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Based on the all-time favourite book by Dr Seuss, The Cat in the Hat has been developed into a magically witty play by Britain’s National Theatre. After a successful staging in 2012 and 2015, TLC  has faithfully reproduced the play in Mandarin – 戴高帽子的猫 for children aged 2 years and above.

I don’t think the story need much introduction so I don’t think I need to elaborate further.

When I see names like this Danny Yeo (杨君伟), Sugie Phua  and Ann Lek in the lineup and production, I know this adaptation of this well-loved story would not disappoint me – in fact I have tremendous expectation for it , like in many other SRT’s theatre productions that my kids had watched.   We have watched the English adaptation a few years ago, and my kids enjoyed it tremendously – all the funny antics of The Cat in the Hat – it will be interesting to see how all the English words rhyming are being translated into Mandarin by the talented Danny Yeo.

photo from 2015 English production

photo from 2015 English production

photo from 2015 English production

The Cat in the Hat in Mandarin (戴高帽子的猫)

DATES: 1 August to 7 September 2018
Weekdays 10am
Weekends and Public Holidays 11am and 2pm
PRICES: FROM $26 (excludes SISTIC fees)
VENUE: KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT ,20, Merbau Road, Singapore 239035

For booking , please click here

Ages 2 and above.

As part of a fun day at the theatre, there will be The Cat in the Hat Parent and Child Storytelling Workshops conducted in Mandarin. This drama workshop for parents and children (age 2 to 4) will be fun-filled with exciting games, creative activities and lots of drama skills to be learnt. The pre-show workshops are available 4, 11, 18 and 25 (9.30am) , do click here for registration.

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Media invite

We are so happy to be invited for another session of immersive theatre for kids by Andsoforthjr. My kids are regular theatre-goers but being a part of an immersive theatre experience is a whole new experience. You can read all about our first experience here 

After Andsoforth’s sellout show , Adventures of Grimmsneyland, they have made an adaptation for the younger audience, Tales of Grimmsneyland.

If “Grimm” sounds familiar to you, it is adaptation of timeless fairy tales by the Brother Grimms – Sleeping Beauty, Snow White , Hansel & Gretel. This theatre requires the young audience to follow the fairy godmother-in-training through different rooms (Enchanted Forest, Sleeping Chamber, Underwater Club to name a few) which showcase well-loved fairy tales. The audience will form part of the village folks and be part of the stories alongside the actors. (This is different from the previous Wonderland story as we had the show in 1 room).

Tales of Grimmsneyland

Dates:
28th, 29th July
4th, 5th, 9th, 10th , 18th, 19th August (Saturdays, Sunday & National Day Holiday)
Time: 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am, 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm
*it will be an intimate group of 30 pax per time slot

Duration: 1 hour 30 mins

Venue: 16 D Lorong Ampas , GS Building, Singapore 328778

Suitable for boys and girls aged 4 and above!

Tickets : SGD 35 per person, SGD 128 for family of 4

For booking, follow this link

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Coming from my previous experiences, I do know that kids get all excited  when the actors come really close to them. In an immersive theatre setting, the actors are all around you and  they have opportunities to watch and interact which is an experience normal theatre productions do not offer! I can’t wait to catch with my older kids!

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ACT3i Festival for Children

22 May to 3 June 2018

For babies and early years      

ACT 3 International, Singapore’s leading Arts company for the young, is proud to announce the return of the second instalment of ACT3i Festival for Children (pronounced ‘ACT 3 Festival) two years after its premiere in 2016.

Consisting of six original theatre performances from England, Italy, Lithuania, Scotland and Singapore and one drama workshop, the festival will celebrate theatre and the Arts for babies and early years, with a mission to share the importance of this art form as a key contributor to developmental growth. Theatre practitioners for babies believe that this art form ignites their imagination and curiosity, encourages experimenting as well as enjoyment through aesthetics.

