Upload
mousetrap-theatre-projects
View
220
Download
2
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
FFN 2014 evaluation final
Citation preview
3 3 S h a f t e s b u r y A v e n u e | L o n d o n | W 1 D 7 E H
0 2 0 7 8 3 6 4 3 8 8 | f f n . a d m i n @ m o u s e t r a p . o r g . u k | w w w . m o u s e t r a p . o r g . u k
Summer 2014: Evaluation Report 21 July – 25 August 2014
Compiled by:
Zona Reid
1
Table of Contents
I. Introduction p.2
II. Overall Statistics
a. 2014 Family First Nights Participants by Borough p.3
b. Top Referring Organisations 2014 p.4
c. Number of Adults and Children Who Attended Each Show p.5
d. Total Number of Families and Tickets for Each Show p.6
III. Responses to Questionnaire
a. Family’s enjoyment of the show? p.7
b. Booking leaflet – info clear? p.7
c. Happy with FFN administration? p.8
d. Confirmation details – clear and useful p.8
e. Was this your family’s first visit to a West End theatre? p.9
f. Was this your family’s first visit to any theatre? p.9
g. Has this experience made you want to take your family p.10
to the theatre again?
h. Do you feel confident in taking up other theatre offers? p.10
IV. Comments from Family First Nights Participants - Shows
a. Making Theatre Affordable p.11
b. Making Theatre Accessible p.11
c. Organisational Information p.12
d. General Comments p.14
e. Suggestions from Participants p. 18
V. Comments from Family First Nights Participants – Workshops
a. General Comments from Practitioners and Participants p.20
2
Introduction
Family First Nights (FFN) celebrated its 16th year this summer, running for five weeks from Monday, 21st July - Monday, 25th August. Over the 2014 summer, 595 families took part in this signature Mousetrap Theatre Projects programme. 2,468 individuals took part in FFN, of which 1,357 were young people between the ages of 3 – 17 and 1,111 were accompanying adults (relatives, guardians & carers). The families came from 32 London boroughs.
Families had a choice of 29 top West End and children’s theatre shows with all tickets at £5.
The FFN 2014 leaflet offered 11 musicals, 5 plays, and 13 shows for younger children. The
most popular shows were Wicked, Thriller Live and Les Misérables.
114 social service agencies, charities, community organisations and housing associations referred families who they felt would benefit from a theatre visit. Representatives of these organisations attended an information meeting on 10th June at Bloomsbury Baptist Church and then were invited to Thriller Live for £15 a ticket. West London Action for Children sent the most number of families – 35 families representing 132 individuals.
This summer we also continued to offer free family workshops. These 60 – 90 minute workshops were run by skilled theatre practitioners. Families had a choice of four workshops: Stomp (attended by 3 families & 10 young carers), War Horse Proms (attended by 5 families), Wicked (attended by 4 families) and Barmy Britain (attended by 5 families) with a total take-up of 17 families and 72 individuals.
Children taking part in a Family Workshop of Barmy Britain
In early November, all 595 families plus the 4,000+ who are now on our FFN database will receive 28 new Winter/Spring offers for November 2014 – March 2015. In addition to these special offers, we continue to send FFN families email offers for theatre, opera, dance and special events on a regular basis with a very high response rate. Recent offers have included performances at the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Opera House as well as more traditional musicals such as Wicked and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Mousetrap Theatre Projects wishes to thank our funders for their generous support of Family First Nights: The Society of London Theatre, The Colwinston Charitable Trust and The Dorset Foundation. We also wish to thank the theatre producers, who by subsidising the cost of their tickets, enabled disadvantaged families to attend London theatre this summer, many for the first time. The following detailed analysis of FFN 2014 is based on 158 returned questionnaires from participating families, representing approximately 27% of attending families.
