March is looking magnificent for Big Imaginations! This month, we are bringing fun, magic and laughter to venues across the North West and Yorkshire. Check out what’s on offer below:

Curious Investigators

Scribble and Clipboard have a job to do: sort the recycling. But Scribble keeps finding new things to investigate. When she discovers a mysterious egg hidden in the rubbish, the pair need the audience’s help to rescue an unborn chick. Can we save a mysterious egg from a smashing? And what will we discover along the way?

CURIOUS INVESTIGATORS is a cracking adventure created in collaboration with engineering experts from Lancaster University: a delightfully surprising, highly visual show for 3-7 year olds and their grown-ups.

You can catch Curious Investigators at:

• Burnley Youth Theatre on 5^th March

If you’re all booked up in March, there will also be a chance to catch Curious Investigators at Wonder Arts on 14th April, and Tameside on 19th April.

The Hug

The Hug presented by Long Nose Puppets.

Based on the heart-warming and funny book ‘The Hug’ by Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar. Starring a Hedgehog and a Tortoise both in search of a restorative hug.

Facing many rejections along the way, they meet a rather scary badger, an obsessive squirrel who knows A LOT about nuts, a fabulous fox and an owl who is trying hard to be wise. A tale of hope, empathy and acceptance.

Set to Tom Gray’s beautiful and witty music, the audience are invited on a journey full of fun, laughter and love…and at the end, a very special hug from our puppets.

You can catch The Hug at:

• Z-arts on 12th March

STAN

Sam is a happy, dinosaur loving 8-year-old whose world turns upside down after his parents separate. As he takes himself off to the far end of the school field he meets Alex, a deaf girl with a vivid imagination – and an impressive collection of dinosaurs.

Bonding over boring packed lunches and their favourite fierce T-Rex, the pair form an unlikely friendship. When things at home become too difficult for Sam, Alex whisks him away on an astonishing adventure to meet the almighty STAN, the gigantic T-Rex at Manchester Museum.

Think Pixar’s Inside Out meets Night at the Museum, STAN is well worth a visit this Winter!

A powerful and poignant new play by Sarah Emmott, STAN celebrates the power of play, the joy of communication and the positive force of friendship. Featuring awesome animated dinosaurs, STAN is written and performed in English and British Sign Language and embeds creative captions within the set.

You can catch STAN at:

• The Dukes between 9th-10th March.

Josephine

Josephine Baker. The little girl from Missouri who became an original 20th Century icon. Dancer, actor, activist, campaigner, spy and mother to the multicultural Rainbow Tribe, Josephine broke the mould and high-kicked the pieces to the kerb. But, almost 50 years after her death, Café Josephine, a down-at-heel New York diner dedicated to her memory, faces closure. Nobody remembers Josephine, who she was, what she did, what she stood for. And she just can’t allow that.

With a sultry, Harlem Renaissance-inspired score, spring-heeled Charleston dancing and a hatful of historical figures, Josephine blurs the real with the imagined as we follow one woman’s incredible journey from the slums of St Louis via the bright lights of Paris and into the hearts of the world.

You can catch Josephine at:

• Z-arts on 19th March.

Party

Afonso wants to go to his best friend’s birthday party, but where is his invitation – has it been lost in the post, or maybe he wasn’t even invited? When it finally arrives the excitement and nerves become too much to handle. What should he wear? Will they have balloons? Will anyone play with him? And what about the cake?

Heartfelt, provocative and full of quirky humour, Party features striking, colourful designs and a glorious contemporary soundtrack. Let the warmth of a Portuguese summer take you to a place where difference is something to celebrate.

Party was created and live-recorded at Half Moon without an audience during lockdown 2021. Now, after much digital acclaim, Half Moon invites little ones and their grown-ups to experience a live performance of this unforgettable zany birthday party.

You can catch Party at:

• The Dukes on 19^th March
• Waterside on 20^th March

Squidge

Do you squish or squash, tickle or most certainly not, handshake or hug, stretch out or snuggle in like a bug?

‘Squidge’ is a fun interactive dance performance with live music and digital projection, which takes a light-hearted look at our sense of touch and how it influences our everyday lives. At the heart of the show is a tale of friendship, compromise and how each and every one of us need touch to make us feel alive! Immerse yourself in this shared experience for children 3-8yrs and their grown-ups. Sit in your own special seating area where you can explore magical light-up boxes, full of exciting textures for little hands which will delight and tickle your senses.

You can catch Squidge at:

• Z-arts on 26^th March

If you’re all booked up in March, there will also be a chance to catch Squidge at The Dukes on 7^th May.

To book any of the shows, please visit our shows page. You will be directed to book directly via your chosen’s venue’s page.