Festival

Following sell-out shows in March it’s dads and daughters taking centrestage in the final week of Season4 of Platform8, Jumped Up’s fourth festival of theatre for Peterborough, from April 18-22.

Platform8 are twiceyearly theatre-festivals created by Peterborough’s Jumped Up Theatre in partnership with London’s award-winning Battersea Arts Centre. The shows come from internationally acclaimed theatre-makers and pop up all across the city, in pubs, community centres, churches, community gardens, sports clubs, shopping centres, as well as theatres. Sponge at St John’s Church, Cathedral Square (April 19, 20 and 21) sees babies, young children and families invited to roll, squeeze and pop themselves through Sponge, a new squidgy dance show which includes mountains of sponges and is especially designed by early years specialists Turned On Its Head, for children aged 4 months to 4 years, and their families.

A friendly dad and daughter duo take the young audience through a journey of squishy, squashy environments, with ever-changing shapes and textures, including a leggy character Splegs, who needs a bit of help walking. The show is all set to a funky 1970s’ soundtrack, including disco favourites The Hustle and Car Wash, and builds to the whole audience being invited to come onstage to dance and play with the performers and their mountain of sponges.

And look out for Death Cafe on Wednesday (18th) at Bewiched coffee shop on Bridge Street (5.307.30pm). Drop in for a coffee and a chat about one of life’s greatest mysteries, and certainties - death. Kate Hall, Platform8’s producer says: “We have become very aware as to how talking about death is difficult for many people, including ourselves sometimes. So we have decided to host a Death Café as part of the festival, and Bewiched on Bridge Street have very kindly offered to be the venue.” Death Cafés is a national, informal network where people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death. Their aim is not to provide counselling or grief support but ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’. Bring your curiosity and have a willingness to learn and share your thoughts, feeling and questions with other like-minded people. And finally, Anonymous (11am, 1pm and 2.30pm, Sunday, April 22, at Serpentine Green.) URock Theatre Company have a new ensemble of young creatives, aged 18+, who have been exploring one of their favourite subjects – the internet. This devised show explores how everything from social media to gaming can be both positive and destructive – we can’t put the genie back in the bottle – so what are we going to do with it? Fathers and daughters are invited to book themselves in for a free photoshoot with Thomas Byron Photography, courtesy of Platform8 to celebrate two of their shows having father / daughter relationships at the heart of them. Go to the Jumped Up Theatre website to book on or pop along to the Vivacity Shop (next to Claire’ Accessories) on Sunday, April 15, between 11am3pm.