The appetite for children’s theatre in Brighton often outstrips supply.

Seeing as Brighton Fringe is a week longer this year, and Brighton And Hove Children’s Festival is a biennial event, independent producer Emily Coleman has put together a series of events under the banner Hijack Family Fringe.

“It seemed a good time to programme a mini festival within the Fringe,” she explains.

“This is its first outing and will hopefully be the first of many.

“Next year it will be bigger and we will take over the reins from Brighton And Hove Children’s Festival, which is not returning.”

The council-run Children’s Festival will be subsumed into Hijack Family Fringe.

So Coleman is working with a series of contributors, including Komedia’s charitable arm, Arts Council England and the council to ensure the popular festival continues.

“It should feel like children are hijacking the city – and we are hijacking different types of art forms, with events especially for that age group.”

The aim is to make interactive theatre to spark children’s imagination.

“What impressed me with last year’s Children’s Festival was how interactive and participatory the work was.

“There is so much theatre for young people but it shouldn’t be about children sitting and watching – it should be about them getting involved.”

The series of events makes use of the talent in the city.

Children will be able to build dens in Hijack In The Park (Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2, £7/£6, 11am, 3.30pm and 6pm) while Petra Massy from theatre company Spymonkey tells stories.

A bushcraft leader will be on hand to help build fun structures.

“We wanted to do something outside because I know how much kids like disappearing to the woods and making dens,” says Coleman.

“I’ve always loved Spymonkey, they are genius performers and have never done anything for children, so Petra was really up for it.

“We will hijack part of the woods. The location is a secret to be revealed…”

An unusual site-specific performance has been arranged for Brighton’s Jubilee Library.

Bootworks Theatre will bring Oliver Jeffers’ tale of The Incredible Book Eating Boy, who loved books so much that he couldn’t help eating them, to life in an intimate show for one adult and a child at a time (Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26, £7, noon to 1.30pm and 3pm to 4pm, performances every six minutes).

“You will be sitting in a booth in the middle of the story and get to watch the creators make it and see the backstage mechanics of what is being performed.”

Two brilliant children’s films which have been forgotten about in the blockbuster era will be shown at Duke’s @ Komedia on Tuesday, May 28, and Thursday, May 30 (£7/£6).

African tale Kirikou And The Sorceress and David Bowie’s Labyrinth are both classics.

“Labyrinth will interest all those parents who loved the film first time around. It doesn’t get shown very often – let alone in a cinema for a family audience – so it’s a treat.

“And Kirikou And The Sorceress is not your standard Disney or Pixar film, which is why I like it.”

Nick Gillard, the Brighton-based stuntman who worked on Labyrinth (as well as Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and Tomorrow Never Dies), will talk about working on film before the screening on May 30.

Other shows include Hijack Tech (Friday, May 31, noon to 4pm, £7/£6), which is an afternoon of workshops with rocket making, torch building and robot wars.

Hijack Ets-beest (Wednesday, May 29, 11am and 3pm, £7/£6) is dance and free drawing for two to four-year olds.

And Hijack Comedy invites Brighton improv troupe The Noise Next Door to perform a special show for young comedy fans on Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26 (2pm, £7/£6).

  • Komedia, Gardner Street, Brighton, Saturday, May 25. Various times and prices. Call 0845 2938480 or visit hijackhq.com