Visual Story for Hansel & Gretel at Rose Theatre Kingston The show lasts for 2 hours and 5 minutes including a 20 minute break (which we call interval). Welcome! We want you to enjoy Hansel & Gretel and this package is designed to help you find you way around the theatre, and your way around the story on stage. If you have any questions or would like more information about the Theatre, our Box Office team will be happy to help. Phone: 0208 174 0090 Email: info@rosetheatrekingston.org Here is what the theatre looks like from the outside:
When you get inside, you will see our Box Office and foyer on the left: If you don t already have your tickets with you, you will need to collect your tickets when you get to the theatre. You might have to queue to get these. The area next to the Box Office is the foyer and this can get quite busy. Where to get food and drink and sit down before the show There are seats on all floors, including the Café (above). The first and second floors will be much quieter if you wish to have some chill out time before, during or after the performance. On the ground floor, the café sells cakes and sandwiches, alcoholic and soft drinks as well as crisps and snacks. You can pre-order drinks for the interval, which will be waiting for you when you come into the foyer during the break. We also sell ice cream in lots of yummy flavours!
Who you will see at the Theatre Lots of different people work at the Theatre and you might see some of them during your visit. Our Front of House team may be walking around with walkie-talkies. They are there to make sure that everything runs smoothly. They will check your tickets and help you to find your seats. They can also answer any questions that you may have about the play or about the theatre. You can take small bags and coats into the auditorium with you (or we do have a cloakroom you can use for larger bags). You can just pop these on the backs of your seats or underneath them. You may also take in any electronic devices that you may need. If you can, we would like you to turn off any non-essential electronic items during the performance. Before the show Some of the cast will be in the Café before the show so you can meet them before they get up on the stage! You can also ask them questions if you want. If you don t want to meet the actors, or find it a bit overwhelming, there will be plenty of areas around the theatre where you can go have some chill out time. Where you will watch the show
This is where you will sit and watch the play. Take your time before the show to find your seats and get comfy before the show begins. Everyone who is watching the show will have their own seat to sit in. You can find which seat you are sitting in on your ticket. Here s what the seats look like: It won t be a problem if you want to get up out of your seat to move around or if you d like to leave the auditorium if you would like some quiet time, or to use the toilets. Don t worry if it gets a bit darker when the show starts, it s normal for the lights to go out. Everyone will need to try to be quiet and to sit still if they can, but some people will make some noise or movement, but this is nothing to worry about. You will see the actors come out on the stage, which is at the front of the theatre and is raised up so you can see what is going on. Unfortunately it s only the actors, and not the audience (that s you), who are allowed on the stage. The name for all the scenery, furniture and objects used on the stage is called the set, which is on the stage. This is what it will look like... You might find that watching a theatre show is like watching a film or television, but the actors are in the same room as you! The actors will be telling the story of Hansel & Gretel by talking and singing. They will be wearing make up and costumes. The story is the one you have read in story books, but there will be some differences.
This is Hansel & Gretel, they are the main characters in our story. You will be seeing them a lot:
These are the fairies. They help tell the story: This is Red Riding Hood a.k.a Red. She can sometimes sound a bit mean, but she is always there for Hansel and Gretel when they are lost.
This is Circe the witch. She doesn t like Hansel and Gretel and can be a bit mean to the children in the story: There are lots of actors in this show, and sometimes there will be a lot of people on stage at once. The actors will also get to the stage by walking through the audience on the ground floor. Some of the actors might be coming quite close to you. We must keep these paths to the stage clear so that they can walk through safely. There are two puppets in the show. One is Circe s Roggenwolf. The Roggenwolf might look scary, but there are three actors who are inside to make it move. It is just the actors who make them speak too.
This is the Bear. It is quite tall because the actor wears stilts and it does sometimes growl. But don t be scared - the bear just wants to help Hansel & Gretel find their way home. These are Circe s creatures. She has turned each of them into an animal. Kabeljau, Circe s loyal servant, is a fish! You will have a lot of fun during the performance. There is lots of singing and dancing. Sometimes it might be loud but don t worry, nothing will hurt you. If the sounds are too loud you can put your hands over your ears, or wear your headphones (if you brought some with you). You can also leave the auditorium if the show is too noisy for you, and you would like to take a break. We have a number of different places you can sit in to have some quiet time. After each song, some people will clap. Clapping is nice because it tells the actors you liked their song. If you want to clap, you can. You don t have to clap if you don t want to. When Hansel and Gretel reach a new place, the scene changes. There is a big book at the back of the stage which shows all the different places - the town, the forest, the dungeons. This is always very colourful, so if it gets too bright, you can cover your eyes. In the middle of the show, there is a break. This break is called an interval. During the interval you can use the toilet and have a drink or a snack. If you need to go to the toilet, you can look out for the signs or ask the ushers to show you were to go.
This is what the signs for the toilets look like... After the interval, everyone will come back and sit down in their seats again. It will get darker and quieter again just like at the beginning of the show. The actors will come back on the stage and finish telling the story. Just before the end of the show, some paper confetti will fall from the ceiling. This looks like snow. Some may fall on to you if you are sat on the ground floor in front of the stage. At the end of the show, all the performers will come out on stage. This is called a curtain call. Everyone will clap so that the actors know how much they liked the show. Sometimes people will stand up and clap. If you want to, you can clap as well, but you don t have to. If the clapping is too loud you can cover your ears. After the show is over, you will leave the theatre the same way you arrived. Please try to clear the auditorium as quickly as possible. We hope you have an amazing time at Hansel & Gretel! If you have any questions that have not been answered in this document, or you have any other special requirements or requests, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always looking for ways to improve our products and services so please let us know if you have any feedback. Phone: 0208 174 0090 / Email: info@rosetheatrekingston.org
These are the actors playing the different characters in the play: Devon Black plays the Bear Vanessa Fisher plays Red Elliot Fitzpatrick plays Kabeljau J.J. Henry plays Blue Georgina White plays Circe the Witch