The Adventures of Peregrine the Penguin is waddling to The Castle Theatre
‘A beautiful, sensory, inclusive show for a wide range of audience needs’ are how audiences are describing a brand new show written by local freelance performer Karen Harvey.
Karen was recently awarded Arts Council Funding to be able to tour an original show that she has written in development with The Core at Corby Cube.
After years of storytelling, performing in theatre in education shows and running drama workshops around the UK Karen recognised that theatre was too often performed at children, who were neurodiverse, rather than with them, potentially missing out on moments of interactions and opportunities.
The Adventures of Peregrine the Penguin show is an interactive and multisensory story written for people of all ages with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and for families with children aged 0-7 years.
Peregrine the Penguins favourite thing to do is play with bubbles. One day he becomes lost, after following the bubbles out of the zoo gates, and embarks on a journey to find his way home with the help of a variety of characters.
With original songs throughout, there are interactive puppetry and sensory moments as the story is performed verbally and with signing making the performance inclusive and accessible to the audience.
After a sellout show at The Splore festival earlier in 2024, in development with The Core at Corby Cube, Karen is now touring the show around the county with her son, Alfe.
The next performances of The Adventures of Peregrine the Penguin are happening on the 30th of July at 11am and 1.30pm and tickets are available from: https://www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/castle-theatre/whats-on/the-adventures-of-peregrine-the-penguin
Karen said: "I wanted to develop more opportunities for families to enjoy theatre which promotes the rights of children with SEND, and allows families to access theatre while their children are still young. I hope this will promote a lifelong love of theatre and set a standard for accessibility, allowing everyone to attend and participate.
"I want families in Northamptonshire to be able to access performances without the constrictions of confined seating spaces, coping with large audience numbers, sensory overload and the expectations of theatre etiquette (e.g., sitting quietly during a performance)."
The show lasts approximately 50 minutes and can also include a workshop and meet and greets afterwards.