Most of the dates for shows in our theatre are set at the start of the academic year, but we can sometimes offer additional live performances of one of our shows at the theatre in response to requests from schools.
Interested in a specific live performance at a specific time of year? Take a look at the list below and get in touch using the enquiry form at the bottom of the page or by contacting us on 020 7709 8908 or schools@halfmoon.org.uk to find out more. If you are interested in booking an entire performance of one of our school’s shows, we may be able to amend the show time to suit your school’s schedule. Please enquire to see if this is possible.
Live show tickets are £8 each. We offer free tickets for adults in line with the recommended ratios as outlined by Ofsted:
Nursery – one free adult ticket for every two child tickets bought
Reception – one free adult ticket for every four child tickets bought
KS1 – one free adult ticket for every six child tickets bought
KS2 and up – one free adult ticket for every ten child tickets bought
Our virtual performance package costs £60 + VAT for an academic year (now until the end of July 2025). All virtual shows have closed captions and there are BSL-interpreted and Audio Described filmed performances available.
Schools are eligible for free off-peak travel to cultural venues which can be accessed through registering on the TFL website.
Note: some Secondary Schools have booked one of our shows for younger children as a reference piece for GCSE groups looking at the genre of Children’s Theatre, hosting a performance for a local feeder Primary School.
Our Theatre Passport ticket scheme supports access to live performances for schools and is supported by Tower Hamlets Arts and Music Education Service (THAMES)
School Gallery Visits
School groups coming to Half Moon to see a show can arrive up to 45mins before the performance to allow children a chance to interact with our gallery exhibition. We have a short gallery trail activity for the children to complete when they are here, if appropriate for the age group, and workshops with the artist can be arranged.
Nursery to Reception
A Woodland Wonder
Join Ratty and her friends as they learn about the environment in this fun and gentle introduction to theatre with play-along storytelling, original music, puppetry, theatre games, movement and lots of imaginative play.
There’ll be silliness, play-acting, games and music in this play-along theatre adventure. Expect to play, move, watch and laugh.
At the end of the show, there is a stay and play session.
Performance times
Friday 23 May | 10.30am, 12pm and 2pm
Please note: If you are interested in booking an entire performance of A Woodland Wonder for your students (80-90 tickets depending on age range), we may be able to amend the show time to suit your school’s schedule. Please enquire to see if this is possible.
Performance running time | 50 minutes + stay and play
Interested? Get in touch using the enquiry form at the bottom of the page or by contacting Androulla on 020 7709 8908 or schools@halfmoon.org.uk to find out more.
Reception to Year 4
Three Little Vikings
Three brave little Viking girls save the day in this bold and funny adventure story for little rebels, by the creator of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book Little Red and I Can Catch a Monster, Bethan Woollvin.
Once upon a time in a Viking village, everything seems to be going wrong. Chickens are disappearing, trees are falling down and there’s lots and lots of crashing and bashing.
The silly Chieftain won’t listen to the three littlest Vikings, but can they work together to figure out what’s going on and save the day?
Three Little Vikings is all about cooperation, bravery, and getting your voice heard!
Performance times
Thursday 26 June | 10.30am and 1.30pm
Friday 26 June | 10.30am and 1.30pm
Please note: If you are interested in booking an entire performance of Three Little Vikings for your students (80-90 tickets depending on age range), we may be able to amend the show time to suit your school’s schedule. Please enquire to see if this is possible.
Performance running time | 50 minutes
Interested? Get in touch using the enquiry form at the bottom of the page or by contacting Androulla on 020 7709 8908 or schools@halfmoon.org.uk to find out more.
Year 1 to Year 5
An old hard-working farmer lives alone. A baby clown bounces off a passing circus train in the middle of nowhere, now separated from family and friends. Unsure what to do, the farmer takes the clown home. Can a friendship span the generations? Can old dogs learn new tricks? Can the young clown find its way home?
The Farmer and the Clown is a story of an unexpected friendship for all ages, told through physical comedy and dance, and performed with an original live soundtrack.
At the end of the performance, audiences are invited onto the stage to meet the puppets.
Performance times
Friday 16 May | 10.30am and 1.30pm
Please note: If you are interested in booking an entire performance of The Farmer and the Clown for your students (80-90 tickets depending on age range), we may be able to amend the show time to suit your school’s schedule. Please enquire to see if this is possible.
Performance running time | 50 minutes
Interested? Get in touch using the enquiry form at the bottom of the page or by contacting Androulla on 020 7709 8908 or schools@halfmoon.org.uk to find out more.
Watch the show trailerYear 2 to Year 5
Join poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for a family show full of poems, raps and songs about all your favourite prehistoric protagonists – and some you haven’t heard of yet! Come and get your groove on to some Jurassic Classics!
