Half Moon Spring Brochure 2023

Now more than ever, we need your help. halfmoon.org.uk/support-us

Welcome to our spring season

A very warm welcome to Half Moon’s season of theatre for young audiences.

This spring we are featuring the work of 15 delightfully creative companies, offering an exciting mix of live music, puppetry, interactive storytelling, physical theatre, poetry, vibrant design, intimate tales and heart-warming adventure. It’s going to be a stimulating and thrilling 11-week season and we are delighted to share it with you.

Don’t forget there’s free parking at weekends (weekdays after 5.30pm) and we are just a 2-minute walk from Limehouse mainline and DLR station. Plus, there’s a Santander Cycles docking station a short walk away on Flamborough Street (at the junction with Yorkshire Road and Commercial Road) and we have a number of bike stands and pods in our garden. See you soon.

Chris Elwell, Director

Host your event here

Do you need a space for a meeting, seminar or book launch? Or perhaps a studio theatre for rehearsing, filming or a photo shoot?

Half Moon has several fully accessible spaces available to hire.

Please contact us with your requirements: call 020 7709 8900 or email admin@halfmoon.org.uk

Bookshop @

Half Moon

We are delighted to offer a pop-up bookshop in partnership with the wellloved independent Brick Lane Bookshop. There’s a rolling selection of popular children’s books for all ages on offer, from classic favourites to the hottest new titles, plus contemporary greeting cards.

Party @ Half Moon

Celebrate your child’s special day at Half Moon. Book tickets for your group to see the afternoon show on the Saturday of your choice and hire our Upper Studio space (max. 25 children) for a post-show 90-minute party, for an additional £150.

For more information, visit halfmoon.org.uk/venue-hire

Gallery @ Half Moon

It’s The Small Things

By Kate Parkin

20 Jan – 17 Apr 2023

Wry observations and alternative ways of looking at small daily details categorise printmaker and illustrator Kate Parkin’s work. It’s The Small Things brings moments of fleeting amusement in its reflections on aspects of ordinary life and familiar phrases or words.

For all our exhibitions, we provide a gallery trail for children. School and community groups can visit free of charge to support young people in gaining Arts Award Discover and Explore. Contact Beccy on 020 7709 8908 or beccy@halfmoon.org.uk

In addition to our foyer exhibition space, Half Moon has two permanent exhibitions in our garden and on the first floor that explore the history of our company and the changing face of Tower Hamlets. Have you seen them?

Sat 21 Jan 11am & 2pm

Ages 0–8 45 mins

MEGSON PRESENTS

Family Folk Show Nature

Special

The award-winning folk duo blend their infectious mix of heavenly vocals and lush harmonies into a gentle, entertaining concert specially for younger children, featuring children’s folk songs about the natural world, from their albums When I Was a Lad and Little Bird. An organic, authentic and fun folk concert for big and little music connoisseurs.

“The most original duo on the British folk scene” The Guardian

“I really liked dancing with my sisters at the front! It was really exciting. I want to see them again!” Phoebe (aged 3)

Sat 28 Jan 11am & 2pm

Ages 3+ 50 mins

LYNGO THEATRE PRESENTS Jack and the Beanstalk

Fee Fi Fo Fum! It’s a giant of a show, we’d love you to come! This classic fairy tale now gets the Lyngo treatment, so expect lots of surprises and beautiful images as CBeebies’ Patrick Lynch tells the gripping story of Jack, who sells his cow for five magic beans and finds himself in the land above the clouds.

A show for the over 3s (and their giants) with something for everyone – enormous shoes, tiny houses, showers of silver and gold and a big, leafy explosion!

HERCULES PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

Prison Game

When prison is your world, how do you function within society? This gripping one-man physical theatre performance is the story of how prison can define a man. Told through a series of characters, you are taken on a young boy’s journey from primary school through to adulthood.

Developed using real life accounts of extraordinary experiences, this mainly biographical story deals with the effects of institutionalisation on the psyche of an individual and the people around them.

“Sharp, funny, skilful and moving” The Observer

Thu 9 Mar 10.30am & 1.30pm

Fri 10 Mar 10.30am & 1.30pm

Ages 6–11 55 mins

Belongings

Cleo is on a journey like no other. She’s trying to discover her past whilst attempting to stay on her feet in the present. Where has she been and when will she get back? Piles of clothes become sea creatures, dresses become parachutes and shadows dance, as Cleo and two new friends find a place called home.

Inspired by working with young people who don’t live with their birth parents, Belongings is the story of finding your feet, finding your playmates and imagining a new future. Told with Tangled Feet’s unique blend of physicality, innovative design and original music, this is a show for anyone who is looking to find where they fit in.

TANGLED FEET AND ROWAN TREE PRESENT

Club Origami

Rip, fold and scrumple! Shall we see what we can make with a single square of paper? As you scrunch the paper, see how your imagination begins to dance.

An immersive and interactive dance show inviting family audiences to create, imagine and explore whole new ways of thinking, playing and moving. Dance, fashion and live music meet the magic of origami to sweep us up on a spirited and inspiring adventure in a land made purely of paper and play.

