Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Little Lyric 2024 Summer Season of family shows April - June
The Little Lyric 2024 Summer Season at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre features some of the very best children’s shows from family-beloved theatre companies with new shows on every Saturday as well as May half term for ages under 8.
From Goldilocks (20 Apr), Teddy Bear’s Picnic (27 Apr), Cardboard Carnival (04 May), Where the Lost Socks Go (11 May), and Jack & the Beans Talk (18 May), to The Not So Big Bad Wolf (25 May), Princess Smartypants (28 May – 01 Jun), The Little Prince (08 Jun), and Rubbish Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (15 Jun), this summer programme promises fun for the whole family to enjoy.
Tickets are on sale today at www.lyric.co.uk or call box office on 020 8741 6850.
Goldilocks
Presented by Let’s All Dance
Saturday 20 April, 11am & 1pm
Running time: 45 mins, for all ages
Join Goldilocks as she befriends a family of bears and teaches everyone the value of sharing. The Let’s All Dance Ballet Company brings this classic children’s story to life for a special family treat.
Teddy Bear’s Picnic
Presented by Rah Rah Theatre Company
Saturday 27 April, 11am & 1pm
Running time: 55 mins, for ages 2-6
Bring along your favourite bear and join us on a fun, exciting adventure to get to the picnic on time! The show incorporates puppets, well-known songs and dancing together with important educational areas such as numbers, colours and shapes.
Cardboard Carnival
Presented by Lempen Puppet Company
Saturday 04 May, 11am & 1pm
Running time: 45 mins, for ages 4+
Trunk, tail, ears or wings? Carnival creates itself from all sort of things! A fun, wordless and easy to access show, inspired by the music of ‘The Carnival of the Animals’ by Camille Saint-Saëns. Join Liz in her workshop trying to create the ultimate animal and discover a mash up of cardboard full of puppet possibility.
Where the Lost Socks Go
Presented by Under the Bed Theatre
Saturday 11 May, 11am & 1pm
Running time: 45 mins, for ages 4+
Where do our missing socks go? Do they end up down the plug hole or do they go sunbathing in the Caribbean? Milo thinks that wearing odd socks is embarrassing, so his weird and wonderful friend Luna leads him on an exciting expedition, determined to show Milo that he shouldn't have to follow the crowd to fit in. Join Milo and Luna on their quest to find Milo’s missing sock.
Jack & the Beans Talk
Presented by Garlic Theatre
Saturday 18 May, 11am & 1pm
Running time: 45 mins, for ages 3-7
Jack lives on a small farm with his mum and very little to eat.
Imagine his surprise when he swaps his cow for some magic beans and starts to hear a whispering in the breeze and a giant rumble in the sky…
Charming and inventive with plenty of interaction.
The Not So Big Bad Wolf
Presented by Wrongsemble
Saturday 25 May, 11am & 1pm
Running time: 50 mins, for ages 4+
Meet Little Red; adventurer and "True Grimm" podcaster. She's on a mission to debunk the myths around her so called nemesis The Big Bad Wolf, with the help of a few storybook favourites, her red cloak and a basket full of magic tricks!
Princess Smartypants
Presented by Wardrobe Ensemble and Wayward Productions, based on the book by Babette Cole
Tuesday 28 May – Saturday 01 June, 11am & 1pm
Running time: 55 mins, for ages 4+
A subversive, fun-filled adventure for children and their families.
Princess Smartypants does not want to get married. She wants to carry on making music with her menagerie of monstrous pets, but the King and Queen have other ideas…. Find out how Princess Smartypants fights to preserve her independence in this hilarious fairy-tale-with-a-difference. Full of songs and madcap comedy, Princess Smartypants is a treat for all the family.
The Little Prince
Presented by Lyngo
Saturday 08 June, 11am & 1pm
Running time: 55 mins, for ages 5+
‘Has a sheep on a star eaten a rose?' The Little Prince learns that the most important things must be understood with the heart in Lyngo's new collaboration with Norwich Puppet Theatre. Through enchanting puppetry and beautiful music the boy who fell to earth teaches his friend the Aviator about love, life and real happiness in this adaptation of one of the best-selling children's books of all time.
Rubbish Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Presented by Rubbish Shakespeare Company
Saturday 15 June, 11am & 1pm
Running time: 60 mins, for ages 5+
Enemies. Balconies. Kissing… Sausage rolls! Three idiots perform Shakespeare’s famous tragedy using a box of tatty wigs, a worn floral dress, and a burst airbed they found by the bins. Described as ‘like Horrible Histories but funnier’ (Primary Times), the beloved Rubbish Shakespeare Company returns with a joyous family-friendly treat.
Young Lyric Summer Term classes
Alongside the children’s shows, the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre also offers Young Lyric Classes to nurture young talent and creativity in West London. A variety of free and low cost classes ranging from acting, children’s choir, music production, song writing, hip-hop and street dance, musical theatre, and ballet are available for all ages and abilities. The classes are open to young people in Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Richmond upon Thames, Westminster and Wandsworth and will run for 10 weeks from April 2024.
Young Lyric classes are delivered by our Lyric Partners: Action on Disability, AMICI Dance Theatre Company, DanceWest, Musiko Musika, New English Ballet Theatre, OnePlace, Tri-Borough Music Hub and Turtle Key Arts.
Bursaries are available for some classes and can be applied for online. All places must be booked in advance.
For full details on classes and to book, visit www.lyric.co.uk or call 020 8741 6850.