As my children are still too young I’ve asked Sara Benn to write this chapter. With over thirty years of experience in the theatre world (she was a child prodigy!) – from actor to actor’s agent, from audience member to group bookings specialist – not to mention a dozen or so years experience as a mum, she can cover this subject better than most.
Taking children to the theatre should not be a daunting experience. As with most things it all comes down to planning and making the visit enjoyable for everyone involved.
I have been taking my two children to the theatre since they were five years old. That was over nine years ago and since then with many shows “under their belt” my children view travelling into London to see a West End production as something very normal.
I must admit I do have a few friends who seem amazed (aghast?) that I take my children so regularly to the theatre – certainly in the early days – but like all things if you start introducing children at a young age to something then they will learn was is expected of them and behave accordingly.
So here, in just a few paragraphs, are some tips that have taken me years to learn and will hopefully make your family trip to the theatre much more relaxing.
We are lucky that our journey into London is quick and direct – getting us into St Pancras International within 25 minutes. When the kids were younger I always made sure I had either books to entertain them on the train or a pack of ‘Trump’ cards which we all enjoyed playing. If there was a larger group of us travelling together, we’d all play ‘Wink Murder’ which was always successful and left everyone in fits of giggles.
Arriving at a busy London station may be a bit overwhelming for some, but it needn’t be. Make sure you hold onto smaller children – they are allowed to go through the ticket barriers with you. Slightly older children will enjoy being able to slot their train tickets into the machines or touch their Oyster cards as they pass through the barriers. Getting from the over ground station to the underground is usually a quick walk and always well signposted.
The alternatives to catching the tube are both cheap options and great fun, those being the bus or walking. We tend to use the underground system as it’s such a quick and efficient way to get from A to B but the top floor of the bus will be as exciting to your children as it was to you when you were their age (still is for me!).
When the weather is good we have often walked from St Pancras mainline station to the West End which takes about 45 minutes. I try to combine a theatre trip with something else – perhaps a visit to the world famous Hamleys toy emporium, a museum (the British Museum is on our way) or just a quick bite to eat, maybe even a Hagen Daas ice cream in Leicester Square just before the show begins.
There are lots of places to have a picnic in Theatreland and if it’s a warm day we might pack a picnic to take with us. I always make sure that the food is in disposable wrapping, so as I’m not lugging around empty containers with me.
There’s a number of places not too far from the West End in which are great to have a picnic:
For a first time, I would choose a show with a story that your child is familiar with. For instance Disney’s The Lion King or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The first show I took my children to see was Disney’s The Lion King as it had been one of their favourite DVDs at home and although my youngest son fell asleep during the second half, he thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience wanting to go back as soon as possible to see another show. (We went back to see a Matinee show of Disney’s The Lion King when they were a little bit older and no one fell asleep that time around!).
Other times, I’ve chosen shows because my children have been studying them at school – such as Les Miserables and The Tempest or if there is a tv celebrity starring in the show that I know my children particularly like as with tv presenters Dick ‘n’ Dom appearing in Monty Python’s Spamalot over Christmas 2013.
Even though my children are now in their early teens I still tend to book Matinees where possible.
I’d say for the under 10s that Matinees are definitely the best performances to take them to – whether it’s on a Saturday or Sunday or, during the holidays, mid-week – and a trip to London is always a thrill! During the summer holidays and over the Christmas period, there are number of shows that are aimed specifically at the under 8s – in recent years these have included The Gruffalo, Suessical and The Tiger Who Came to Tea.
These shows come into the West End for a limited period of time where they “share” a theatre space (such as The Tiger Who Came to Tea which shares the Lyric theatre with Thriller-Live) and will have family friendly performance times in the morning, afternoon and at the weekends when the theatre is not being used by the main show.
It is usual for a West End musical to be between 2hours 30 mins to 3 hours in length (including an interval). Evening performances will normally start at 7.30pm which can mean that you are not leaving the theatre until 10.30pm and then have to travel home (unless, of course, you’ve treated the family to an over-night stay in a London hotel as part of a Theatre Break package).
Plays can often be shorter around one and half hours long – unless it’s War Horse which is 2 hours 20 mins, but then again, it does have a rather good story to tell.
What I would say about booking a Matinee performance is this… If you are going to the show to see a specific actor, then make sure at the time of booking tickets that they are contracted to appear in your chosen performance – some actors will only be contracted to do six shows a week which can mean that their understudy will perform on Matinees. Of course, there’s no absolute guarantee that the advertised actor will appear because they could be ill or have a previous engagement that stops them from being in the show.
There are also a number of shows in the West End (Disney’s The Lion King, Matilda & Thriller – Live!) that follow the Broadway tradition of Tuesday to Sunday performances with no show on Mondays. This is good for the family group as the Monday evening performance is usually swapped for a Sunday Matinee giving you time to get back home for a bath before school the next day.
We’ll usually buy a bag of sweets beforehand (but not from the pricey theatre kiosks) to munch through. Don’t tend to go for chocolate as it melts quickly and do consider those around you when you are rustling your bags.
The best thing to do is buy sweets without wrappers from your local supermarket and then transfer them to a plastic bag for the theatre trip giving you cheap sweets without the rustle!
If not sweets, then the children will enjoy an ice cream during the interval. Now whilst these frozen treats are above the norm when it comes to price, I must admit they tend to be a very good quality of ice cream and my children really do see them as something to look forward to during a theatre visit.
I would recommend you take a small bottle of water into the theatre with you whether this is bought from home or a local shop – either way it will definitely be cheaper than buying spring water at the theatre bar. Although some theatres provide plastic cups and a jug of water on the bar counter in order for customers to help themselves free of charge, which is a step in the right direction. Plastic cups are allowed into the auditorium but do have a tendency to be kicked over during the middle of a show!
To make the occasion even more memorable, make sure you buy a programme and factor in time after the show to head round to the stage door to get some autographs. Sometimes the stage door can be tricky to find: just ask the front of house staff for directions.
We started off with musicals where there was lots of visual stimulation and a simple story line that young brains could follow easily. From Disney’s The Lion King, we moved on to Shrek the Musical, We Will Rock You, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mamma Mia, Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera to name but a few. After a few years of musical watching, we ventured onto plays with The Adventures of Tin Tin, Treasure Island, One Man Two Guvnors and Mojo being amongst the favourites so far.
Plays also tend to be in smaller theatres which may seem a little friendlier to your younger children.
Remember every seat has to be paid for – children will not be allowed in for free to sit on parent’s laps.
Shows aimed at the young will be cheaper than the big musicals but otherwise West End theatres do not discount for children unless they are part of a school group where discounts can be as much at 60%.
Kids Week in August is a great time to book tickets. Big savings are available on all shows, but only for children: you will still have to pay full price.
Tickets up in the gods are cheaper for everyone and, for kids, the raked seating (the slope from back to front) will help them get a good view. Of course, you are further from the stage but, if your child is nervous about the visit, then the separation between you and the action may serve to calm your child as it can be a bit over-awing at the front of the stalls.