Xocolat

Saturday 7th of October 2023 - Mamá Mía

 The theater season is upon us! Lyon and I are rarering to go and our first trip to the theater was to see Mamá Mía, this was held a hall in a small village not 20 min drive from Ciudad Real! Lyon was fascinated by the costumes and the singing, but quickly lost interest in the conversational bits!Suffice to say we didn't last through the first half of the show, before he asked to leave and go to the park.

Sunday 8th of October 2023 - Xocolat - Teatro de la Sensación

Slap stick comedy by definition or Physical theatre!

Splendid backdrop of Chocolate factory, Lyon was mesmerized from the word go!

No talking to bore children senseless and from the start Lyon was giggling, highly entertaining for adults too!

 The best one we have seen at the Teatro de la sensación!

Recycling

 My child took the lime light!

This play had far too may elements, it was bilingual, it had a talking owl and a rabbit. There was a fairy telling the story, there were other voices coming from backstage and you couldn't make out if they were in a forest or a garden, as there was a garden wall! There was live music too, which was a plus, as kids love the guitar.

Aside from that, my son, Lyon was into it, he was enjoying the story, and as was relatively relaxed and not his restless self.  

We talk a lot about recycling at home and he enjoys going to the recycling bins to dispose of our rubbish.  So, it wasn't a great surprise when he took to the stage to pick up the rubbish that had been spread purposely around the stage.

For him, it felt normal to get up on stage and start picking up the rubbish, I guess because he sees me up there too.  Anyway, for what ever reason he felt propelled to get up there!

Here Lyon is taking the lime light!

But in the end, he stayed up there throughout the performance, 

and luckily for him the actress didn't seem to mind.

GORI GORI

 Gori Gori

For me this was a subtle way to introduce the subject of death to a small child.  Most children experience the loss of a grandparent early on, and this was such a simple, yet beautiful way to explain grief. The cast was made up of two actors, they used primarily wood, wooden puppets, instruments and the wheel that was used to tell the story was entirely made from wood. A beautifully crafted wooden wheel, which turned as the story unfolded. 

Lyon was practically hypnotized by this wheel and did not wander off even for a second, they had him totally engrossed and us too.

The two actors, I guess they were kind of clowns, who told the story were brilliant! This was a hit for me and I will remember this experience for a very long time! 

Stories and songs - Water, animals and other simple things

 

Songs about water in Almagro

Today we went to a theater in Almagro, Castilla La Mancha. This theater is a tad off the beaten track, an obscure little place with animal sculptures in the garden, a children's`play area and a swimming pool. We could see ashes on the ground, in what looked like a gathering around a campfire from the previous evening.  The theater itself "La Veleta" Weather Vane,  it's small but inviting and thoughtfully decorated.  

The highlight of the show was an interactive activity, whereby a long piece of paper was placed on the floor. My son rushed to sit down, to find out what we would be doing. We were told to imagine the long piece of paper as a river, and we were given crayons to draw, my son grabbed one and immediately began to draw, one of the other parents looked cross that he had started without instruction, but no amount of persuasion from me could stop him.  

Moments later we were instructed to draw along to the music, dots and then circles and so on.  The story teller then handed out silk paper leaves, flowers and butterflies with some glue. Lyon loved this activity, but I'm not sure he was paying much attention to the story and I also don't recall what it was about exactly, but I did enjoy watching him be creative.

By the time the activity had finished and we returned to our seats, Lyon had had enough and wanted to leave. So we left the darkness of the theater behind us and escaped into the sunshine.  Lyon is only 2 and a half and he IS able to watch a show all the way through, usually, but on this occasion when the story teller wasn't playing any kind of instrument, Lyon would wander off!  So, from this I have learnt more so than ever, that music is a powerful tool and I MUST used the Ukulele more!

Pirata Patata / Potato Pirare

La Pirata Patata

The Potato Pirate

This was fun, lots of music, ukulele, drums, singing! All very entertaining for my 2 year old son!

My son doesn't normally like puppets, but the pirate, octopus and an unidentified orange puppet with 3 legs, were a great source of amusement.

The story was about La Pirate Patata (The potato pirate) who arrived on an island only to enslave the indigenous people! They protested of course and in the end the Pirate befriended them all!

A sweet story told by a clown and some puppets! 

By the end of the show Lyon was right at the front and second in line to have his picture taken!

I so love our theater outings, mother and son's special treat together.  "Me and you, you and me! Lyon and mummy, mummy and Lyon!"
 

What does the moon taste like?

 Our weekly trip to the theater

Our trip the "El teatro de las Sensaciones"

We live in a small city in Castilla La Mancha in Spain, called Ciudad Real. Here, we are lucky enough to have a small local theater.  

On a Sunday they put on shows for children, and last Sunday it was the production of ¿A que sabe la Luna? What does the moon taste like?

It turns out that Lyon, had apparently heard this story several times, unbeknownst to me!

Mummy and Lyon

The actress had several puppets made out of paper macheé, which she used to tell the story. So, what does the moon taste like? I hear you ask. Well you'll have to read the book to find out!

We met up with Flor and Naiara, and Lyon's face lit up when he saw them and wanted to sit beside them. After the show they played together, which was very sweet indeed.

Our Snow Ball adventure

A trip to the theater with Lyon, Clark, Sara and Mum

It was a wet and rainy afternoon, in the centre of Norwich. Lyon and I had arrived that very same morning from Málaga. My sister  and mum, had kindly booked us some tickets to see a wintery themed children's show. Hosted by one lady, this was an event not to be missed!

Meet Clark (5) and Lyon (2)

Now, I was a tiny bit skeptical, as Lyon has had a the tendency to walk out of the theater, just as a production starts. He's not found of loud voices (Who is?) However on this occasion he was drawn to it. I dare say because his big cousin had taken a seat in a prime position!

The idea was that you sat in a snow globe and joined the story teller on an adventure! Across a frozen lake, through a snow storm, and many other funny anecdotes. There was also a puppet big foot, who played hide and seek with the children.

We all had fun, mums and dads included!