After the performance there is a stay and play session.

This show is non-verbal. This makes it accessible to a range of people, including d/Deaf, hard of hearing and non-English speakers.

TAKESHI MATSUMOTO PRESENTS

On Demand

Unmissable children’s theatre, whenever you want it

Put your sofa in the front row with Half Moon On Demand, a streaming service offering unforgettable theatre for young audiences, available to watch anywhere and at any time. Watch digital productions of some of our recent shows for young people online, recorded live at Half Moon Theatre and professionally filmed and edited.

On Demand allows you to watch a show for £7 whenever you want and as many times as you like for 48 hours. Join us for an online performance that puts the best seats in the house into your own home.

All productions have closed captions for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.

Dust, The House that Jackson Built and

“The access to the live streamed shows gives a great opportunity to see live theatre for those who wouldn’t usually be able to

Theatre Passport

Launched as part of our 30th birthday celebrations in 2020, we need your help to continue Theatre Passport, a free ticket scheme for Tower Hamlets school and community groups. Working together with businesses, organisations and individuals, we can give local children the opportunity to experience the magic of live theatre, many for the first time, and start them on their creative journey.

A DONATION OF:

would let four young people visit Half Moon would go towards a whole school outing

would allow an entire class to come

You can donate online at halfmoon.org.uk/passport or send a cheque made payable to Half Moon Young People’s Theatre to: Half Moon, 43 White Horse Road, London E1 0ND.

Stages of Half Moon

Our digital archive exploring the heritage of Half Moon Theatre Explore the history of Half Moon Theatre through photographs, programmes, news stories, documents, videos and filmed interviews with over 100 people. There’s information on productions, projects, people and buildings, so lots to discover. The Stages of Half Moon exhibition is now on permanent display in the upper corridor. It’s overflowing with photographs and original posters, so do take a look and learn more about our long history. stagesofhalfmoon.org.uk

Half Moon’s Youth Theatres

School Years 1 – 3

Comets: Sat 10am–11am

Sunbeams: Sat 11.15am–12.15pm Moonbeams: Sat 12.45pm–1.45pm

Eclipse: Tue 4pm–5.45pm Equinox: Wed 4pm–5.45pm

School Years 7– 9 Lunar: Tue 6.30pm–8.30pm School Years 10 –13

Schools & teachers can also participate

Last year, Half Moon worked with over 26,000 workshop participants in over 1,900 creative learning sessions, including working with 67 of the 90 schools in our home borough of Tower Hamlets.

We work with nurseries, children and family centres, schools, colleges and community and youth organisations on a range of engaging projects, including curriculum-focused workshops, afterschool activities and initiatives to encourage young people to get into theatre, as well as professional development opportunities for teachers and other school staff, in partnership with Tower Hamlets Arts and Music Education Service (THAMES).

Projects include

Careers in Theatre: A hands-on, projectmanagement style experience for 13–17 year olds of all aspects of professional theatre

CPD for Teachers: A series of practical training sessions for primary and secondary school staff

Dramatic Maths or Science: An innovative project using drama and storytelling to engage children in KS2 maths or science

DramaWorks: Bespoke experiential residencies in non-mainstream settings for young people with additional needs or life limiting conditions

Early Years Creative Play: Sessions for children and adults to explore their physicality and imaginations and to feel confident with creative play

Gallery @ Half Moon: A chance for schools to experience the art in our gallery, meet the artist and use the pictures as stimulus for art, literacy and other curriculum work

Next Steps: A programme using drama to support Year 6 students with their transition to secondary school, with continued support in Years 7–9. Part of Tower Hamlets Youth Service Speech Bubbles: A year-long intervention programme working with KS1 children to develop their communication skills through drama

We also support young people and schools in gaining Artsmark and Arts Award.

For more information visit halfmoon.org.uk/learning. To discuss any of the projects or suggest other ways you would like to work with us at Half Moon, contact Beccy on 020 7709 8908 or email beccy@halfmoon.org.uk

Getting to us

By train/tube: Just 2 minutes’ walk from Limehouse mainline and DLR station (2 stops from Bank and Tower Gateway). Follow signs for Bekesbourne Street when exiting station. 15 minutes’ walk from Stepney Green tube.

By bus: Buses stop 1 minute away on Commercial Road junction with White Horse Road. Numbers 115, 135 & D3. Other buses stop by Stepney Green tube (25) and Ben Jonson Road (309, 339).

By car: Street parking is free at weekends and from 5.30pm on weekdays. Meter parking is available at all other times. Street parking is free to disabled patrons at all times. We are not within the congestion zone.

By bike: There is a Santander Cycles docking station just 2 minutes’ walk away on Flamborough Street (at the junction with Yorkshire Road and Commercial Road). Visit tfl.gov.uk to check latest accessibility details and to plan your journey.

Access

All our performances are relaxed performances. Blind and visually impaired audiences can pre-book touch tours prior to all performances. Some of our shows are non-verbal, or have limited dialogue, and are accessible to a range of people including d/Deaf, hard of hearing and non-English speakers. We have baby changing facilities, space for buggies and an adult changing table.