Not Quite the Circus with Circus Minimus

One of the things I love about Noey's school is that they that the children on a lot of field trips, especially to the theatre. Noey went on a theatre trip every term last year and this year looks like it's panning out the same way. Often it's his school that alerts me of shows that are appropriate for the little ones when the consent form comes around!

Last week, Noey was scheduled to go with his classmates to watch Circus Minimus at the Act 3 theatre. Since it was touted as a show for 2-4s, I decided to buy a couple of tickets for Naomi and I too and surprised him outside the theatre. That turned out to be a great idea because both my kids got to watch the show at the same time but I only had to look after one! And Noey got a big kick out of seeing us unexpectedly at the theatre.

I'm going to the show!

Eyes all agog, eating for the show to happen.

About the show, I was actually a bit disappointed because it had nothing to do with a circus. Boo hoo. Maybe I took them too literally when they said that "every family is a circus… (with) toddling clowns, teenage lions, mums who spin plates and dads who fly by the seat of their pants." The show was about a regular day and some of the activities in our everyday lives. So I wasn't so much of a fan, but my kids both LOVED it, because it was very interactive. They were given props like lemons to hang on a chain, flowers to grow, a patch of grass to rake, sheep to walk, windows to open and shut, bubble wrap to create the crackling of a fire, bibs to wear and fish to catch and throw on a big sheet signifying the night sky. 

Guess they really got their target audience right -- ie. this is really more for the kids!

Making breakfast -- those are some special eggs. You can see Noey just at the edge of the pic, leaning forward.

Holding tight to the night sky. The audience sits on cushions in a circle surrounding the performing area, which was the only part of the show that was like a circus!

Naomi caught a huge (stuffed) fish at the end and she was so thrilled! She liked it so much that she cried when I made her throw it back when they were asked to. That made for a teary end to the show.

Hugging a big stuffed sheep at the end to make up for losing her fish.

I love bringing my kids to the theatre because aside from the entertainment we derive from the show, it is a jump-off to further discussions on topics and art activities thereafter. We re-created the fire scene with crackling bubble wrap in the afternoon and I've some ideas for making some of the other props for play time fun. And the next time a theatre trip rolls round, you can bet Naomi and I will be trying to tag along!