polka theatre

polka Theatre is a children’s theatre aimed at children aged 0– 13. It is based in in Wimbledon. The theatre has two performance rooms, the main performance area has 300 seat and there is also a 70 seat studio specifically for performing to the youngest of their audiences. Polka theatre gets its funding from the London Borough of Merton and it is also a registered charity number 256979. Polka Theatre started life as a puppet touring company in 1967 under the Artistic Directorship of Richard Gill. The official Polka theatre opened on 20 November 1979 and it was the UK’s first theatre dedicated to only children. Polka theatre also has a scheme that offers free theatre tickets to disadvantaged schools so that pupils who would not get the chance to experience theatre because of financial difficulties. Over 100,000 children a year come to Polka and these Children can be as young as 9 months. Them and their families are lead into a colourful environment where simple stories are told in a big over the top way. The characters in these productions wear bright colours to help stimulate the children and keep them fascinated by the play as the babies that are watching might not understand the stories but will be entertained by the brightly coloured characters running around acting stupid.