1. Paperbelle
By Frozen Charlotte, Scotland
ACT 3 Theatre (22 May to 27 May 2018)
River Room, ACM (29 May to 3 June 2018), daily performances, 50 minutes, no interval
Tuesday to Friday: 9am and 10.30am | Saturday and Sunday: 10:30am, 3pm and 4.30pm
For 2 to 5 years old
An enchanting theatre performance for toddlers that encourages exploration, Paperbelle is a
gentle and playful exploration of colour set in a magical world of paper. Audiences are
invited into the world of Paperbelle, who likes it black and white. The ‘colours’ on the other
hand, want to play games with Paperbelle. Her world is changing – will she try to stop it or
might she find it is not as bad as it first seemed?
Paperbelle is Frozen Charlotte’s most popular show that has delighted children and adults
wherever it has been performed – Scotland, the U.K., Europe, Asia as well as at festivals in
Edinburgh, Norway, Germany, Bahrain, and now Singapore.

2. Leaf
By Tam Tam Theatre, England
Demonstration Room, ACM
29 May to 3 June 2018, daily performances, 35 minutes, no interval
Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday: 10am, 11am and 4pm | Thursday to Saturday, 10am and
11am
For 0 to 3 years old
This immersive and playful piece is a perfect introduction to theatre for the very young,
encouraging curiosity and engagement amid an intimate environment of evocative
soundscapes and gorgeous colours. The journey of this very special leaf makes up an
equally special storyline. Little ones are invited at the end of the show play among the leaves
and explore a landscape created by the changing seasons.

3. Circles in the Sand
By Tam Tam Theatre, England
ACT 3 Drama Academy Room 2
22 May to 25 May 2018, daily performances, 35 minutes, no interval
Tuesday & Wednesday: 10am, 11am and 4pm
Thursday & Friday: 10am, 11am
For 0 to 3 years old
Parent and child will enter a world of buckets, castle-building, spinning and tumbling in a
show that has no words but speaks volumes with an atmospheric soundtrack of world music
and a highly tactile format. Children are invited on stage at the end for an interactive play
session with sand.

4. Crikecrak
By La Baracca – Testoni Ragazzi, Italy
Ngee Ann Auditorium, ACM
29 May to 3 June 2018, daily performances, 40 minutes, no interval
Tuesday, Friday & Saturday: 10am, 11am, 4pm | Wednesday & Thursday: 10am and 11am |
Sunday: 10am and 4pm
For 1 to 3 years old
Performed by Roberto Frabetti, one of the founders of La Baracca – Testoni Ragazzi, this
beautiful piece uses two-dimensional puppets to transform a simple story into one that
teaches children about fear and that is alright to be afraid.

5. Archipelago
By ACT 3 International, Singapore
ACT 3 Drama Academy Room 4
22 to 25 May 2018, daily performances, 40 minutes, no interval
Tuesday to Friday: 10am
For 2 to 5 years old
This original play devised specifically for young ones marks the fruition of a two year-long
cultivation between the company and renowned practitioner of theatre for early years –
Roberto Frabetti – founder of La Baracca-Testoni Ragazzi in Bologna, Italy.
This two-actor 40-minute piece embraces a theme close to home, alluding to the similarities
between children and the islands in an archipelago – independent yet attached. The
production style however, is distinctly Italian whereby there is equal attention paid to verbal
and non-verbal communication as well as emphasis on intimacy between actor and
audience. Cast members April Wee and Andrea Lim are seasoned Drama Teachers at ACT
3 Drama Academy, well-versed in engaging young audiences.

6. Colourful Games
By Dansema Dance Theatre, Lithuania
Discovery Room, ACM
29 May to 3 June 2018, daily performances, 40 minutes, no interval
Tuesday to Sunday: 10:30am
For 0 to 3 years old
Bursting with vibrant colour and delightful surprises, this interactive performance invites
its young audience to explore the world around them with the help of a dancer. Self discovery
and wonder await in this beautifully crafted immersive experience for little ones.
This performance won the Golden Stage Cross for ‘The Best Performance of the Year for
Children and Youth’ in 2015.

Performance Workshops
1. Grow, Garden, Grow
ACT 3 Drama Academy Room 5
24 and 25 May 2018, 40 minutes
Thursday and Friday: 10.30am and 4pm
Discovery Room, ACM
31 May to 2 June 2018, 40 minutes
Thursday to Saturday: 4pm
For 7 to 17 months, with parent
These workshops are held in a warm and inviting environment, whereby storytelling is
intertwined with drama activities and exercises whereby children are encouraged to develop
creativity, empathy and a love for drama. Parent and child will be transported to a ‘garden’
where imagination will ‘grow’ with the ‘creeper’ that the child becomes!

