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It's not one theatre venue, but it is a fantastic way of introducing children to live performance. In their local hall they feel confident, the space is intimate, the performance is close, they feel safe and are able to enjoy themselves. What's more the tickets are cheap and the quality isn't compromised. Kids can talk to the performers afterwards and see sets, props and costumes.
The company’s work is aimed specifically at family audiences (children over three and adults). I help at our local arts centre and every time this theatre group perform I enjoy watching the faces of the children in the audience as much as the theatre. The children (small and large) love it!
You will find more information and current touring dates at:
www.tutti-frutti.co.uk/about
In among the steep, tangled streets of Great Malvern lies a Victorian lavatory. This may not be the first destination in mind for a child’s day out but ‘The Theatre of Small Convenience’ is the world's smallest theatre. It houses a variety of exceptional and quirky performances such as puppetry, storytelling, poetry and music. The shows are performed on demand every 5-10 minutes and with a seating area for the audience and each production is made very personal and memorable. This is guaranteed to excite and amaze young children.
www.wctheatre.co.uk/
Nearest Train Station is 15 min walk away.
If you are interested in books have a trip to Hay. You will find over 30 bookshops selling secondhand books. There are some great places to visit or stay. Try the Three Tuns or The Baskerville - I have stayed at both and they are excellent.
www.haybooks.ukgo.com
Google map: tinyurl.com/yhq4jlx
This is a gem. My daughter and I have spent many delightful Saturday afternoons in this brilliant little theatre. Originally built by by Oscar Hammerstein it's an enchanting space off of Time Square, on 42nd. The shows are eclectic, funny, informative, and cultural courtesy of traveling companies from all over the world, including the UK. A must see for anyone visiting with children!
The Chicken Shed Theatre is a theatre company working to use an inclusive creative process which means everyone is welcome, and everyone is valued. Chickenshed runs Children's and Youth Theatre workshops for 600 people, education courses for over 100 students, community outreach projects and a network of satellite 'Sheds' across the country (and two in Russia) so even more can benefit. Every extraordinary piece of theatre created at Chickenshed shouts out the same thing: anyone can thrive in an environment where everyone is welcome.
Chickenshed, Chase Side, Southgate, London
N14 4PE
Box Office: 020 8292 9222
www.chickenshed.org.uk
Google map: tinyurl.com/ygdjrgs
I recommend the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon, London. This theatre only does shows for children. I can still remember the excitement of school trips there. Coming from a family that did not do things like go the the theatre, it opened up a new world to me.
Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon
London, SW19 1SB
www.polkatheatre.com
Google map: tinyurl.com/yfltmyv
This is a theatre designed specifically for and partly by children. The program ranges from 0-18 and has some world class companies performing like the recent brilliant Theatre Alibi show 'High Muck-a-Muck'. The staff are very welcoming, very friendly and there is always a buzz when you walk in. It's also a great place to meet friends and family as the cafe operates throughout the day.
Historically, there was a panel of young children along with the board who contributed to the design of the theatre so it has children at the very heart of its program. Simply a brilliant place and deserves to be celebrated.
www.theatreroyal.org.uk/the-egg
Five minute walk from Bath Spa station, next door to the Theatre Royal.
Google map: tinyurl.com/yjdja4m
An 18th century baroque palace, with incredible atmosphere, used by Hungarian and international filmmakers.
The Temple Space, once the chapel, with its soaring roof and dramatic lighting is now used for contemporary art and performance. A stunning space, suitable for elegant costume dramas, or sci-fi and much in between.
108 Kiscelli utca
1037 Budapest
Dist III
Hungary
+ 36 1 200-7170
Amélie was filmed mostly in Montmartre in Paris. Two métro stations feature: Barbès-Rochechouart and Abbesses, as does the Gare du Nord train station. There is a scene in the gardens which lead up to Sacré Coeur - there are great views there - and the bar where Amélie worked is on the right of a street which leads down from Rue Lepic towards Pigalle, where the sex shop is situated. The grocer's shop is recognisable and is also on Rue Lepic, but is now a gift shop. Amélie was skimming stones on the Canal St Martin, very near the Gare du Nord. The whole lot would make an enjoyable two-hour walk.
Montmartre, Abbesses, Gare du Nord, Canal St Martin, Barbes-Rochechouart
Wonderful private museum housed in a beautiful mansion. What's great about the Benaki is that it offers a brilliant overview of Greek history (not just classical) through its collection of artifacts, art works, costumes and furniture.
Koumbari 1 (cnr Vasilissis Sofias)
210-3671000
Nearest metro: Syntagma
www.benaki.gr/
maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?cid=14957132971109921392&q=1+Koumbari&hl=en-GB
Basically, nearly every village in Greece has a church named after a saint, and when it is that saint's day, the village usually has a party.
