Babies are engaged and ready for take-off in this space-themed adventure full of fun, movement and music.Rating
Excellent
Laaaunch! created by Starcatchers and Dirliebane Theatre Company, is the perfect place for a tiny person’s theatre experience to take off. Carefully crafted for babies aged 0-12 months and their carers, it is an exciting opportunity to enjoy an interstellar immersive adventure, discovering the unexplored theatre space using interaction, movement, sound and light.
Before the show begins, care is taken to ensure the passengers are fully briefed on what to expect from the experience. We are advised where to leave shoes and bags so we can be comfortable in the performance area, and are reassured that crying, crawling, laughing and rolling are all permitted; it’s pretty chill out in space. With the limited age range, there are no toddlers running around so no hazards moving at speed.
Inside, the Polka‘s Adventure Theatre has been transformed with a sci-fi theme, and there’s something to see at every angle, no matter how small you are or if you’re lying or sitting down. Overhead, metallic silver circles glint in shifting light; beanbag seats resemble boulders; there’s a moon rock backdrop. And our three performers, Dot, Dash and Minim (Fiona Ferrier, Rachel Colles and Susan Appelbe) are dressed in shiny silver and deep red, with mop-like shoes and bright clown noses, so there is colour, texture and multiple sensory areas for the little ones to focus on.
Everything about this show is positive and uplifting, beginning with Dot and Dash greeting all the babies personally before singing their names out loud in tight harmony, with individual tunes and movements for each. Immediately this feels very special, provoking giggling from the young audience and from their carers who are thrilled to hear their names made into music. Additionally, they share the joy of the children reacting not only to the performance but to each other. One of the fabulous things about theatre for babies is the opportunity it creates for socialisation, and Laaaunch! achieves this beautifully.
Imagining the journey into interplanetary realms, Dot and Dash are lots of fun, clowning, singing and physically negotiating the space with crawling, rolling participants who are allowed to lead the play and are made to feel totally welcome. There are surprises to be discovered, including egg-shaped shakers which are shared and explored by curious hands, and long metallic cylinders that create interesting tunnels and noises. It’s all delightfully silly, with nothing that’s too challenging or intimidating. And if any of the children do get upset for a moment, it’s fine for them to just take a minute out and return when ready.
The babies are totally captivated when the clowns mimic their noises – sharing their language. When a cello comes into the space the music has obvious impact: it is rich and resonant for little bodies and the children enjoy touching the cello’s vibrating surface or joining in using shakers and metallic tubes.
Come the end of the show, the applause almost becomes part of the performance as the families clap along, before being invited to stay and play, imagining their own ways of using the props or interacting with the clowns. Laaaunch! is a creative, caring production for the very youngest audiences and it’s all about fun – encouraging but without any pressure to participate, just enjoying being space explorers and discovering the joys of our world together.
Created by Rachel Colles and Fiona Ferrier
Composer Susan Appelbe
Set and Costume Designer Katie Innes
Lighting Designer Kate Bonney
Movement Consultant Jade Adamson
Creative Collaborator Tim Licata
Production Manager Fiona Fraser
Stage Manager Dayna Cumming
Production Technician Corinne Bills
Producer for Starcatchers Gemma Smith
A Starcatchers and Dirliebane Theatre Company co-production
Laaaunch! has completed its current run at Polka Theatre
