Mix ‘N’ Pick Theatre is reinventing the rooftops of Princes Mall this summer with the Boxsmall Festival, providing fun-packed interactive theatre shows for children every half hour in their Showbox venue. With previews of a variety of children’s shows from the festival and plenty of games and arts and crafts on the go, there are plenty of things to do for children of all ages. We had a chat with Artistic Director Stewart McLaren to find out what Mix ‘N’ Pick has to offer during the festival season.
Watch out though parents, you may very well be pulled into the story as well!
What can the children do at Showbox?
We have a variety of interactive children’s shows running throughout the day. These include Junkyard Man vs. The Aliens From Outer Space, The Wizard and the Dragon, Spy School, Pirates Arr Us!, Wacky Wild West, The Princess and the Worms, Mad Scientist Academy and much more. They’re 15 to 20 minutes long and are fully interactive storytelling performances that have the children playing characters within the story. The kids are loving dressing up and being part of the story and it’s a great way to encourage their imagination and play. I think anything to get children away from their computer screens and out into a big open space for creative play is a great way to spend the day. Watch out though parents, you may very well be pulled into the story as well!
What about the preview acts, how does that work?
Throughout the day we will have a variety of children’s shows coming into the area to perform snippets from their shows. We have amassed a huge line-up already for the days ahead which include: Colors, Matt Grey, Flight, Mrs. McMoon’s Tea Party, Brush, ComedySportz UK, High School Rock Live, Father Christmas Needs a Wee! and much more. It’s a great way to help choose what shows to go see at the festival with your kids.
What are the opening hours and how long can the children stay in the Kids Zone?
We are open from 10am to 7pm and with a day pass families can come back as often as they want throughout the day. It’s a good way to let the parents have a chill out in the wonderful Boxsmall festival, which provides plenty of food and market stalls.
If any children’s companies would like to take part in the previews, how do they go about this?
Either contact myself or my co-director Linsay Duncan at the Showbox itself or email us at [email protected]. Spots are quickly filling up so the quicker you get in touch the better.
How do we see what’s on any given day at the Showbox?
We’ll post what goodies we have lined up every day on our Facebook and Twitter.
