book tickets
The Bear
From the book by Raymond Briggs
Adapted by Pins and Needles Productions.
Ever wondered what it would be like to sit on a polar bear's lap? Or ride on its back? Have you ever tried to give a polar bear a bath, or clear up its poo?
One night when she's fast asleep, Tilly is visited by an enormous bear. It has a big black tongue and a yawn as big as your head. But Tilly's not scared.
The story of a little girl who befriends a mischievous polar bear, this playful, funny and heart-warming tale is one of imagination and growing up.
Featuring inventive design, original music, and magical puppetry.
'Move over War Horse, this polar puppet is magic' The Guardian
Age guidance 3+ years.
Click here to read the full review.
Tuesday 26 November – Sunday 29 December Performances twice daily | Run time 55 mins
£13.50 (£11.50 under 16s) Family and Friends Ticket (4 people) £46. Offer applied in basket.
Relaxed Performances
Performances on Sat 30 Nov at 11am and Sat 28 Dec at 11am are Relaxed - ideal for children with SEND. Everyone is welcome to join us for this friendly format. The house lights are kept on and audience members can come and go as they please.
Download a visual story of your visit to The Bear here. Or download a visual story of you visit to a Relaxed performance of The Bear here.
Pre-show Touch Tours
For children with SEND and sensory impairments. Contact the Box Office on 01628 788997 for more details.
Reviews
'This production is an absolute joy!' Maidenhead Advertiser
'With bubbles, glitter, light and sparkle, everything about this production was charming. My two boys were rapt' Henley Standard
'The Bear is magical, wonderful and fabulously heart warming' Laura’s Lovely Blog
'An hour of perfection for young families that will win you some serious brownie points with the kiddies’ Little Ankle Biters
'The story is all things you want from a children’s Christmas production – funny, silly, relatable, and emotive' The Wokingham Paper
'The polar bear is played as a puppet who you just fall in love with... the whole audience of school kids and my son were transfixed' Red Kite Days
'The puppetry work is ever so impressive. You really do believe the Polar Bear is real' Mummy & the Ruggies
'One of my favourite places to visit with the children, especially for a Christmas treat!' Families Magazine
'The cast bring oodles of energy and charm to this show, but it is the polar bear who is the star' Muddy Stilettos
'If you are in any doubt to book, I'd say do it. The nursery and school age children who shared the auditorium with us today were as equally enthralled' Mums about Cookham
other events you may be interested in
Magic & Storytelling with Patrick Ashe (online)
Enjoy interactive stories online via Zoom - with an added magical twist!
Alongside the stories, Patrick will show you how the magic works and teach a trick or two. But because Patrick is in the magic circle you must promise to keep the secrets!
Tuesday 7 July - story tbc
Props you will need:
tbc
Keep an eye out for details about each week's stories and what you'll need for each trick!
Suitable for ages 5+ years.
This session will be fun for you and your little ones, please support where necessary and ensure that children are always supervised during the class.
Tues 5 May - 18 Aug
1.30pm - 2pm
£5 per session
Booking cut off time: 12pm on the day of each session
Kite Making Workshops (online)
Led by Community Kite Project
Our much-loved Kite Making Workshops are going online!
Just because we can’t be together to make and fly kites this year, it doesn’t mean the fun has to stop!
Get involved at our online Kite Making workshops across the school holidays, then see take your creation to the sky at your local park – don’t forget to send us a photo or video!
The workshops are led by specialist kite makers, Community Kite Project.
In these online sessions our practitioners will guide you through the process of making a Japanese Sode Kite.
Join us via Zoom to make and decorate your kite to stand out in the sky!
Each ticket includes access to the live, online workshop and everything you need to make and fly your kite! All you will need are pens to decorate your creation. We will be in touch with details about how you can collect your materials pack from Norden Farm.
Suitable for ages 4+ years.
Thur 23 Jul - 13 Aug
11am - 11.45am
£10 per person/kite (includes materials - packs must be collected from Norden Farm)
Booking cut off time: 9am on the day of each workshop
Ballet Beats (online)
Led by Abbi Lewin.
A fun, creative way for children to explore their dance skills – from the comfort of your own home!
Each week they will have the chance to go on an adventure using imagination and play to help learn basic ballet techniques.
Suitable for ages 2 - 4 years.
Tues 5 May - 2 Jun, 9 Jun - 30 Jun, 7 Jul - 28 Jul
10.45am – 11.15am
£5 per class or £18 per 4 week term
Booking cut off time: 9am on the day of each class
We want everyone to be safe while dancing at home so please ensure that all children are wearing appropriate clothing and footwear and that you have suitable space to move in and have cleared the space of any potential hazards.
This session should be fun for you and your little ones, please support where necessary and ensure that children are always supervised during the class.
Digi Den - Summer Sessions (online)
Led by DJ Mhlanga
The digital arts club!
Reconnect with the Digi Den community via weekly Zoom workshops. Share your creativity, explore music and film editing!
You will need: Paper to draw or write on and any pencils, pens or art supplies you may like to use. The project will adapt to incorporate any other supplies individuals may have.
Suitable for School Years 7 - 13.
Fri 15 May - 24 Jul (exc 29 May)
5.15pm - 6.45pm
£80 per 10 week term
Booking cut off time: Friday 31 July 12pm
Little Wrigglers (online)
Led by Bethany Hearn.
A thrilling, energetic and creative dance class – from the comfort of your own home!
Explore imaginative themes and adventures through dance, song and mime.
Suitable for ages 2+ years.
Mon 4 May - 1 Jun (exc 25 May), 8 Jun - 29 Jun and 6 Jul - 20 Jul
10.15am – 11am
£5 per class or £18 per 4 week term / £13.50 for the 3 week term
Booking cut off time: 9am on the day of each session
We want everyone to be safe while dancing at home so please ensure that all children are wearing appropriate clothing and footwear and that you have suitable space to move in and have cleared the space of any potential hazards.
This session should be fun for you and your little ones, please support where necessary and ensure that children are always supervised during the class.
Chill Club – Yoga for ages 5 - 11 years (online)
Led by Carly Brown
A 4 week yoga course designed for primary school aged children.
We will cover lots of different yoga poses in a fun and gentle way. Using our imaginations, we will look at how nature and wildlife inspires many yoga poses and exercises, lion breath for courage, tree pose for strength, cat pose for flexibility for example.
We will then take a short savasana (blanket time) to classical piano music. This resting time allows all the work and play to settle into the children’s bodies and brains. Each session will finish with a poem or reading.
Fri 3 Jul - additional information
This week we will be looking at some balancing poses and covering a beautiful meditation based on the book by Thich Nhat Hanh called A Handful of Quiet, happiness in four pebbles. You will need 4 small items from the natural world, ideally pebbles, stones, shells etc.
You will need one yoga mat and one blanket each.
Suitable for ages 5 - 11 years.
Fri 26 Jun - 24 Jul (exc 17 Jul) and 31 Jul - 21 Aug
10.30am – 11am
£30 per 4 week term or £8 per session
Booking cut off time: 9am on the day of each session
We want everyone to be safe while practising yoga at home so please ensure that all children are wearing appropriate clothing and footwear and that you have suitable space to move in and have cleared the space of any potential hazards.
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