The show was inspired by Simon Mole’s 4th book, A First Book of Dinosaurs, illustrated by Matt Hunt, published by Walker Books in September 2023.
Performance times
Thursday 19 June | 10.30am and 1.30pm
Friday 20 June | 10.30am and 1.30pm
Please note: If you are interested in booking an entire performance of The Great Big Dinosaur Show for your students (80-90 tickets), we may be able to amend the show time to suit your school’s schedule. Please enquire to see if this is possible.
Performance running time | 50 minutes
Interested? Get in touch using the enquiry form at the bottom of the page or by contacting Androulla on 020 7709 8908 or schools@halfmoon.org.uk to find out more.
Year 3 to Year 6
Cleo arrives into a new home, unsure of what the future holds. She meets the playful Bertie, who brings her out of her shell, and Leila, who she has more in common with than she first thought. Life has been unsettled for the trio: Bertie is pushing towards the future, Leila is trying to reconnect with her past and Cleo is searching for answers.
Together they balance, dance and climb to navigate imagined worlds, divided loyalties and loved ones far away. They unite to discover a place called home, the value of play, and together, learn how to own their personal stories.
Developed through working creatively with young people in care over a period of years, this inspiring, engaging and beautiful production explores a fundamental need we all share – the need to belong.
Performance times
Friday 14 Feb | 10.30am and 1.30pm
Please note: If you are interested in booking an entire performance of Belongings for your students (80-90 tickets), we may be able to amend the show time to suit your school’s schedule. Please enquire to see if this is possible.
Performance running time | 65 minutes
Interested? Get in touch using the enquiry form at the bottom of the page or by contacting Androulla on 020 7709 8908 or schools@halfmoon.org.uk to find out more.
Watch the show trailer“My students watched Dust this morning and I wanted to let you know that it received a standing ovation from the students in school! Online students have been saying how interesting and moving it was to watch. I loved it, it was so beautiful designed and the music was great, upbeat at moments and gentle and soothing at others. This is not just a show for younger audience members but for all. GCSE students could use this show for their written component easily. So much to write about for set/props and acting skills as the main character takes on several roles.”
- Our virtual performance package costs £60 + VAT for an academic year (now until the end of July 2025). Note the package runs for academic years, so the fee applies from the date of purchase until the end of July each year, and therefore needs to be renewed to continue into the next year.
- Virtual packages include a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- Links will also be provided to additional resource videos where available.
- Links will also be provided to script extracts for drama and literacy activities in the classroom.
- All show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
- Most shows have a BSL-interpreted version.
- Some shows have an Audio Described version.
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A Half Moon production
A heartfelt story is about being made to feel naughty, just because the rules don’t make sense.
Boxed In follows the journey of someone who struggles to understand the rules that surround us all. Sometimes stop means go and go means stop. Are you supposed to go this way or that? Sometimes it’s up and sometimes it’s down.
In a world where everyone else seems to understand, it can all get a bit confusing. And when you get it wrong, you’re made to sit out, but you don’t understand why. It seems so unfair.
Boxed In explores the unspoken barriers of attitudes, social etiquette and behaviour that surround us.
Boxed In is largely non-verbal. This makes it accessible to a wide range of people, including d/Deaf, hard of hearing, BSL users and non-English speakers.
Boxed in is a Daryl & Co. and Half Moon co-production; an exciting collaboration by a ground-breaking Disabled-led theatre company and the UK’s leading small-scale young people’s venue and touring company.
Schools’ Virtual Ticket: £60+VAT
You can buy access to this show for your school from now until the end of the academic year (July 2025).
- This virtual package includes a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- This show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
- An Audio Described performance is also available.
Show Running Time: 43 mins
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A Daryl & Co. and Half Moon co-production
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 exuberant physicality set to the beats of a glorious Fado inspired contemporary soundtrack. Let the warmth of a Portuguese summer take you to a place where difference is something to celebrate.
This show has limited dialogue. This makes it accessible to a range of people, including d/Deaf, hard of hearing and non-English speakers.
Party is a production by Half Moon, the UK’s leading small-scale young people’s venue and touring company.
Schools’ Virtual Ticket: £60+VAT
You can buy access to this show for your school from now until the end of the academic year (July 2025).
- This virtual package includes a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- Links will also be provided to access three fifteen-minute drama workshops to support the show alongside script extracts for drama and literacy activities in the classroom.
- This show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
- A BSL-interpreted performance is also available.
- An Audio Described performance is also available.
Show Running Time: 31 mins
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A Tangled Feet and Half Moon co-production
Three friends embark on an exciting adventure to chase their butterflies away. They cross new seas to uncharted lands, on a journey filled with discovery. The only trouble is they’re all a bit worried about it! During their voyage the group ride the waves, walk high bridges, skirt deep caves and climb to the sky, before reaching dry land braver than ever before.
