Menu for Performances in Autumn 2024 and Spring 2025
Choose up to 6 performances from: Music, Puppetry, Dance, Circus, Theatre and Storytelling (sections below, each divided by a line.)
Performances for families, adults, and young people.
Performances with British Sign Language, Hearing Loops, No spoken language, Relaxed Events, Captions, Touch Tours and Audio Description.
Participating Libraries this season are: Alconbury Weald, Arbury Court, Bar Hill, Barnwell Road, Bassingbourne CML, Burwell, Cambourne, Cambridge Central, Chatteris, Cherry Hinton, Clay Farm, Ely, Histon, Huntingdon, Littleport, March, Northstowe, Papworth, Ramsey, Sawston, Sawtry, Soham, St Ives, St Neots, Whittlesey, Wisbech.
Music
Event 1: BAM: Babies Adventures in Music
Access: Relaxed Event. Hearing Loop.
Bring your baby for a bounce. This warmly interactive performance for babies, families and friends celebrates music with a host of instruments, styles, gentle movements and stimulating sounds. Performances feature songs in different languages and lots lots more.
Suitable for Families with children aged 0 to 18 months
Event 2: Cecily & Salt’s Monster Seashore Shake-up!
Access: Relaxed Event. Hearing Loop.
Sing the Musical Balloon Band’s 'Tidy up Song' and beat the 'Recycle Rhythm Challenge' to help Cecily and Salty the Sea Monster clean the sea, bash the beach clutter, save their friends from plastic peril and conserve the planet. Combining Puppet theatre, Balloon animal models, Drumming and percussion.
Suitable for Families (0-7 yrs)
Event 3: Folk tales and fiddles
Join Marianne Powell local storyteller and Orphean Sprig, instrumental folk band, for an evening blending local folk tales and the finest contemporary folk music. Together, Marianne and the band will take you on a journey through the Fenlands and beyond, with words, music and imagination.
Suitable for Adults and young people 12+ yrs
Event 5: Daisy Chapman
Access: Relaxed Event.
Daisy Chapman is a talented pianist and singer-songwriter. Daisy combines an incredible voice with beautifully delivered 'Nymanesque' piano and is accompanied by exquisite digital looped harmonies and Sue Lord's dramatic and sweeping violin to create captivating and moving songs.
Suitable for Adults and young people 10+ yrs
Event 7: Sarah McQuaid
Sarah McQuaid’s lush, chocolatey voice combined with her engaging personality, on acoustic and electric guitars, piano and (occasionally) drum creates a truly immersive experience. Her new live album The St Buryan Sessions needs to be savoured in person to be fully appreciated.
Suitable for Adults and young people 10+yrs
Event 9: Tim Kliphuis Trio
Access: Relaxed Event. Hearing Loop.
Classically-trained Dutchman Tim Kliphuis ranks among the world's finest jazz violinists, often being called "the successor of Stéphane Grappelli". Tim is now exploring the myriad classical arrangements he has perfected over the years, including Reflecting the Seasons (Vivaldi) and Brandenburg (JS Bach).
Suitable for Adults and young people 10+yrs
Event 11: Meraki Duo: flute & guitar
Access: Relaxed Event.
Meraki Duo have gained a reputation for offering a distinctively diverse pairing of flute and guitar. From Rodgers & Hart and Burt Bacharach numbers, through Argentinian tango, Caribbean calypso, Brazilian folk, and of course classics of European art music, Meraki performances appeal to a wide range of music lovers.
Suitable for Adults and young people 10+yrs
Event 13: Minima's Nosferatu / Phantom of The Opera
Four piece band live accompaniment to a screening of the classic silent films Nosferatu or Phantom of The Opera. Minima’s original scores strike up a thrilling relationship with the narratives of these iconic silent gothic horrors from 1920s, creating a truly immersive audio-visual experience.
Suitable for Adults and young people (13yrs+)
HEARING LOOP
Event 15: The Pocket Choral Society
Hailing from the hard to find village of Pocket comes an off-the-wall a cappella choir of four.
Combining beautiful harmonies, with much laughter, original music with comedy songs on the minutiae of life and even improvised singing sessions.
Suitable for Adults and Young Adults 14+
Event 17: The Opera Dudes Christmas Special
Access: Hearing Loop.
A show full of seasonal cheer with something for everyone - wonderful singing, audience participation and ridiculous sketches. Yule be laughing till your sides hurt! Music includes operatic favourites, west end showstoppers, classical piano & Christmas favourites.
Suitable for All Ages
Event 4: Touki (Amadou Diagne)
Access: Relaxed Event.
A Touki performance is a tour de force in multi-instrumental exultation, during which the musicians joyously switch between kora (West African harp), banjos, guitars, percussion and other instruments, deploying powerful beats, driving grooves, and silky voices that leap from East to West Africa and America.
