Your Toys – a family show that incorporates the children’s toys as puppets into the story

Slot Machine Theatre with Turtle Key Arts present
Your Toys
Press Night: Sunday 24th September 2017, artsdepot

Turtle Key Arts, one of the UK’s most exciting creative producers, have partnered up with Slot Machine Theatre for Your Toys – a innovative family show that incorporates the children’s toys as puppets into the story.

Using their unique style of puppetry, original live music and quirky humour, Your Toys takes your beloved friend on a gigantic adventure. Enjoyed by both adults and children, there is no limitation to whose toy can take part. Everyone is invited to hand in their toy at the beginning of the show to see them included in this magical journey

Your Toys was developed by Slot Machine Theatre, an associate company at Norden Farm Arts Centre in Berkshire. Experimenting with the idea of creating a show that taps into children’s extensive imaginations, Your Toys brings to life the world that they only could imagine.

Nick Tigg, one of the Artistic Directors from Slot Machine Theatre comments, Having made a number of shows over that included puppetry we were struck by how strongly both children and adults relate to these make-believe beings – especially if the object being animated has some relationship with them already. Many children imagined their toy going on an adventure – and we loved this idea. Some children had fantastical suggestions about where these adventures might take place – in the mountains, a storm at sea, in the desert, flying with eagles. We also loved the idea of unlikely characters being thrown together and having to work as a team.

Your Toys is an accessible show and has worked really well when performed in Special Education Needs schools as part of Turtle Key Arts’ extensive work into forging the path for disabled and socially disadvantaged people by ensuring that participation and education is embedded into the heart of everything they do.

Development Director of Turtle Key Arts, Shaun Dawson, comments, “When Slot Machine Theatre first mentioned the concept of Your Toys we instantly loved it and wanted to make it a reality, now here we are touring it nationally and we’re looking forward to hearing the gasps of excitement, when their toy appears on stage, from hundreds more children.”

Magical, an ideal introduction to the theatre for children (The Stage)