Ikaria is justly famous for its panagiria, which tend to start at midday and end when the last musician drops off his/he chair from exhaustion, some time around dawn the next day. Food is usually basic: roast goat, rice, chips and salad, with wine or beer to wash it down. Music (always live) tends to be predominantly nisiotika (traditional island music) with a fair amount of rebetika thrown in. All ages attend (at one, the youngest person at our table was my daughter, then aged 6 months, and the oldest, my wife's aunt aged 102!).
You will drink and you will dance, even if you normally do neither. Fantastic fun, and a great chance to participate in a folk culture that is very much still alive.
Ask around when you get there or check this site:
www.island-ikaria.com/
Bezerros is a city in the interior of north-east Brazil. It is a one-hour car ride from Recife, the coastal capital of the the state of Pernambuco.
Many tourists head to Brazil just for the beaches, but take a visit to the interior and you will see the real Brazil. Bezerros is a good base for this. It is located between the lush topical coast and the dry Sertao, within a hilly dividing line between the two known as the Agreste.
The Serra Negra range of mountains offer spectacular views of the great dry plans that spread out beyond the hills, with lakes and caves where visitors can rock climb, trek, horseride or take a Jeep tour. Bezerros is the "Gateway to the Serra Negra"
The city offers other attractions. It is home of the Crentro de Artesanato do Pernambuco, with representations of the work of 220+ artists. The works tell a story of the folklore, legends and mythology from the region, expressed in many ways, and materials. Also in the region are the most famous artists of woodcut printing, the family of J Borges. The work is featured on the cover of popular literature, the Cordel (Chap Books). The Carnival here is also a great expression of creativity and one of the most popular in the interior. These three features make Bezerros the "Creative Capital of Pernambuco".
Carnival in Bezerros is also unique as it features the use of masks. Neighbours feed neighbours a corn porridge called Ángu during carnival. The masks save the greedy from embarrassment, allowing them to eat as much as they like. This gave rise to the name Papangu (eat Angu), and gives Bezerros the third claim to fame as "City of Papangu".
If all this is not enough, you can also take a walk around the cities markets, historic churches, well maintained squares and the old railway station, The railway was built by the British owned Great Western Brazilian Railway. Today the station houses the city museum and a museum of Papangu Carnival.
From Bezerros it is also possible to take short trips to Gravata (waterfalls, forest walks and horseriding), Bonito (the best waterfalls in the region) or Caruaru, home of earthenware sculptors and large craft markets. Caruaru also hosts the best São João Party in Pernambuco, during which Frevo, a music of the north-east and of carnival, can be heard.
I would like to recommend an Art Nouveau bus tour operated by ARAU (Atelier de Recherche et d'Action Urbaines), a non-profit local resident's group of architects, designers and interested citizens. The tour takes you to the most extravangant houses of the time around 1900, explaining not only who built it, but also who lived in it and what happened to the building throughout the century. The tour includes visits to the interiors of some Art Nouveau buildings, some of which are not open to the public.
The tour guide we were lucky to join was a very entertaining man, who also told us a lot about city developement and the way Brussels deals with its historical monuments.
The tour takes 3 hours, price is 17 Euro, online reservation possible. For details see: www.arau.org
Google map: tinyurl.com/nmfoha
Annual festival held in April to celebrate the harvest of local Codpa grapes, with a wonderful display of local produce plus wine, music and traditional dance. Relaxed and remote.
Small oasis village of Codpa in the Atacama desert south of Arica, north Chile. Limited public transport.
One good touristy thing to do is to try and see/hear the choir of monks who give performances in the Tranfiguration Cathedral in the Kremlin. Their singing is absolutely beautiful and may well leave you slightly dewey-eyed.
The Tranfiguration Cathedral in the Kremlin
Though the factory is now closed, you’ll still find ex-workers behind little stalls near to the Kremlin who must have secreted a good deal of the stock about their persons before they became redundant. Apparently they assemble the watches at home and now sell them at still reasonable prices, ladies watches being a good deal more prevalent than gents. I bought one of these in 2000 and it’s still going strong. The name Chaika means ‘seagull’ in Russian and was adopted after being used by the first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, as her call-sign.
Stalls outside the Kremlin
The small flamenco museum is situated close to the more famous Picasso Museum, within the Flamenco Club. Don't be put off - when you enter the ground floor you might think that you have intruded into a private club (well you have) - but you will quickly be welcomed and shown around three floors of fascinating exhibits of memorabilia from the past century of Malaga flamenco
I really recommend taking a tour around one of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro - it is one of the most interesting (and exciting!) things I have done during my travels. It's a real eye-opener to wander down through the tiny streets of the favelas, seeing how so many people live in such poverty. All the people we passed seemed happy, were incredibly friendly and loved to have their photos taken (except for the drug dealers, who we were advised not to photograph!). Absolutely fascinating trip, with the added thrill of a ride on the back of a motorbike to get there. Great views of the city too.
Rocinho favela, tour arranged by bealocal.com
Moscow's oddest museum, in a hollowed-out apartment block. Miles away from artefacts in glass cases, the chaotic, agitprop presentation attempts to tell the story of the poet's life while simultaneously create the experience of walking around Mayakovkiy's head in full creative flow.
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