The Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre is excited to launch a programme of activities perfect for babies and toddlers to attend with their parents, grandparents, guardians and carers this autumn.
So many new families they have missed their first experiences of getting out and about and meeting other babies and families due to lockdowns. The Riverfront is pleased to be providing this opportunity and to give babies their first experiences of live theatre or cinema in a comfortable and welcoming environment.
From the 10-12 September The Riverfront will be welcoming Theatr Iolo to their studio theatre space to present their show Baby, Bird & Bee. This show has been created specifically for babies aged 6 – 18 months old by renowned baby theatre makers, Sarah Argent and Kevin Lewis, who are also the creative team behind the acclaimed and long-running theatre production Baby Show.
Baby, Bird & Bee is a celebration of the outside world and audiences are invited to sit with their baby whilst the new gardener playfully goes about their work, planting and watering in the beautiful garden. Together families will discover the sights and sounds of the space, as little one's delight in the wonders around them. The English language show is performed by Riverfront regular Krystal S Lowe which will consist of a 20–25-minute performance followed by 20 minutes of ‘Stay and Play’ time for the babies and their families.
All tickets to Baby, Bird & Bee at The Riverfront are free to allow as many families as possible to be able to experience their first theatre live theatre event together.
Danielle Rowlands, Education & Participation Officer comments ‘When we heard that this wonderful show was touring we knew that it was something we wanted to bring to Newport. So many families have been isolated over the last 18 months and we wanted to be able to invite new families into the building for the very first time. Connecting with families and the community is central to all we do here and we want to give these families a positive first experience of the theatre so that they keep coming back in future.’
This month The Riverfront’s baby friendly cinema screenings For Crying Out Loud will also be returning. These screenings will take place on weekday morning at 11am and will be a newly released film title certified as either U, PG or 12A. These screenings are purely for parents and guardians to enjoy with their baby or toddler and so audiences are advised not to worry about crying, fidgeting or disturbing other guests as everyone will be in the same boat.
In order to make these screenings as baby friendly as possible The Riverfront will be adapting the conditions in the cinema; there will be a soft level of lighting, the volume will be lower and there will be soft matting in front of the screen for any toddlers who may not be comfortable remaining seated.
For Crying Out Loud screenings coming up over the next few weeks include Nomadland (13 September), The Father (21 September) and Another Round (27 September). Keep an eye on the Newport Live website as new screenings are added weekly.
Later this year The Riverfront will also be reintroducing its monthly day time stand-up comedy show Aftermirth which babies up to 18 months are welcome to attend, and the arts centre will be launching a baby and toddler friendly workshop series. Keep an eye out on their social media channels for details of these.
Tickets for Baby, Bird & Bee and For Crying Out Loud are available now from newportlive.co.uk/riverfront, or by calling 01633 656757.
