Families across the North are in for a treat this spring as Kitchen Zoo, a theatre company from Newcastle, present their special brand of joyous, accessible performances for younger audiences.
Kitchen Zoo have been creating critically acclaimed performances for children and their grown-ups since 2018. Since their formation by co-artistic Directors Hannah Goudie-Hunter and Bob Nicolson, the company have created work especially for venues including Northern Stage and ARC Stockton, where they are associate artists.
After a very busy winter when they produced three Christmas shows and presented 154 performances, the company is back on the road for a spring tour of Hey Diddle Diddle, a nursery rhyme cabaret.
Hey Diddle Diddle is hosted by Nero (the cat who plays the fiddle) and Lazzo (the little dog who laughs). Together they bring together their nursery rhyme friends to share their own special stories and skills. With appearances from the Hickory Dickory Flea Circus and the famous dare-devil egg Humpty Dumpty (a hilarious egg in an Elvis costume) the show is a fun-loving celebration of rhyme, puppetry andsong.
Hey Diddle Diddle is a 45 minute performance that was originally created for Northern Stage and is touring further afield in April and May.
Bob Nicholson, Co-Founder of Kitchen Zoo and Director of the show says: "We are very proud to be based in the north and are thrilled to be taking Hey Diddle Diddle on tour across our region this Easter. We can’t wait to meet our audiences and hope everyone will enjoy seeing a new side to some well-known nursery rhyme characters”.
Every performance of Hey Diddle Diddle is relaxed making it an ideal first theatre experience for younger children or for those with additional needs. As Hannah Goudie-Hunter, Kitchen Zoo Co-founder and performer explains: “We want everyone to be able to enjoy our performances. Everyone is welcome and each space is relaxed. There is no pressure to keep quiet or sit still – it’s too exciting for that! We know taking younger children or those with disabilities to the theatre can seem daunting for parents and carers but we try to make it a magical event for everyone. We love to see and hear the excitement of the audience and we can’t wait to get out see you!”
The Hey Diddle Diddle tour stars on 1 April and is touring to venues including:
The Exchange, North Shields on 1 April
Alnwick Playhouse on 7 & 8 April
Theatre By The Lake, Keswick on 11 & 12 April
Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough on 15 April
ARC, Stockton on 6 May
Gala Theatre, Durham on 7 May
Tickets are available directly from the venues.
You can find out more about Kitchen Zoo online at www.kitchenzootheatre.com
Header Image: Hannah Goudie-Hunter and Jeremy Bradshaw in Hey Diddle Diddle (All Images - Von Fox Promotions)