Suitable for Adults and young people 10+ yrs
Event 6: Anna Renae
Anna Renae is a pop/folk singer-songwriter, weaving musical stories inspired by life's complexities. Her album 'Skin', released in 2020, followed by her EP 'Speaking Her Mind' in 2021, both feature songs, telling stories that encapsulate many aspects of Anna's teenage and early adult life.
Suitable for Adults and young people 10+yrs
Event 8: Sonrisa Arts
Access: Relaxed Event. Hearing Loop.
Sonrisa, an exciting rootsy acoustic trio playing original heartfelt songs blending nylon Spanish guitar and infectious latin inspired rhythms with mellow flute and soulful vocals. VERY MUCH ALIVE! takes you on a journey through the emotions -which will have you tapping your feet.
Suitable for Adults and young people 10+yrs
Event 10: Faradena & Friends
Access: Hearing Loop
"Prakriti" with the Prakriti Quartet. A new quartet
with international musicians Faradena Afifi, Ansuman Biswas, Phil Dawson and Rowland Sutherland. An evening of nature inspired Bengali and English songs, where the audience can listen to field recordings of birdsong and be bathed in nature inspired music.
Suitable for Adults and young people 10+yrs
Event 12:Larkhall
Access: Hearing Loop
What if you could see music? Meet Larkhall: award-winning concert pianist and developer of the ground-breaking app Shazam. Combining beautiful, melodious compositions with live-generated reactive visuals and custom-built machines of his invention, Larkhall takes us on a virtuoso multi-sensory journey.
Suitable for Adults and young people 10+yrs
Event 14: Auburn Acoustic
The band performs intimate, stripped-down Americana. Songs featured from their last 5 albums, and brand new tunes. “Intimate kind of retro styled blues”, Gary Hill, Music Street Journal (USA)
Optional song-writing workshop.
Suitable for Adults and Young Adults 14+
Event 16: Musical Memories
Access: Hearing Loop.
Join Britten Sinfonia musicians for a fun and gentle reminiscence, singalong and performances of popular classics. You will share and discuss the music you really love, with plenty of tea and biscuits! This event is open to all and suitable for people with long-term health conditions e.g. Dementia and Parkinson’s.
Suitable for older adults & their families
Event 18: Orchestra of Samples
Access: Hearing Loop.
A fascinating musical journey without borders. For over a decade artists filmed improvised recording sessions with hundreds of musicians around the world, from Senegal, Kazakhstan, Colombia, India, China and more. Immerse yourself in mesmerising rhythmic dialogues! By Addictive Arts CIC.
Suitable for All Ages
Puppetry
Event 19: Persephone, A Tale of the seasons
Access: British Sign Language. Relaxed Event.
Little Angel Theatre presents Persephone: A Tale Of The Seasons. Persephone and her animal friends guide you and your babies through the changes in nature. Hear a robin chirp a merry tune, hop through the meadow with a bunny, listen to the waves of the ocean, fly through the summer with a butterfly.
Suitable for Families (6 months to 3 yrs)
Event 21: The Strawberries in the Snow
Access: Relaxed Event.
Luminous Tales brings you the story of Mrs Holly Frost and her goose. When she hangs up her washing it rains and as she shakes out her bedding feathery snowflakes fall. Follow the seasonal story of the power of kindness with little Sonia, sent out in the blizzard to look for strawberries, with no coat or hat!
Suitable for Families (3+yrs)
Event 23: Three Little Pigs
Access: Relaxed Event.
Garlic Theatre presents a fresh and funny version of the classic story of The Three Little Pigs set in Paris. A grumpy old wolf is a chef who sets out to find some pigs' tails for his soup. Funny and warmhearted to make you squeal with laughter, bristling with puppets, live music and lots of joining in.
Suitable for Families (3-8yrs)
Event 20: Nature Elly
Access: British Sign Language. Hearing Loop. Touch Tour. Relaxed Event.
A Barmpot Theatre production - Elly runs the best farm, but not everything is going to plan. The corn has been trampled, the apples have vanished and there’s hay everywhere! Help Elly and Bob the Pheasant save the harvest, and discover the mystery animal hiding in the hay-stack.
Suitable for Families (2-5yrs)
Event 22: After the Rain
Access: Relaxed Event
Sabotage Theatre Company presents ‘After the
Rain’ a musical, magical puppet show about nature.
Ivy answers a call for help from a stranded worm. Join her on a journey through forests and shadowy worlds to meet birds, mystical mushrooms and all the wonderful creatures that love it when it’s wet!
Suitable for Families (3-7yrs)
Event 24: The Zoo That Comes to You
Access: Relaxed Event. Hearing Loop.
Scarlet Oak Theatre presents two enthusiasts who provide respite and a home to animals in need. They now have a sanctuary full of animals, but no visitors! So everybody - animals and humans alike - have decided it is time to get out, see the world, and bring the zoo, to you!