Created in response to young children’s experience of anxiety, Butterflies is an uplifting tale of friendship, courage and facing your fears, told using innovative staging, breathtaking physicality, the power of play and an original musical score.
Butterflies is a co-production between award-winning theatre ensemble Tangled Feet and Half Moon, the UK’s leading small-scale theatre company creating work for young people.
This show has limited dialogue. This makes it accessible to a range of people, including d/Deaf, hard of hearing and non-English speakers.
Schools’ Virtual Ticket: £60+VAT
You can buy access to this show for your school from now until the end of the academic year (July 2025).
- This virtual package includes a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- Links will also be provided to a resource pack which has been designed for children to use independently or with an adult; to work through as they wish.
- Links will also be provided to script extracts for drama and literacy activities in the classroom.
- This show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
- A BSL-interpreted performance is also available.
- An Audio Described performance is also available.
Show Running Time: 43 mins
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Half Moon presents
A Lots of Odds Theatre productionTake flight with two new friends as they soar through clouds, fly over distant seas and circle faraway lands. They touch down in mysterious new places and discover oceans to swim in, rocks to clamber over and bridges to cross. But where will they fly to next?
Lift-off on a journey full of music, physicality and zooming paper aeroplanes, where sometimes the skies are not as clear as we first think.
Developed with children who have shared their experiences of losing loved ones, Paper Aeroplane sensitively explores loss and bereavement, the challenges we face when trying to move on, and how we can help one another along the way.
The show was a 2021 Off West End OnComm finalist for Best Show for Children.
Paper Aeroplane is Lots of Odds’ latest show for children, following the highly popular The Goose Who Flew. It was a 2020 Off West End OnComm Award finalist for Best Show for Children.
Schools’ Virtual Ticket: £60+VAT
- You can buy access to this show for your school from now until the end of the academic year (July 2025).
- This virtual package includes a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- Links will also be provided to access three fifteen-minute drama workshops to support the show.
- This show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
- A BSL-interpreted performance is also available.
Running time: 47 minutes
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A Half Moon and Z-Arts co-production
When Little Titch and her scruffy rucksack arrive at the giant, pink house it is not what she expected – a blanket of thick grey dust covers everything in sight and it is wild and overgrown. Her new home is cold and unwelcoming until she meets Nelly, a flamboyant and loveable hoarder. Together the pair discover they have more in common than they first thought and that friendship can heal hidden wounds.
Written by acclaimed award winning children’s author Laura Dockrill (Darcy Burdock book series, Big Bones) Dust uses exciting puppetry and exquisite poetic language to explore a heartfelt story about love, loss, identity and memory.
With haunting music by Hugo White of The Maccabees, this striking and emotional play is a joyous reminder about just how playful the world can be.
Dust is a Half Moon and Z-Arts co-production: an exciting collaboration by the UK’s leading small-scale young people’s venue and touring company and Manchester’s unique and award-winning venue for children and families.
Schools’ Virtual Ticket: £60+VAT
- You can buy access to this show for your school from now until the end of the academic year (July 2025).
- This virtual package includes a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- Links will also be provided to access three fifteen-minute drama workshops to support the show alongside script extracts for drama and literacy activities in the classroom.
- This show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
- A BSL-interpreted performance is also available.
Show Running Time: 56 mins
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A Half Moon and Z-arts co-production
Abi and her Grandad tell each other Anansi folktales. They play games as they work together in the garden among the beautiful flowers and tasty vegetables. As they plant memories, they share secrets and develop a bond that nothing can break.
Grandad is as smart and mischievous as the wily Anansi legend, a part human, part spider and the subject of many West African and Caribbean folk stories. Can he find a way to tell his granddaughter about his plans to return to Jamaica, his beloved homeland?
Join our intrepid characters as they step into the unexpected in this humorous and heartfelt inter-generational adventure. With captivating songs and joyous dancing, Grandad Anansi is an uplifting tale of love, courage and letting go that celebrates storytelling and shines a light on Jamaican culture and the Windrush generation.
Written by award-winning children’s author Elayne Ogbeta, Grandad Anansi is a co-production from Half Moon and Z-arts, the award-winning team behind Dust, winner of the 2022 Off West End Theatre Award for Best Theatre for Children Aged 5-11.
Schools’ Virtual Ticket: £60+VAT
You can buy access to this show for your school from now until the end of the academic year (July 2025).
- This virtual package includes a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- Links will also be provided to script extracts for drama and literacy activities in the classroom.
- This show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
- A BSL-interpreted performance is also available.
- An Audio Described performance is also available.
Show Running Time: 48 mins
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An Apples and Snakes and Half Moon co-production
When Crusty and his scruffy cat Dollop arrive on Supreme Street, things will never be the same again. After meeting their neighbours, Dr. D and her spotless feline Crinkle, things quickly get out of hand. Soon there’s a full-scale battle of words, tinned beans and cooking pots, fuelled by misunderstandings and the inability to listen to others.
