Puppetry, live music and circus combine in a show in October that will wow children and launch Greenwich Theatre’s third Family Arts Festival.

Adapted from the children’s story by Jeanne Willis and Gwen Millward, The King of Tiny Things is about two sisters who huddle together on a dark midsummer’s night when a mysterious winged creature leads them on a moonlit adventure.

It has been adapted by Metta Theatre Company’s artistic director Poppy Burton-Morgan with help from her husband, designer William Reynolds, and three-year-old son, Noah.

Poppy said: “We were given the book as a present for Noah and he wanted us to read it night after night as toddlers do.

“I started to imagine how interesting it would be transform the insects into circus disciplines.

“So we’ve got a juggling slug, acrobatic baby bats and stilt-walking daddy longlegs.”

“As we developed the story it became much more complex and rich, virtually a musical in which one of the girls is scared of the dark and insects.

“We’ve written songs and found other things that are resonant for older children and adults."

She added: “We feel very passionately about making work for a family audience that’s not simplistic and not just for very young children. You can be quite dark and bold with children, and hopefully we’ve done that and still keep it accessible.”

The King of Tiny Things – which had a long weekend at the Southbank Centre in July – will launch the theatre’s Family Arts Festival, which aims to attract a whole range of ages to the arts.

 

 

 

Greenwich Theatre’s artistic director James Haddrell said: “Family theatre has always been very important for us and the point of the national arts festival is to present arts and activities the whole family can enjoy together.

“The key moment for us is the pantomime but there’s no reason why that shouldn’t continue throughout the year.

The King of Tiny Things on October 26 is followed by The Snow Dragon from October 27 to 29 and a production of Tortoise in a Nutshell which takes place in a customised pre-fabricated dome in a location somewhere in Greenwich.

For more information and tickets, go to greenwichtheatre.org.uk or call 020 8858 7755.