What question would you want your baby to answer? What would you like them to ask you? In a world full of astonishing unknowns and surprising possibilities, how do you find the right answers or questions?
This playful and interactive new show is full of shapes, sounds and textures exploring different ways to connect and understand each other.
Inspired by heartfelt conversations with new parents, this humorous production explores the multiple ways we communicate, ensuring that no one is left out.
At the end of the performance there is a stay and play session where audiences can enter the sensory landscape of the production.
Devised and directed by Daryl Beeton, Soft or Spiky? is a Half Moon and Polka Theatre co-production: an exciting collaboration by two of the UK’s leading children’s venues and touring companies.
This show has very limited language. This makes it accessible to a range of people, including d/Deaf, hard of hearing and non-English speakers.
Soft or Spiky? tours to 21 venues from October 2024 to Match 2025.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A refreshingly 21st century sensory experience for babies and their adults. Smiles all round!… [Stasha Dukic] is just delightful! She’s enormously charismatic, engaging instantly with the babies”
Everything Theatre
“[Our 9-month-old] was utterly mesmerised from start to finish, his wide-eyed fascination proving just how magical this production truly is for its young audience…. It quickly became clear that the abstract, playful approach was precisely what made it so captivating for our little one…. Polka Theatre and Half Moon have created something truly special with Soft or Spiky?, offering an engaging introduction to theatre for the youngest of audiences. Whether it’s their first theatrical experience or one of many, this production is bound to capture their imagination and leave parents with a new appreciation for the ways their little ones see the world.”
Parents News UK
Audience Feedback
“Amazing, fun and interactive. An exciting show enjoyed by child and mother”
“This was my first show with my baby…and we both loved the experience”
“Fantastic show, our babies responded with joy and awe”
“Wonderful and engaging. Really good fun! My little girl was dancing”
“Great show for little ones, my son loved it”
“Was perfect for my baby. He loved it and was totally mesmerised”
“Such a lovely experience! We have a very busy 10 month old and the show kept his attention the whole way through. Magic”
“Absolutely brilliant, thank you”
“Wonderful. Holding the children’s attention in the most amazing way!”
“Incredible sensory experience! Thank you, my baby loved it. A talented dancer too”
When I was invited to devise and direct a new baby show I knew I wanted to create a show which explored how 2 different experiences of the world can evolve, connect and grow to understood each other over time.
So this production started life by asking new parents two simple questions…
What evolved through these conversations was a world full of unknowns.
With my own company Daryl & Co an inclusive company making work for young audiences, we are known for visual, physical and non-verbal approaches to storytelling, so this is where we started.
Inspired by the bouba/kiki effect, a way we unconsciously associate certain sounds and shapes as being either soft or spiky, we worked with the creative team to create a world full of sounds, shapes and textures that allowed our character to be either in a world of soft or a world is spiky and what happens when they discover their worlds don’t need to be so divided.
So we hope the show isn’t just for babies and is as meaningful and enjoyable for the families and grown ups who accompany them, ensuring no one is left out.
Have you got a memory you’d like to share? Or perhaps you have a programme or poster from one of our shows that we're currently missing? Then we want to hear from you! The website is a living archive and we will continue to add information as it comes to light.
Read More
