be perfect for a family home. Fox and Squirrel will ask for your help again to wake up Rosie, can you wake her up by shouting Rosie as loud as you can? No luck – Rosie is still asleep! Fox and Squirrel hide in their trees again, so Bruce and Lee don’t see them. They cut down the tree, with Rosie still in it!

They then sing a song called Chop it, Pack it, (Sell it) Off We Go! as they take away the tree with Rosie asleep inside it. During this song, Bruce and Lee take their hi-vis jackets off and are wearing sparkly hi-vis waistcoats underneath! Bruce and Lee transport the tree to the Christmas Tree farm. They pass lots of different buildings, as festive, jingly music plays. At the market, Bruce and Lee are selling the trees ready for Christmas. Bruce rings a bicycle bell to get the attention of shoppers. Lily and her Mum pick out a tree and take it home. Mum ‘drives’ a red toy car around the stage, to show the journey home. The car has, white-toned headlights, and there are lots of loud sounds of the passing traffic including engines, car horns and sirens, amongst some ♫ jingly music.

At home, Lily and Mum put up the tree. Dog comes into the room and is excited to see the audience – and the tree! Whenever Dog is on stage, she barks! Dog will also come over to the audience to say hello to people seated on the front row. Lily is excited to decorate the tree. She calls Mum, Dad and Ethan to help. She really wants to put her owl baubles on the tree. Mum tells the family there is an order to decorating the perfect tree and that is starting with the lights, then tinsel, then baubles, and finally the star ♫ Decorate our Tree. When the family finish decorating, the tree lights up in lots of different colours. When they leave the room, Rosie climbs out and sits on a branch, but she does not know where she is. Dog returns and begins to bark at Rosie, who is hidden again in the tree. Lily comes back in to see what Dog is barking at and hears Rosie hoot. She shouts for Mum and Dad. The family find Rosie in the tree. Lily is excited and tries to talk to Rosie using owl noises. Can you hoot and help Lily talk to Rosie? The family are not sure how to help Rosie get home. They open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and leave her on her own, hoping she will fly off into the night. Rosie is scared and hungry, so she doesn’t fly away. Lily sneaks back into the living room to give Rosie a drink. Lily will ask if you know Rosie’s name, it might get loud when everyone tells her! Lily would like to experience what it’s like to fly ♫ If I Had Wings.

The next morning, Mum calls the Wildlife Centre to come and help with Rosie. Nick - the Wildlife Guy - arrives and can speak to Rosie through hoots. He understands that Rosie is trying to get back to her friends, and is very hungry. Nick will invite two members of the audience on stage to help him feed Rosie. If you are picked, you can go up if you would like to. Nick will then ask the whole audience to help feed Rosie - can you make a worm with your finger? The characters will ask you to aim your wriggly worm at Rosie, everyone will shout ‘wiggly woo!’. ♫ Nick sings a lullaby, sending Rosie to sleep. He picks her up and takes her outside to the garden before rushing back to the centre. We then see Santa and his reindeer fly over the moon! Rosie wakes up and realises she is outside. Time to find some more worms to eat before she sets off on her journey back to the forest, but not before saying goodbye to the family. Lily promises to look after Rosie’s tree and says goodbye, singing ♫ If I Had Wings (Reprise). During this song, Rosie flies over the left-hand side of the audience from the back of the Studio Theatre and down on to the stage, the lights become brighter so you can see her. The family watch her go, waving goodbye one last time. The family are sad to see Rosie go. It begins to snow, so they play and have a snowball fight! (♫ Snow Song) Rosie returns to the forest and is reunited with Fox, Squirrel and Reindeer. There are lit up Christmas trees with colourful lights all around! The animals sing ♫ Welcome To Our Home (Reprise) before retelling Rosie’s journey in ♫ The Story of the Real Rosie. During this song, the animals will 22

make it snow over the audience with white confetti, as a mirror ball shines light all around and the moon sparkles. The animals will invite you to sing ♫ Jingle Bells and dance with them, before singing the rap from ♫ Welcome To Our Home! That is the end of the show. The cast will bow and the audience will clap. The title of the show and a picture of Rosie will light up on the moon. After the show, there is an opportunity to meet Rosie in our Grotto. Turn left when you get to the stage to visit Rosie. More information and pictures can be found in the Useful Information section on the next page. If you would prefer to go home, turn right and you will go straight into the Foyer.

Useful Information

The Owl Who Came for Christmas is based on the book of the same name by author, John Hay and Garry Parsons. You might have read this at home!

The running time for The Owl Who Came for Christmas is 60 minutes with no interval, meaning there isn’t a break in the middle. The performance is recommended for children aged 3+ and their grown-ups.

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! If you would like to meet Rosie after the show, turn left when you get down to the stage. Other audience members will also be waiting to meet Rosie, so you will need to join a queue. If you do not want to meet Rosie and want to leave the Studio Theatre after the show, turn right when you get down to the stage and you will exit the space.  There will be signs on the stage like this, telling you where to go. Members of our Visitor Experience Team will also be stood on the stage to help guide you in the direction you would like to go. 24

The meet and greet will take place in the Grotto, a magical forest path beneath the seats where you will watch the show. There is leafy netting all around the path, which is lined with green lights and wooden Christmas trees. The sounds of the forest can be heard in the background.

When it is your turn to meet Rosie, you will be lead through a shiny curtain to a room with a Christmas tree and stacks of presents on the floor. Members of our Visitor Experience Team will invite you to take a photo with Rosie. You can then leave the Grotto through another shiny curtain, making your way through the Studio Theatre doors into the Foyer.

If there is 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.

Meet the Cast An actor is somebody who imagines what it’s like to be someone else on stage at the theatre. A group of actors is called a cast. There are four actors in The Owl Who Came For Christmas. You can see pictures of them and the characters they play below. This is Mary Bonam. Mary’s roles include:-

Squirrel

Dog

Mum

This is Camille Burnett. Camille’s roles include:-

Rosie

Ethan

Lee

This is Oliver Stanley. Oliver’s roles include:-

Reindeer

Dad

Bruce

Oliver also plays Nick the Wildlife Guy. As Nick, he wears a bright red coat with white piping and a red bobble hat with white pom pom. He also has a big, fluffy, white beard, and carries a brown leather satchel.

This is Annabelle Terry. Annabelle’s roles include:-

Fox

Lily

You can find out more about the cast and their roles in our activity programme, available to buy on the door to the Studio Theatre, Reception, Green Room Café or Stage Door Bar.

My visit to see The Owl Who Came For Christmas

We hope you find this information pack helpful ahead of your visit to Curve. Enjoy the show! If you have any comments on this information pack, please email us on access@curvetheatre.co.uk. For more information about Accessibility at Curve, please visit www.curveonline.co.uk, or call our Box Office on 0116 242 3595. We look forward to welcoming you. This information pack was created by Lisa Brain, Audiences and Access Co-ordinator and Nicola Allen, Marketing and Access Manager at Curve. 29