Bedtime Stories 'Come To Life'

Wild Ivy Theatre founded by Chiswick actors brings children's classic to West End

Two Chiswick graduates of ArtsEd have set up a collective or actors, artists and musicians, Wild Ivy Theatre, to bring high-quality children's theatre to London family audiances.

Emily Slater, from Strand on the Green, and Lucy Harwood, also from Chiswick, founded the company about eighteen months ago and they also have two other Chiswick-based actors working with them as well as a range of graduates of top drama schools in London.

Pic- Barnaby McArthur

The group are currently showing a Christmas production of The Show Queen, the Hans Christian Anderson classic, into the West End at the Arts Theatre, Leicester Square. The show opened this week (Monday) and runs to the 23rd December with weekday matinees at 1pm & 3pm for children aged 3-12 (the young and the young at heart!)

Emily says: "Lucy and I set up Wild Ivy Theatre as a way to bring high quality children's theatre to London's family audiences - focusing on adaptations of classic literature and storytelling as we felt that there was a niche for this kind of theatre and lots of families who might be looking for fun, cultural activities for their little ones. We produce theatre shows as well as offering bespoke schools workshops and drama/poetry/dance workshops.

"We were lucky enough to work with W6 Garden Centre over by Ravenscourt Park - where we started drama in the garden, site specific performances for families in the garden centre amongst the flowers! We started with Wind in the Willows and have produced two sell out shows before this year taking our adapatation of Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen into the West End "

The Show Queen tells of a little boy who is capture and his heart frozen. His sister Gerda sets out on a perilous journey to bring him back and encounters helpful creatures along the way. But will she find him, and will he remember who she is? The warm-hearted tale about friendship is suitable for ages from three years and up.

The group believe that children deserve the opportunity to engage with creative and cultural activities and that theatre made for children should always be centred around great storytelling - like a bedtime story come to life.

The Snow Queen has a cast of four who take on all the roles and is performed in a relaxed studio space so kids can wriggle and feel up close to the action, rather than have to hush up in a huge commercial theatre.

They also use use music, singing, dancing and puppetry to bring this classic tale to life!

Box office 0207 836 8463 or online Tickets

December 10, 2015