list.co.uk/kids KIDS
KIDS list.co.uk/kids
HITLIST THE BEST KIDS STUFF
✽ The Lickety Tale of Molly Whuppie Licketyspit’s
innovative and charming tale of Molly Whuppie and her marvellous adventures, complete with live music. North Edinburgh Arts Centre, until 21 Dec.
✽ The RSNO Christmas Concert: The Snowman This feel-good concert of music and carols also features a screening of The Snowman, which is guaranteed to make you cry. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sat 21 Dec; Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sun 22 Dec.
✽ The Kelvingrove Family Ceilidh Tired of spending money over Christmas? Then head down to this free family ceilidh and expend some energy with the Gunna Sound Ceilidh Band. Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow, Mon 30 Dec.
✽ Scottish Ballet: Wee Hansel and Gretel A full-
length ballet too long for your little one? Scottish Ballet trims its new show back to just 60 minutes for young families to enjoy. See preview, right. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Fri 20, Mon 23 Dec; Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Fri 10 Jan.
✽ Red Shoes Join Judy Two Shoes as she journeys from
the city to the countryside, to learn what’s important. Tramway, Glasgow, until Fri 20 Dec.
✽ The Polar Bears Go Wild Two bears head out into the
snowy wilderness, in this heart- warming show. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 21 Dec.
✽ The Selfish Giant Wee Stories presents a new take on the Oscar Wilde classic. See review, page 90. Edinburgh Festival Theatre, until Tue 24 Dec.
Events are listed by city, then by type. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to kids@ list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Kirstyn Smith. ✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
GLASGOW Activities & Fun Snow Factor’s Santa’s Grotto Until Tue Dec 24 (not Mon, Tue & Wed except Mon 23 & Tue 24 Dec), 10.30am–5.30pm. £15–£26. intu Braehead, Kings Inch Road, Braehead, 885 7051. Meet Santa in his natural habitat, receive a gift and enjoy an optional thirty minutes of sledging on the Snow Factor slopes. FREE Kids Music Workshop with Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra Fri 13 Dec, 10am. CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, 352 4900. The Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra free up kids’ natural creativity in this musical workshop for ages 3–5. FREE Saturday Art Club Sat 14 Dec, 10.30am–12.30pm. Gallery of Modern Art, Royal Exchange Square, 287 3050. Art activities relating to the displays, with drawing, collage, sculpture-making and games. Ages 3–12. Scottish Ballet: Hansel & Gretel Insight Event Sat 14 Dec, 11am. £tbc. Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, 0844 871 7647. Scottish Ballet provides a behind-the-scenes look at its current ballet. Jungle Book Family Workshop Sat 14 Dec, 11am–1pm. Sun 15 Dec, 10.30am–12.30pm. £5. Citizens Theatre, 119 Gorbals Street, 429 0022. Fun workshop for ages 6–12 and their adult companions, exploring the story and characters of The Jungle Book. FREE Beaded Angels Sat 14 & Sun 15 Dec, 1–3pm. Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, 200 Woodhead Road, 276 9300. Explore the collection and then make a beaded Christmas decoration. FREE Starfish Decoration Sat 14 Dec, 1–3pm. Scotland Street School Museum, 225 Scotland Street, 287 0500. Learn to make Christmassy starfish for the top of the tree. FREE Burrell For Families Sat 14 Dec, 2–4pm. Burrell Collection, 2060 Pollokshaws Road, 287 2550. Help to keep your feathered friends fed this winter with Christmas bird feeders. The Great Christmas Puppet Making Workshop Sun 15, Sat 21 & Sun 22 Dec, 10.30am & 2pm. £5.95 (£5.75). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. Kids can create a festive puppet elf, reindeer, fairy or angel. FREE The Twelve Days of Christmas Festive Tours Until Sun 5 Jan (just Fri–Sun), times vary. Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, 200 Woodhead Road, 276 9300. Tours of the collections where families encounter characters from the Twelve Days of Christmas song. Tonic Tinies: Inspiring Musical Adventures! Wed 18 Dec, 10.30–11am. £3 per session. Merry-
BALLET WEE HANSEL & GRETEL Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Fri 20, Mon 23 Dec; Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Fri 10 Jan
As full of wonder, magic and charm as Scottish Ballet’s new Christmas show is, when you’re still growing your attention span, two hours can feel like an awfully long time. Which is why, for the second year running, Scottish Ballet is staging
a condensed production specially for younger audiences, with a running time of just 60 minutes. But when the company is already busy rehearsing the full-length version of Hansel & Gretel, what prompted them to add another task to the to-do list?
‘It’s really important for us to inspire audiences of all ages,’ says
artistic director Christopher Hampson. ‘It’s an exciting experience to go to the theatre, and see a story come to life in front of your eyes at any age – but for younger audiences it can be truly magical. Our version for very young families is simply a wee version of the big ballet. It tells the same story but at only an hour long, and with lots of little treats for young children including an introduction and a chance to see some of the dancers up close in costume.’
Prior to choreographing the show, Hampson and his team held
dance, visual art and writing workshops with people of all ages across Scotland, the results of which were ploughed into the production. This made shaping Wee Hansel & Gretel that bit easier. ‘One of the really lovely things about our outreach project was that I was able to see just what parts of the story people identified with,’ says Hampson. ‘And it’s those elements that I’ve focused on for Wee Hansel & Gretel. For example, a lot of children really identified with the birds in the forest, and were fascinated by how they shaped the story. So we have a group of ravens in our production – and they’ll definitely feature in Wee Hansel & Gretel.’ (Kelly Apter)
12 Dec 2013–23 Jan 2014 THE LIST 89