2. Workshop by Tam Tam Theatre
ACT 3 Drama Academy Room 2
24 and 25 May, 45 minutes
Demonstration Room, ACM
31 May and 1 June, 45 minutes
4pm to 4.45pm
For 0 to 3 years old, with parent
Led by the talented cast of Tam Tam Theatre, this workshop will encourage imagination, role
play and movement in little ones.
3. Workshop by Dansema Dance Theatre
Discovery Room
29 May, 45 minutes

4pm to 4.45pm
For 8 to 14 months, with parent
This unique dance workshop will be led by the talented performer-teachers of Dansema
Dance Theatre, whereby little ones will be engaged in movement and co-ordination while
honing their motor skills through visual and audio stimuli, also known as kinaesthetic
learning.

For booking, click here 

Giveaway 

ACT3 International will be giving out 2 tickets (1 parent + 1 child)  for  Leaf by Tam Tam Theatre on 31 May 2018 10am (suitable for 0 to 3 years old)

1. Liked FB pages of mypreciouzkids.com and ACT3 International

2. Followed mypreciouzkids and ACT3 International on Instagram

3. Tag 3 or more friends on this IG post (one tag per comment)

I will be picking the 1  lucky winners using random.org. The giveaway closes on  13th May 2018 2359pm (Sun).

Winner: Teo Sok Hian

It was only until recently that I got acquainted with books by David Walliams  and it was not his picture books but the novels for big J (which seems like the type of book he loves). So I bought a few of his books and I came to realise that David also has a few picture books under his penmanship. What versatile children’s book author just like Julia Donaldson who has books for the very young to young readers. So when I heard that Snap Entertainment has brought in a stage interpretation of one of his picture books The First Hippo on the Moon, I had pinned on my kids’ calender. I also had borrowed the book from the library and the kids loved this story too and there is a great message in it too!

David Walliams has taken the literary world by storm and his brilliantly funny stories are adored by children the world over!  He has achieved unprecedented critical acclaim and quickly developed a reputation as a natural successor to Roald Dahl. His books have been translated into over 45 languages and sold over 9.5 million copies in the UK alone.

From Number One bestselling Children’s author David Walliams comes an explosively funny space adventure for children of 3 and up. Two big hippos. One ENORMOUS dream. Who can make it to the moon first?

3 …2 …1 …BLAST OFF!

Adapted for the stage by acclaimed award winning theatre company Les Petits and hot off the heels of their hugely successful Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs tour and immersive hit Adventures in Wonderland, comes a fantastical adventure featuring puppetry, music, mayhem and a giant space race to the moon!

The hilarious story of The First Hippo on the Moon sees the incredibly rich Hercules Waldorf-Franklin
III and ingenious Sheila compete to fulfil their enormous dream – to be the first hippo to make it to
the moon. Can you predict who will make it to the moon first?

With powerful themes of aspiration and teamwork running through the story, the show
hopes to inspire the young and old. As concisely put by David Walliams, “Whoever you are you
should dream big, just like Sheila the hippo. Plus if you work together as a team, then you can
achieve so much more“. This is definitely a show all ages and family members will enjoy!

Recommended for ages 3 years old and up.

You can also download this free printable for The First Hippo on the Moon through this link

THE FIRST HIPPO ON THE MOON

Date:

September 22nd / Friday – 5pm
September 23rd / Saturday – 11am, 2.30pm, 4.30pm
September 24th / Sunday – 11am, 2.30pm, 4.30pm
Venue: SOTA Drama Theatre

Pricing: From $38 onwards

Duration: Approximately 55 minutes with no interval

Book through sistic using this link.

I have never been to any Lyngo theatre before hence I do not know what to expect of it. I knew it was a one-man show and one scene backdrop show and I had my skepticism how is it possible to keep entertain the audience especially kids for almost 1 hour, but Patrick Lynch who is also the artistic director of Lyngo Theatre did just that.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.  No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own. 

As a parent whom myself is not very strong in Mandarin (apologies if I cant give a review in Mandarin), I am always on the outlook for Mandarin productions to expose my not-so-bilingual kids. I do know that there are not many Mandarin productions in Singapore. Often they are catered to older children, hence kids as young as 5 would not be able to comprehend especially if it is not a well-known story, it makes even harder for the child to understand (I myself may also be lost as my command of Mandarin is also sub-par)

I am thankful whenever Singapore Repertory Theatre’s  The Little Company(“SRT TLC”) stages its Mandarin productions often after their successful run of its English production albeit a year or 2 later. I do hope that in the coming years there is an equal weightage of English and Mandarin productions by SRT TLC –  in recent years SRT TLC stages 3 English and 1 Mandarin production annually.

