CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF TOTO PLUS ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL THE FAMILY AT POLKA THEATRE THIS HALF TERM
CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF TOTO
PLUS ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL THE FAMILY AT POLKA THEATRE THIS HALF TERM
TOTO – BASED ON THE WELL-LOVED STORY BY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR XIMO ABADIA, FOLLOWING THE STORY OF A YOUNG DONKEY WHO DREAMS OF BECOMING AN ASTRONAUT.
SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER - SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER
Polka Theatre’s Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive Helen Matravers, Executive Director and Joint Chief Executive Lynette Shanbury, and the whole team are pleased to announce details of the variety of activities available for families to enjoy this October Half Term at the Wimbledon venue.
Toto is a Polka Theatre and Topper and Fred co-production, adapted from the beautifully illustrated children’s book by Ximo Abadia, following an endearing tale about never giving up on your dreams, or the people you love. Toto is aimed at ages 3-8 years and will run in Polka's Y C Chan Theatre from Saturday 10 October to Sunday 1 November, with a press performance on Saturday 17 October at 2pm.
Toto is a young donkey full of dreams and aspirations. They don’t want to settle for the life the world thinks a donkey should live.
Lugging boxes for the man? No thanks! Toto wants to be an astronaut.
With sights set on a big dream, Toto heads to the big city, determined not to let anything stand in their way… if only it was that easy.
The story of Toto is brought to life by Inès Mazdon Delas (The Paddington Bear Experience) as ‘Toto’ with Mya Fox-Scott (The Forgiveness of a Monster, Sherman Theatre; Mama Goose, Stratford East) as ‘Luna Lopez’, Ricardo Castro (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Palace Theatre; Othello, RSC) as ‘Mucho Dinero’ and Alice Keedwell (Bear Snores On, Regents Park; The Tempest, Regents Park and Unicorn Theatre) as ‘Fernanda’.
Based on the book by Ximo Abadia, Toto has been adapted for stage with music and lyrics by Harry Blake (Athur, Polka Theatre; Bear Snores On, Regents Park) and is directed by Jennifer Tang (Fire Fire, Arcola Theatre; Cymbeline, Shakespeare’s Globe). The creative team is completed by Set and Costume Designer Charlotte Henery (Vincent in Brixton, Orange Tree Theatre; Orlando, Silk Street Theatre), Sound Designer Dan Balfour (Vanya, Duke of York’s Theatre; Dear England, National Theatre), Lighting Designer Benny Goodman (Hamlet, St Stephen’s Theatre; Disarming Reverberations, St Giles Cathedral) and Choreographer Jennifer Fletcher (Death of a Salesmen, Staatstheater Mainz; The Snow Queen, Storyhouse Chester).
Helen Matravers said: ‘I am delighted that Ximo Abadia’s gorgeous story is being brought to life at Polka by Harry Blake, Jennifer Tang, Topper and Fred and this amazing group of performers and creatives. They are all magicians! It’s not every performer or designer that can make you truly believe you’re in a wonderous world of a donkey with astronautical aspirations, but through such emotive and joyful song and dance, this team are going to wow all our audiences. It’s such an entertaining and important story of following your dreams, never giving up and singing your heart out – perfect for all young adventurers out there.’
Heather Ruck and Kimberley Thomas from Topper & Fred said:
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with the wonderful team at Polka Theatre to bring this glorious story to the stage. Harry’s music and adaptation of Ximo’s beautiful book are an absolute joy, and we have been joined by the most wonderful team of artists to bring it to life! We can’t wait to share it with Polka audiences”
Running in the Adventure Theatre over Half Term from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October will be You’ll See, a Branar production with support from Culture Ireland, following Ulysses, Jame’s Joyce’s epic story with live performance, intricate paper design and an original score, aimed at 8-12 years. Whilst in the latter part of the holiday week from Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November, Life and Limb Puppets and Alphabetti Theatre present At Sea in the Adventure Theatre, featuring fantastical puppets, stunning projections and original music to tell the story of a sailor’s triumph, aimed at 6–12-year-olds.
Alongside the productions, Polka are also offering a range of creative workshops, including Sensory Space Adventure where children can explore space just like Toto in a multisensory experience on Tuesday 27 October; Sea Creature Puppetry Workshop, where participants get to delve into an underwater world of wonder and create their own puppet inspired by At Sea on Wednesday 28 October; Spooky Stage Set Design which lets young creators design and create their own mini spooky scenes on Thursday 29 October and Family Autumn Wreath Workshop where children and grown-ups work together to create their own masterpiece to take home on Friday 30 October.
Tickets are on sale now via polkatheatre.com or call 020 8543 4888.
Polka Theatre opened its doors in 1979 as the UK’s first theatre venue dedicated exclusively to children. It is one of just a handful of dedicated children’s venues in the UK, presenting a year-round programme of shows produced by Polka and from visiting companies. Last year over 125,000 people visited Polka’s venue in Wimbledon, with a further 45,000 reached through touring shows, in-school projects and community programmes. Polka’s sector-leading artist programmes includes the biennial Polka Playwriting Award and Catapult artist development scheme. Polka’s facilities include flexible rehearsal and workshop spaces along with two performance spaces: the Y C Chan Theatre has a 300-seat capacity, and the Adventure Theatre can seat up to 90.
Polka also offers a full programme of Creative Learning activities. Last year over 27,000 children and young people took part in these Creative Learning activities, and Polka worked with 210 schools, including distributing over 9,000 free tickets to schools through their Curtain Up! Scheme, with a further 10,000 free tickets committed to distribute this academic year.
Polka is a community hub and vital resource, open 6 days per week, 50 weeks per year at a challenging time to be a sustainable public venue. It offers step-free access, free-to-access play spaces and a cosy and welcoming café and shop.
