You’re coming to the theatre, how exciting! For many children, coming to a Patch show is their first experience of live theatre. Patch performances are unlike traditional theatre shows as they are created especially for young people. We know it can be difficult for children to sit still quietly for an hour, so we don’t ask them to. Read on to learn more about a Patch theatre experience and how to make your trip to the theatre a memorable one.

Build some excitement

Count down the days until your trip to the theatre with an advent calendar or by marking the days off a calendar.

Discuss the show you are booked in to see, read the blurb together or look at photos of the show and ask some questions "What does the show look like it will be about?" "How many performers are in the show?" "Does it look happy/funny/sad?"

Try some activities

Try some of our show specific activities. Coming to see Me & My Shadow? Children make shadow puppets or build a paper city. Or, if ZOOOM is in your diary, children can find a piece of dark to bring to the theatre, create a galaxy in a jar or a CD rainbow. 

Explore activities

Theatre chat

If it’s your child’s first time at the theatre have a chat about what a live performance is – there will be performers on stage, dressed in costumes, who share stories, that the audience will sit and watch. It can be hard for children to understand that live theatre is different to a movie, but if they don’t understand the concept before they will know what theatre is after the show!

Check out the foyer

We believe the theatre experience starts before the show does, so sometimes we provide foyer activities for children to interact with before seeing the show.

Prepare for the dark

Once you take your seats in the theatre, the lights go down. This helps the darkness show the special effects which make the performance special. While it may seem a bit unfamiliar, soon there will be a lot of fun things to focus on.

Get involved

Patch shows are created for an engaged young audience so some of the usual theatre etiquette rules do not apply. Sometimes children are encouraged and invited to interact with the show and think out loud during the experience. Patch shows are a shush-free zone, gasps and giggles are always welcome and our performers love hearing their reactions! When the performance ends, clap and cheer! Tell the performers how much you liked the show by making some noise!

Chat and create

After the show ask children about their theatre experience with prompts like "What happened in the show?: "Who were the characters?" and "Tell me your favourite part!". Or ask them to draw what they saw onstage or have a go at making their own show at home. 

More activities!

There are so many activities to choose from! You can find activities that encourage reflection on the show or expand on the show’s ideas, or even just a good old colour in.

We hope you and your children enjoy your Patch experience! We love hearing from our audiences – if you wish to share any thoughts, drawings or stories you can email us at patch@patchtheatre.org.au or tag us on social media.

Facebook @patchtheatre or Instagram @patch_theatre