Suitable for Families (5-11 yrs)
Dance
Event 25: Frocks, Socks and the Orange Fox
Access: Relaxed Event. Hearing Loop.
Can you help Fox find the missing socks? East Lab Dance Company invites family audiences to dive into rivers, climb mountains, and search through forests with Fox and Mole in an exciting, multisensory dance and rhyming adventure. A fusion of rhyming, storytelling, dance, and comedy.
Suitable For Families (3-6yrs)
Event 27: Roshni
Roshni is an intimate crafting of dance and live music, made up of three distinctive and engaging dance pieces: The Call, The Light and The Wave, exploring the highs and lows of life today. The audience are taken on a journey, through storytelling, music, percussive dance and upbeat audience interaction.
Suitable for Families (6+ yrs)
Event 29: EmbodyXR; The Sign Spinner
Access: Relaxed Event. Captions.
Mercurial Dance are delighted to welcome you to an immersive, dance art game that combines physical movement and digital storytelling to raise awareness of the impact of anxiety in young people. You will be led through a series of stunningly intricate VR (Virtual Reality) worlds, each relating to the central story of the sign spinner.
Suitable for Adults and young people 12+ yrs
Event 26: Magical Honey
Access: Relaxed Event.
Presented by Sanskruti Dance. When celestial being Saraswati helps young Maya harness her magic, they begin exploring. But the evil Miss Tusra wants to destroy their mystical world. Help Maya combat Miss Tusra and restore her enchanting world!
Suitable for Families (3+)
Event 28: LORE
Access: Audio Description
A production from award-winning dance company James Wilton Dance. It’s a folklore inspired journey into a pagan world of gods, demons and humans, all embodied through otherworldly athleticism. LORE is about connection to nature, feeling the energy that flows between our bodies and the earth.
Suitable for Adults and Families (8+)
Event 30: Wonderland
Access: Relaxed Event. Hearing Loop.
Spiltmilk - Makers of fun-fuelled, smart, glow giving dance. This Christmas, join us for 'Wonderland' a magical festive show where three performers surprise, intrigue and delight, blending live music, dance and extravagant costumes to conjure up lots of festive fun.
Suitable for Older adults (including those living
with Dementia) and their families.
Circus
Event 31: One man. One ball.
Access: Relaxed Event.
Truan Jay Mathias and his magical crystal ball are on a mission to spread astonishment and wonder. A mix of circus tricks, juggling, an electric unicycle, dance and comedy. An enthralling show that combines gentle humour, beauty and human struggle.
Suitable for Families (5yrs+).
Event 33: Take Flight
Access: No Spoken Language
Take Flight is an original early years, multi-sensory, interactive, aerial theatre show by The Gramophones Theatre Company. The story follows a mother and baby bird as their baby grows and explores, navigating making friends, overcoming challenges and eventually supporting them to leave the nest & take flight.
Suitable for Families (0-2 yrs)
Event 32: The Rainbow Butterfly
Access: Relaxed Event
An immersive family experience that blends traditional storytelling with aerial circus & Hip Hop dance. Maja has wings that sparkle and shimmer!
Performed by artists from the global majority, this show celebrates how unique we all are using creativity and carnival to help Maja fly all the way to the moon.
Suitable for Families (3+yrs)
Magic
Event 34: Scoop Magic
Access: Hearing Loop
Scoop Magic will will amaze and amuse with his unique and incredible magic show. Scoop has been blowing minds all over the world for more than 20 years Now YOU can witness his incredible illusions, magical mind-control and death-defying stunts while also having plenty of laughs.
Suitable for Families (6+ yrs)
Event 35: Twinpossible
Access: Hearing Loop
Kane & Abel return with magic and comedy based on being twins. Magician Twinpossible sees the brothers seamlessly move between stand-up comedy magic pieces and theatrical illusions set to music. Every question the twins have been asked – has been weaved into the narrative of this show.
Suitable for Families (6+ yrs)
Comedy
Event 36: SPLAT
Access: British Sign Language. No Spoken Language.
Splat is a physical comedy, set in an artists studio the show follows two aspiring artists one dedicated and serious the other erratic and messy. They attempt to complete their masterpieces antagonising each other in the process. The show explores themes of collaboration, play, dedication, spontaneity and letting go.
Suitable for Families (3-6yrs)
Event 37: The Cabaret Geek
Access: Hearing Loop.
Featuring the star of BBC1's 'All Together Now', Paulus The Cabaret Geek with Michael Roulston (Fascinating Aïda) on piano. An evening of pure joy filled with Victoria's best-loved songs. This show is for fans of Victoria and for those yet to discover her, to come together and relish in her wizardry with words.
Suitable for Adults and young people 12+ yrs
Theatre and Storytelling
Event 38: The Farmer and The Clown
Access: British Sign Language. No Spoken Language. Relaxed Event.
