A Winter’s Trail

Theatre Royal Brighton, New Road, Friday, December 4, to Christmas Eve

CHRISTMAS isn’t just about going to see Santa in his grotto.

For Herringbone Arts it’s about spending time with your children and sharing experiences.

And that is what is at the heart of A Winter’s Trail – the follow-up to the theatre group’s Family Arts Festival award-winning The Secret Stairway at Theatre Royal Brighton last year.

“We’re passionate about site specific promenade work,” says co-artistic director Madeleine Herrington, who founded Herringbone Arts with primary school teacher Fran Malone.

“We appreciate that children can get restless and high-spirited, so part of the design is going on a journey, which helps keep them engaged in a different way.

“This is the antithesis of Father Christmas – it’s about the shared moment in a time when we are so busy.”

A Winter’s Trail takes youngsters all over the building, including up to the very heights of the Theatre Royal Brighton in the Gallery bar. Along the way they meet different characters – both puppets and real people, sing songs and take part in a winter activity.

“There are so many layers to the building,” says Herrington. “Part of the theatre used to be fishermen’s cottages. One of the offices used to be a bedroom. The north and south towers feel like a different world. It’s not a traditional tour – it’s like going into a secret magical world.”

Various times - see www.atgtickets.com/shows/a-winters-trail/theatre-royal-brighton/, tickets from £5. Call 08448 717650.