5 reasons why you shouldn’t miss Red Riding Hood

1. A story that every kid knows hence they won’t be too “lost in translation”

One of my biggest worries when I bring kids to Mandarin productions is the level of understanding. Firstly, they are not expose to many Mandarin productions (as there ain’t that many as compared to English). What I like about SRT TLC, they don’t use new story or unknown stories, they used stories that all kids will know – The 3 Billy Goats Gruff, The 3 Little Pigs , Goldilocks and the 3 Bears and of course the latest to be interpreted – Red Riding Hood 小红帽. And often their keep quite true to the story line and definitely at the end the moral of the story and a heartwarming end.

photo credit: SRT TLC

2. Not your typical children production – a different kind of Red Riding Hood – a plot with a twist (no spoiler included)

I asked the daddy whether he enjoyed the show . I expected him to say “ok lor” but I was surprised that he said it was good, in fact very good. Then, of course I probed further ( I am interested to include the review from an adult’s perspective) why he gave it a very good rating, he said that it is not typical of children’s production. It had a twist like in the movie or maybe Channel 8 drama serial which makes the story telling more appealing to the older audiences who will not appreciate that merely a straight-forward story line. Actually at the very beginning when the wolf made its appearance,  the wolf already hinted that in all fairy tales, all bad characters have bad endings, why does it have to be so? I hope I didn’t give away too much.

I shall not do any deeper if not  I will divulge the twist and the end. That said for the youngest audiences like my 4 and 6 year’s old there is a need to explain the twist after watching the show as they had formed many questions. I would like to share what the director has to share about this production and this is truly one for the family!

3. Stellar cast – with some  serious singing chops

For those who are not familiar with Sugie Phua, he played the lead actor in Lao Jiu to rave reviews and he played the forgetful wordcutter in Red Riding Hood. I guess given any one else, who would have taken this role, it would be more of a supporting role, but boy did he captured my attention, he was so so so so good ! I must also give due credit to Rick Liu’s interpretation of the very smooth and suave wolf and I thought he came close to my personal favourite (George Chan’s portrayal of the big bad wolf in The 3 Little Pigs in 2013) And the 3 ladies –  who played Red Riding Hood, mum and grandma are brilliant actresses and singers in their own rights too!

photo credit: SRT TLC

4. Comical relief for both kids and adults

There are some slap sticks comedy to provide some comical relief to the kids – not too much but adults are not forgotten. I can hear my other half laughing to the jokes that were pitched more at the adult level. Thank you SRT TLC for not forgetting half of the audiences who may have doze off during the matinee show. There was one and only 1 English word used in the whole entire production – “Highlight” that word had the adult audience bursting into laughter (you have to catch it to appreciate it) . I am not sure if it was part of the script but Sugie Phua was so so smooth and he has such excellent command of Mandarin, that he does tongue twisters and a whole paragraph in 1 single breath. How can he possible remember all the words without getting tongue twist!

photo credit: SRT TLC

5. Impressive background and props

With all SRT TLC’s production, I expect beautiful backgrounds, props and music to give the entire production a well-rounded and memorable performance. The scene changes from the bakery shop (Red Riding Hood’s family owns a bakery) to the forest and to the grandmother’s house effortlessly. The scene where the grandma was being gobbled up by the wolf (my younger ones were slightly afraid not sure why) was also done so smoothly even I can’t tell where is the escape route for the grandma.

photo credit: SRT TLC

If there is one Mandarin children production you need to catch this year, this has to be it. I am expecting another sell out run and I don’t know how long more I have to wait for another Mandarin’s performance by the SRT TLC.

Red Riding Hood 小红帽

Dates
20 July to 1 Sept 2017

Weekends and Public Holiday : 11am and 2pm
Weekdays: 10am

Venue

KC Arts Centre Home of Singapore Repertory Theatre

20 Merbau Road
Robertson Quay
Singapore 239035

Ticket Pricing

(Excludes Booking Fee)

Weekdays: S$28, S$25

Weekends (Sat & Public Holiday): S$48,S$38,S$35

Book here

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.  No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.