Reviews & features: Kids

Clockheart Boy

Stylish, heart-rending tale

There's an important piece missing from the Professor's puzzle: his daughter Sophie disappeared 28 years ago while out walking on the beach. Luckily, he's got an energetic bunch of eccentric pals living in his castle to help with the search and assist…

Dr Bunhead's Crash Test Jelly Babies

It’s safer to use a jelly baby than a human being…

On the one hand, Dr Bunhead appeals to the simple side in all of us – the part that likes loud bangs, balls of flame and anything that erupts. But there’s more to Bunhead than spectacle, and chances are you’ll walk away from this hour of science-related…

Three Billy Goats Gruff

This is the third year in a row that the very wonderful Theatre of Widdershins has played the Fringe – and, rather appropriately, they’re doing a show all about threes: the eponymous goats, plus a few other fairytale characters such as Goldilocks’ pals…

James Campbell's Shut Up Stupid

Comic plays for kids of all ages

James Campbell is envied and acclaimed across the comedy universe for carving out a triumphant career performing stand-up for kids. While his Comedy Club 4 Kids continues to train young folk from the ages of six upwards in the hard-nosed business of…

Cloudcuckooland

When Greek comic playwright, Aristophanes wrote The Birds in 414 BC, he could scarcely have imagined where his masterpiece would end up. Although given his taste for humour and bad behaviour, chances are he would have loved Cloudcuckooland, a new…

Hitlist: Festival Kids

The Mozart Question – Michael Morpurgo Not-to-be-missed stage adaptation of a story by one of the finest children’s writers of all time. Assembly Rooms, 623 3030, 3–25 Aug (not 11), 12.15pm, £11–£12 (£9–£10). Previews until 2 Aug, £5. ] Three Billy…

We all fall down

Exploring the darker side of storytelling

Over the past five years, En Masse theatre has garnered a reputation for creating exciting, imaginative productions for young people and their families. Their latest show, We All Fall Down, is a tale of two villages – Eyam, where the people are saintly…

Painting Music Workshop

We all have images in our heads when we listen to music, but capturing them on paper isn’t something many people attempt. Rhuti Carr of Painting Music, however, has made an entire career out of doing just that. Her workshops feature live music, large…

The Sun Dragon

Following the highly acclaimed Little Red Things, Gomito Productions return with the second instalment in their trilogy, The Sun Dragon. Writer/director, Rich Rusk is excited about the upcoming show, which features live music, puppets assembled out of…

Tales From an Enchanted Forest

Bright lights, big sets and fancy costumes are all very well, but sometimes it’s nice to let your imagination do some of the work. The three storytellers taking part in Tales From An Enchanted Forest are allowing you to do just that. Each day, one of…

Clockheart Boy

Mechanical inventions explore life and death

It may not seem the ideal topic to build a family show around, but grief regularly pops its head up in children’s film and theatre. As Nicola Cutcher, co-director of Clockheart Boy says, ‘even The Lion King is about death’. Cutcher and her company…

No Place For Dreams

No Place For Dreams is Brief Candle Theatre’s debut production at the Fringe, and artistic director, Dave Shimwell is ‘absolutely thrilled about this great family show we’re putting on.’ The show is set on a mythical volcanic island, where magical…

Heartbreak Soup

Spending time in hospital isn’t ideal at any age, but for children it’s even less appealing. It was while working with children undergoing heart and lung transplant surgery, that Laura Lindow became inspired to write Heartbreak Soup. ‘I’m not using…

The Lighthouse Keeper

‘Clowning has an ageless appeal,’ says Clive Nicholas Andrews, of his new one-man show, The Lighthouse Keeper. ‘When I was a kid I grew up loving people like Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and Buster Keaton. I’d call my style clowning with added…

Five questions - Tall Stories

Armed with two shows – The Gruffalo and How the Giraffe Got Its Neck – Tall Stories return to conquer the Fringe once again Name 5 words to describe the Tall Stories style Physical, visual, musical, comical, universal. What 4 things should good…

Kid loves - Children's books round-up

Edinburgh International Book Festival

Harry Potter may have played his last game of Quidditch and Lemony Snicket’s series of events have unfortunately ceased to be, but there are still plenty of iconic figures hanging around in children’s literature. Brian Donaldson finds ten of them…

The Mozart Question - Kids theatre

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Over the last couple of years, Fringe audiences have wept at his stories. Kelly Apter finds former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo continuing that tearful trend with a sad tale from World War II Michael Morpurgo is standing on a sun-drenched…

Best of the rest - Kids shows

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The Gruffalo. Mouse can scare hungry animals away with tales of the terrifying Gruffalo, but what happens when he comes face to face with the very creature he imagined? Potted Pirates. From the good people who brought you Potted Potter comes this…

Andrew Clover’s Crazy Kids’ Show

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Andrew Clover’s show for children came about purely by accident. Last year he wrote a novel for teenagers with an agency booking him to appear at schools to discuss it. Only they booked him into the wrong schools. ‘They sent me to primary schools by…

Animal Olympics - Francesca Beard

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

With her daughters’ stuffed toys and an inspired wit, poet Francesca Beard is bringing the Chinese Zodiac to the Fringe. Her first solo Edinburgh show, Animal Olympics, is ostensibly for kids, telling the tale of the animals racing to work out the order…

How the Giraffe Got its Neck - Tall Stories

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Choosing a Fringe show can be a pot luck affair. So it’s nice to know that year after year, Tall Stories can be relied upon to come up with the goods. The team behind The Gruffalo and The Snow Dragon are back with a new show that fuses physical…

Edinburgh International Science Festival

Since 1988, the Edinburgh International Science Festival has proved that the words ‘science’ and ‘fun’ are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, the Festival’s extensive programme of hands-on events has become a highlight in the interactive kiddie…

Hitlist - the best Festival events for kids

Modern Cautionary Tales For Children Poetry, dark tales and lots of fun participation from the very wonderful Murray Lachlan Young. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 668 1633, until 27 Aug, noon, £6–£7 (£5–£6). Aesop’s Fables With the aid of three hugely…

The Selfish Crocodile

Some kids shows get the puppets right, others throw out a few catchy songs, while some tell a good story. But Blunderbus Theatre Company does all three, perfectly aimed at their target age range of 3–7-year-olds. Based on Charles Terry’s popular…

Kids' events

The last few days of the kids programme takes a walk on the dark side with scary-sounding events such as Night of the Living Horror (25 Aug, 6pm) which opens up a world of gothic terror for those aged ten plus, though Justin Somper and his Vampirates…