Fill your May half term with creativity with the diverse range of activities at Norwich Theatre. Engage in half-day workshops, enjoy a free film screening, delight in shows tailored for your little ones, and even indulge in a special treat for the mums and dads!
Check out what is on offer and plan your week.
Free activities
The Kindness Choir (28 May) is a free family sing-along and a chance to come together and learn some familiar musical songs. This joyful shared experience is accompanied by British Sign Language (BSL) signing. This session is open to all families to share in the joy of singing, from babes in arms to toddlers and children up to 16 with their grown-ups.
The Manual for Kindness (28 – 29 May) is not just an activity booklet, it’s a gateway to exploring your creative side. Available to anyone, it can be picked up at Norwich Theatre Royal Box Office and Café Royal. With 10 pages inviting you to draw, write, look and imagine, it’s suitable for all ages and abilities, inspiring creativity in everyone.
Ready set game! As a part of the Norwich Games Festival we welcome you to the Games Lounge (31 May – 1 Jun) in the Norwich Theatre Royal Long Bar. Get hands on retro and modern games consoles and challenge, your family and friends to a game or two. Mario Kart anyone?
Our second Sunday Screening will be Disney and Pixar’s Elemental (2 Jun). The film is an animated romantic comedy about the unlikely pair, Ember and Wade, in a city where fire, water, land and air residents live together. The Sunday Screenings are an opportunity to see the new film releases for free on the large screen at Norwich Theatre Stage Two. To attend, seats must be booked.
See a show
Join the boat-bed’s disparate crew as they dream up playful tales of pirates, misunderstood sharks and fishing trips that hook some unexpected catches in Ten in a Bed (26 May). But what happens if the bed is not big enough to fit everyone in?
Celebrating one of the world’s best nursery rhymes, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (1–2 Jun) is the perfect first theatre experience. The show combines live action, animation, and puppetry to retell Pam Adams’ best-selling book.
Half day workshops
For dancing fun, try Dance Day (29 May). This session explores ways to be kind to ourselves through dance. Working as a group, create choreography for a short original piece of dance. No dance experience is needed, just a passion to move.
Drama Day (28 May) is an extended exploration of theatre making, encouraging creativity, imagination and confidence through performance. Participants will warm up with games and exercises before delving into the piece through acting, directing, movement and physical theatre.
Gaming Royalty
Recording artist Bentley Jones (30 May) as he discusses his journey so far, from the start of his music career, to his transition into games music and his current album. Bentley has amassed over 60 million streams and downloads, and gathered remix credits for the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears, Harry Styles, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. If that wasn’t enough, he’s composed for some of the world’s best-known video-game franchises like The X-Files, Tekken, Sonic the Hedgehog, Gradius, Titan Wars and Contra.
Coffee and cake
Café Royal is open six days a week to meet friends or relax after a workshop. The café will offer a free cookie with every children’s hot chocolate or Fruit Shoot during the half term week. Don’t forget to stamp your loyalty card to get your tenth drink free.
Date night … without the kids?
Get a babysitter and treat yourself to a well-earned trip to the theatre on Saturday night with comedian Ed Bryne (1 Jun). The Irish comic, who is a regular panel show guest, will test Mark Twain’s theory that humour is defined as Tragedy Plus Time.
Make a night of it and book yourself into Prelude, where the table is yours for the evening!
