The Pea and The Princess is a high-velocity adventure drama on the stage of the main theatre at the Polka Theatre, one of a range of shows and activities for youngsters planned for the February half-term.
Recommended for three- to seven-year-olds, in The Pea and the Princess they will meet a Ninja Princess on a mega-mission, a practical Prince concocting the best inventions, a Queen with a slightly worrying crown obsession and a very green baddy, asthe Singapore Repertory Theatre presents a twist to the classic fairytale.
The Pea and the Princess runs in the main theatre at the Polka in Wimbledon from Saturday February 15 to Sunday March 30.
Following a sell-out run at Polka’s Early Years Festival last summer, Boxville returns to Polka this half-term with a version for six to 10-year-olds. Designer Sam Wilde and Director Ian Nicholson use their sustainable cardboard puppet style to create Boxville, a land made entirely from sustainable cardboard.
Audiences will get the opportunity to work with the Boxville engineers to craft-a-long with the story and build their own way through tasks and trials, earning everything they need to become fully-fledged cardboard engineers. They will be able to take home all cardboard creations at the end of the show.
Cardboard Adventures bring their creative production to Polka’s Adventure Theatre from Wednesday February 19 to Sunday February 23.
Creativity spreads across every corner of the Polka Theatre building, and alongside these fantastic shows children can design their own set with Sam Wilde – the incredible designer behind Boxville and The Nutcracker, learn some martial arts as a family or make puppetry creations in the theatre’s Creative Learning Take Part workshops. “Spending a day at Polka in half-term is packed with inspiring things to do for all ages, and our brilliant Playden and Cafe means you literally can stay all day!” the theatre directors say.
Alongside the productions, Polka are also offering a range of creative workshops. Keep the children entertained in a child-only workshop with The Pea and Princess Puppet Play on Wednesday February 19: a five-hour workshop where five-to-eight-year-olds can explore a mix of making, crafting and role-playing, guided by expert puppet-makers.
Cardboard cut-outs: hit show Boxville returns for another sustainable run of interactive performances
Nine-to-12-year-olds can join a Set Design Masterclass on Thursday February 20: a six-hour arts and crafts workshop inspired by Boxville, to create your own model box stage set, led by a professional set designer Sam Wilde.
Polka Theatre is one of just a handful of dedicated children’s theatres in the UK. Re-opening in 2021 after a major renovation, Polka continues to present a year-round programme of shows produced by Polka and visiting companies. Polka also offers a full programme of creative learning activities for ages 0–12, with more than 21,000 children taking part in the last year.
Over the past year Polka has worked with 143 schools through creative learning projects and has distributed over 6,000 free tickets to schools through their Curtain Up! scheme.
Helen Matravers, the Polka’s artistic director, said: “As we dive into 2025 at Polka, I am delighted that we raise the curtain on the main theatre with a ninja-kicking spin on a much-loved classic fairytale. The Pea and The Princess playfully explores who fairytales are told by, and importantly, how strong women have been historically missing or misrepresented from our traditional tales for a long time.
“The show is packed with high-energy songs and takes young audiences on a colourful and action-packed exploration of teamwork in a magical world.”
- Tickets are on sale now via polkatheatre.com or call 020 8543 4888
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