This spoken word poetry show is heartfelt, provocative and full of quirky humour, telling the action-packed story of new friendships and adventures that go cat-astrophically wrong.
The Cat-Astrophic Adventures of Dollop and Crinkle is a Half Moon and Apples and Snakes co-production: an exciting collaboration by the UK’s leading small-scale young people’s theatre company and England’s leading spoken word poetry organisation, commissioned in association with SPINE Festival 2021.
Schools’ Virtual Ticket: £60+VAT
- You can buy access to this show for your school from now until the end of the academic year (July 2025).
- This virtual package includes a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- Links will also be provided to script extracts for drama and literacy activities in the classroom.
- This show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
- A BSL-interpreted performance is also available.
Show Running Time: 54 mins
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Half Moon presents
a Justin Coe productionJackson’s dad is building a new house out of weird and whacky bits and bobs that people have thrown away. The last few years have been hard for young Jackson, living without his mum. Now his dad wants to make a new start, but Jackson isn’t ready to move on. Not until he blows the dust off mum’s favourite old book and conjures up the Story Fairy. But can stories really help Jackson believe in himself and be happy in a new home?
Celebrating books and the joy of reading, The House That Jackson Built features a larger than life pop-up book and thrilling adventures, including a giant who cannot say “fee-fi-fo-fum”, an elephant professor and the Wordy Wordy Birdie. This magical spoken word theatre show delights in family, recycling and the power of imagination.
The House That Jackson Built is Justin Coe’s latest spoken word show for children, following the highly popular Young Herbert’s Horrors and Big Wow, Small Wonder.
Schools’ Virtual Ticket: £60+VAT
- You can buy access to this show for your school from now until the end of the academic year (July 2025).
- This virtual package includes a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- Links will also be provided to access three fifteen-minute drama workshops to support the show.
- This show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
- A BSL-interpreted performance is also available.
Show Running Time: 58 mins
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A Half Moon production
The end of an era is approaching. It’s 1997 and London is about to have its last daytime rave.
British South Asians flock for their last taste of rebellion. Among them are cousins Farhan and Sadiq. Both very different. Both escaping something. Both trying to decide what it means to be British and Pakistani, a Muslim and a man – and they’ve got until 6pm to figure it out.
Inspired by the daytime raves of 1990s British Asian culture, Daytime Deewane explored the beauty and struggle of living with a multi-cultural identity as a teenager. Featuring spoken word and a DJ mix merging soundscapes and dance music, this immersive show is an exhilarating gig theatre experience.
The show won the 2023 Theatre for Young Audiences Off West End Award for Best Writing. It was also nomintaed for Best Performance and Best Original Music.
Daytime Deewane is a production by Half Moon, the UK’s leading small-scale young people’s venue and touring company.
CONTENT WARNING: Daytime Deewane includes references to self-harm. As part of depicting the experience of British South Asians in the 1990s, at times characters in the play refer to language which is racially offensive.
Schools’ Virtual Ticket: £60+VAT
You can buy access to this show for your school from now until the end of the academic year (July 2025).
- This virtual package includes a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- Links will also be provided to a 25 min post show discussion video with the writer and designer of the show. This video is exclusively for schools.
- Links will also be provided to script extracts for drama and literacy activities in the classroom.
- This show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
- An Audio Described performance is also available.
Show Running Time: 63 mins
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A Half Moon production
It’s summer. It’s hot. Like really hot. Like ice pop after melting ice pops hot. Like orange midday sun hot.
Across the divide of a scorched basketball court two girls meet, shoot hoops and discover their shared obsessions make them inseparable friends. But will faith, growing pains and the darker reactions of others get in the way of that long, hot, orange summer?
A decade later the past walks back into view when 18-year-old Amina is confronted by her childhood best friend Tandeki. Can they reignite the spark of friendship by untangling their hurt feelings, or are some heartbreaks just too hard to mend?
Written by Amal Khalidi and Tatenda Naomi Matsvai, Hot Orange follows Amina and Tandeki as they navigate what it takes to sustain love and friendship beyond childhood idealism and the moment you fall in love.
Hot Orange is a production by Half Moon, the UK’s leading small-scale young people’s venue and touring company.
CONTENT WARNING: Hot Orange includes references to attitudes and language choices expressing negative opinions about same-sex relationships.
Schools’ Virtual Ticket: £60+VAT
You can buy access to this show for your school from now until the end of the academic year (July 2025).
- This virtual package includes a password protected Vimeo link for the performance to use as many times as you wish.
- Links will also be provided to script extracts for drama and literacy activities in the classroom.
- This show has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
Show Running Time: 63 mins
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