Jo Sweetman and her two children enjoy a charming puppetry production for younger children
On the last day of half term I took Archie age 7 and Ivy age 5 to The Wardrobe Theatre at the Old Market Assembly in Bristol to see the puppetry show Woodland Tales with Grandad by Pickled Image. This was the first time we had been to see a puppetry show and we watched the short video on the website that introduced the characters and the story so that Archie and Ivy knew what to expect. They were very excited after watching this and were looking forward to meeting all the characters.
The Wardrobe Theatre is in the Old Market area of Bristol above a pub that served hot drinks and snacks for a pre or post show treat. We parked at the Galleries, with a short walk to the theatre.
It is a small, intimate space that makes you feel like you’re right there in the show, with the puppets interacting with those on the front rows. It was a relaxed, noisy, family-friendly event with no need to feel like the children had to sit still or stay quiet. The seats are unallocated but well tiered so everyone could see and after a short queue we chose our seats and settled down for the show. “It was absolutely amazing”, said Archie.
The charming puppetry show featured Grandad and a selection of delightful puppet animals to tell the story of Grandad’s favourite woodland that was under threat of being cut down for development. “The fox was really cute and the story was a bit sad,” said Ivy.
The performance was captivating with just the right amount of audience interaction to keep everyone engaged. The puppetry was excellent and the storytelling was wonderful, with an environmental message suitable for the age group that gave us lots to talk about afterwards. We thought it was excellent and everyone loved Grandad – the children even had the opportunity to talk to grandad after the show.
Find out more about upcoming productions at The Wardrobe Theatre here