Flibbertigibbet Theatre presents The Farmer and The Clown. Home. You know where it is when you’re there.
An old hard-working farmer lives alone. A baby clown bounces off a passing circus train in the middle of nowhere, now separated from family and friends. A story of an unexpected friendship for all ages
Suitable for Families with children of all ages.
Event 40: F(able): Fierce Fairytales for the Next Generation of heroes
Access: Relaxed Event. British Sign Language. Hearing Loop.
A funny, uplifting and modern theatrical retelling of fairy tales, where disabled characters are the heroes!
Through storytelling, animation and with an exciting original soundtrack, come and experience fairytales like you have never experienced before!
Suitable for Families (5-11yrs)
Event 42: Ghost of a smile!
Access: Hearing Loop.
Adapted/directed by Gavin Robertson and performed by Nicholas Collett. Two of Charles Dickens’ creepy tales – with a comic twist. Two yarns to chill and charm! A traveller encounters a ghostly chair, and in a deserted Edinburgh carriageworks, a tipsy reveller is spirited away by...well...spirits!
Suitable for Adults and young people 12+ yrs
Event 39: The Little Prince
Access: Touch Tour. Hearing Loop.
In Lyngo's new collaboration with Norwich Puppet Theatre, The Little Prince is here to remind us the most important things can only be understood with the heart. Through mesmerising puppetry and beautiful music the boy who fell to earth teaches his friend the Aviator about love, life and real happiness.
Suitable for Families (5+ yrs)
Event 41: Shakespeare in a Suitcase – Macbeth
Presented by New International Encounter
Armed with just a suitcase, NIE’s ensemble tell this big and gruesome story in a funny and accessible way.
With an original soundtrack, and help from the audience, the cast bring the story to life. What happens when Macbeth is tempted by power and riches?
Suitable for Families (8+ yrs)
Event 43: She-Wolves
She-Wolves tells the stories of seven royal women who ruled England before Elizabeth I and were vilified as "she-wolves" for their refusal to be tamed. Movement, spoken word, animations, and song breathe new life into thrilling episodes and captivating personalities of the medieval and early Tudor eras.
Suitable for Adults and young people 12+ yrs
Event 44: Dangerous to Know
Claire Clairmont, Byron’s former mistress, has just laid her mother to rest before heading back to Europe. However, a secret passed to Claire at the funeral has raked up painful memories about their scandalous affair and a nagging conviction that she must uncover the truth...are they prepared for what they will find?
Suitable for Adults and young people 12+ yrs
Event 46: Coleridge-Taylor of Freetown
Access: Hearing Loop.
It is January 1999. George Coleridge-Taylor, retired Sierra Leonean diplomat, finds himself trapped in Fourah Bay College when the civil war that has been ravaging the country reaches Freetown. In hiding, he reflects on his country’s stories, wondering if he dares defend the woman captured by the fearsome rebels.
Suitable for Adults and young people 12+ yrs
Event 48: HOLY COW!
Storyteller, Emily Hennessey and sitar player, Sheema Mukherjee conjure fast-flowing worlds of cosmic estate agents, celestial celebrities, daredevil demons and gods behaving (very) badly in these Indian stories of liberation, lies, love and life. This is performance storytelling, music, humour, physical theatre & ritual.
Suitable for Adults and young people 14+ yrs
Event 50: Let People Like You
A feel good spoken word show about letting yourself be loved (sometimes even by yourself). Full of comedy, poetry, songs and verve it centres around the years trans performer Edalia Day found herself while living in Paris, and the many wild adventures of love, loss curious joy that the universe has brought her since.
Target age group: 25-40 but suitable for all ages in terms of content and language.
Edalia Day - Trans Animator, Actor & Theatre Maker - United Kingdom
Event 45: Havisham
Access: Hearing Loop
Miss Havisham is in town! Come meet her in the flesh. Find out why she waits forever at her wedding feast for a husband who will never arrive. Delve into the dark psyche of Miss Havisham’s fractured world and live the experiences that drove her to the brink and over the edge of insanity.
Suitable for Young Adults and Adults 12+ yrs
Event 47: The Invisible Woman
For decades Charlotte Palmer has been in the spotlight from Eastenders to Extras. But one day she noticed that she was no longer visible. As far as the world was concerned, it seemed that Charlotte had disappeared. What had Charlotte done to bring this about? She had the NERVE to turn 50!
Suitable for Adults and young people 12+ yrs
Event 49: Naming the View
Access: Hearing Loop.
Finding the will presents a contemporary play reimagining Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shrew thirty years after Kate and Pete's unconventional wedding. It explores the damaging effects of abusive relationships and how, with support, it is possible to break the shackles of coercive control and look to new horizons.
Suitable for Adults and young people 14+ yrs