POLKA THEATRE ANNOUNCES SHOWS AND WORKSHOPS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY OVER THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS

SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

ARTHUR - A BRAND-NEW LEGEND FOR GREAT ADVENTURERS 

THERE’S A TIGER IN THE GARDEN – LIZZY STEWART’S AWARD-WINNING BOOK BROUGHT TO LIFE

IMAGES AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD HERE.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT POLKATHEATRE.COM

Polka Theatre’s Artistic Director and Joint CEO Helen Matravers, Executive Director and Joint CEO Lynette Shanbury, and the whole team at the Wimbledon venue are pleased to announce details of their complete Summer holiday season.

Arthur will headline this Summer on Polka’s main stage, the Y C Chan Theatre, in a co-production between Polka Theatre and The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath, created by Bucket Club.  From Saturday 20 June – Sunday 9 August, join the adventure in a magical new play with original songs, based on Arthurian legend and the quest for a better world, recommended for ages 6-12 years.

As Grace and Arthur’s two worlds collide, their fates entwine, and together they must embark on the greatest quest they’ll ever face to retrieve Excalibur. With the future of Britain depending on them – if only they can figure out how to work together….

Flock Theatre Makers’, There’s a Tiger in the Garden will be this Summer’s Adventure Theatre show, running from Wednesday 8 July - Sunday 9 August, following sold-out, highly acclaimed tours. Using puppetry, imaginative design and music, Lizzy Stewart’s Waterstones Children’s Book Prize winning book is brought to life for children aged 3 – 7 Years. 

Exploring the power of the imagination, we invite families to follow Nora as she discovers the wonders hidden beyond the shrubbery. Come and listen, play, engage and enjoy the brilliance of this story, brought to life for the first time, where Nora finds dragonflies as big as her head, plants that can eat you (and your toy giraffe) whole, a polar bear that likes fishing and maybe, just possibly, a tiger in the garden. 

Alongside these two Summer productions, children of 6-18-months are invited to Blub, an underwater immersive sensory experience brought to life through light, music, movement and a coral reef, crocheted and knitted from 500,000 metres of wool - showing Thursday 13 - Sunday 23 August in the Adventure Theatre, by award-winning Austrian companytheater.nuu. 

The season is presented alongside a wide range of Creative Learning classes, workshops and activities at the venue, including workshops Little Garden Explorers, on Friday 7 August, where children and their grownups can step into the world of There’s a Tiger in the Garden for a multi-sensory adventure, and Dance to the Beat! on Friday 14 August, where participants can move, groove and have fun in this lively music and movement workshop.

Polka’s popular Summer Schools include: Youth Theatre Summer School from Monday 27 – Friday 31 July where budding actors can spend a week training and working with a professional theatre director; Puppet Summer School from Tuesday 4 – Thursday 6 August, where young makers can dive into the magical world of puppetry; and Musical Theatre Summer School Tuesday 11 – Thursday 13 August where participants step into the spotlight to explore singing, dancing and acting to help bring stories to life. 

Polka Theatre is also bringing back their Early Years Theatre Festival, Big Dreams on Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 September 2026, with an exciting programme of engaging UK and international shows, interactive events and free activities for young audiences and their families, including MC Grammar and Nick Sharratt’s Once Upon a Drawalong.

Polka’s Artistic Director Helen Matravers said, ‘I am delighted that this Summer we’re able to bring to the stage brand new action-adventure, well-loved family storytelling and international sensory immersive theatre. It’s such an eclectic offer with something for every age group of Polka’s audience. The breadth of joy and play on stage is really exciting, and perfect for a Summer Holiday treat. We’ve got comedy, puppetry, live music and song, as well as an amazing Creative Learning offer of workshops, Summer Schools and sensory play – plus our bright and welcoming building is the perfect spot to come and play for free, have fun and spark some wonderful creativity for children during the holidays.’

Polka opened its doors in 1979, the UK’s first theatre venue dedicated exclusively to children. Polka Theatre 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. Polka also offers a full programme of Creative Learning activities for ages 0–12, with over 21,000 children taking part in the last year. Polka enjoys 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 depending on the show format.

Over the past year, Polka has worked with 143 schools through Creative Learning projects and has distributed over 9,000 free tickets to schools through their Curtain Up! scheme.

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 with step-free access, free-to-access play spaces and a cosy and welcoming café and shop.