Susan Whiddington, Director
3
Overall Statistics
4
35
34
27
26
22
18
16
15
14
14
14
12
11
11
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
West London Action for Children
Suttons Women's Aid
WFAMG (Waltham Forest Asian Mothers Group)
SmileyArk Kids
SHINE Merton
Northend Children Center
V H Whizz Kids
The Key
Haringey Family Learning
Contact a Family Lewisham
Contact a Family Ealing and Southall
Hounslow Young Carers
Carers of Barking and Dagenham
Dalgarno Communtiy champions
Top Referring Organisations 2014
Number of Families
5
5
53
58
13
35
8
42
5
23
23
72
17
13
19
7
4
62
47
10
24
20
8
39
57
201
5
9
16
221
8
59
63
16
53
10
51
12
38
22
79
21
15
21
10
4
72
53
13
27
25
4
46
73
252
4
12
17
277
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
A Real Fairy Story
Aliens love Underpants
CBeebies Prom
Ghost Stories
Groove on down the Road, A Journey to Oz
Handmade Tales
Horrible Histories Barmy Britain Part Two
I Believe in Unicorns
Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather – Live on stage
Jersey Boys
Les Misérables
Let It Be
Let the Right One In
Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall
Moominsummer Madness
Once
Peppa Pig's Big Splash
Stomp
The 39 Steps
The Commitments
The Elephantom
The Pajama Game
The Phantom of the Opera
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Thriller
Top Hat
War Horse Prom
What The Ladybird Heard
Wicked
N umber o f A dul ts and Chi ldren Who Attended Each
S ho w
Number of Children
Number of Adults
6
13
107
121
29
88
18
93
16
61
45
150
38
28
40
17
8
134
101
23
51
45
12
91
130
460
9
21
33
504
3
24
37
8
18
4
23
3
10
10
35
8
7
11
4
3
36
25
7
10
10
4
19
29
100
3
5
7
125
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
A Real Fairy Story
Aliens love Underpants
Cbeebies Prom
Ghost Stories
Groove on down the Road, A Journey to Oz
Handmade Tales
Horrible Histories Barmy Britain Part Two
I Believe in Unicorns
Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather – Live on stage
Jersey Boys
Les Misérables
Let It Be
Let the Right One In
Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall
Moominsummer Madness
Once
Peppa Pig's Big Splash
Stomp
The 39 Steps
The Commitments
The Elephantom
The Pajama Game
The Phantom of the Opera
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Thriller
Top Hat
War Horse Prom
What The Lady Bird Heard
Wicked
To ta l N umber o f Fami l ies and T i ckets fo r Each S ho w
No of Families No of Tix
7
Responses to Questionnaire
1=Not at all 5=Extremely
138
17
3 2 00
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
5 4 3 2 1
Family's enjoyment of the show?
136
16
2 2 00
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
5 4 3 2 1
Was the information on the leaflet clear?
8
126
27
2 0 2
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
5 4 3 2 1
Happy with administration?
131
20
40 2
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
5 4 3 2 1
Were the confirmation details useful and clear?
9
56
102
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
No Yes
Was this your family's first visit to a West End Theatre?
117
41
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
No Yes
Was this your family's first visit to any theatre?
10
6
152
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
No Yes
Has this experience made you want to take your family to the
theatre again?
152
6
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Yes No
Would you feel cofident in taking up other offers?
11
Comments from Participants
SHOWS
Making Theatre Affordable
This was an excellent chance to see the theatre at an affordable price. My son really felt confident
and privileged to go. The show was fantastic, full of singing and clapping which the whole family
enjoyed. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for families like ours to be able to be given the
chance. Thanks once again!
(Mother, Jersey Boys)
We thoroughly enjoyed the show, it was truly fantastic. We are unable to normally afford West End
theatre tickets so this was a wonderful opportunity. Sincere thanks.
(Uncle, Jersey Boys)
Great evening with the family, unforgettable experience for an affordable price. Thank you!
(Mother, Wicked)
A huge thank you to all involved in this wonderful project. It was great to enjoy a show as a family
as usually the price of the tickets allows only two of our family to go and that's very rare! It was
great to see our three children enjoying themselves and looking happy! What more could we ask
for? Thank you SO much! Ps the show was all we expected and more superb.
(Mother, Les Misérables)
It was a fantastic day out for all of us. I sincerely wish theatre tickets could have more special
offers/discounts to make it accessible to everyone. We had tremendous fun! Thank you!
(Mother, Wicked)
My family all enjoyed the whole experience when we visited Thriller. We would definitely do this
kind of thing more if we could pay the same amount, £5 per ticket each or only slightly more. We
would love to do it again. Thank you.
(Mother, Thriller)
I am a mother to 3 children and also have full custody of 2 others. Without this programme I would
never have been able to afford this experience, it was mind blowing. Our seats were at the front,
the girls all loved it. One of my daughters and niece now to become musical actresses. The show
has totally opened our eyes to theatre going and I am going to save hard for other shows, we have
definitely got the bug! Thank you guys!
(Mother/Aunt, Thriller)
Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!!! Thanks to Family First Nights we experienced a wonderful and
affordable night at the theatre. Really hope to do this again.
(Mother, Wicked)
Making Theatre Accessible
We had a fantastic afternoon. You booked us on an aisle seat for Carly and as she is severely
Autistic, this was ideal for her. We were near to an exit which was ideal so that if we needed to get
out if she got upset, we could. She loved the clapping and dancing and her two siblings loved it too.
Thank you so much, you do a brilliant job.
(Grandmother, Let It Be)
This is a great project that enables all of us as a family to attend theatre together. I followed the
suggestion of contacting the New Wimbledon Theatre for a script as I am deaf (I do this with other
theatres if no captioned performances are planned without any squabbles). The theatre emailed
the production company but said as they had not heard back they couldn’t do anything. I explained
12
this to the manager and he said it was not good that they hadn't heard a response. They want to
ensure people can access theatre. It was excellent that he did this. Thanks.
(Mother, Peppa Pig’s Big Splash)
Our visit was to see WICKED. It was organised extremely well. My daughter is in a wheelchair and
the theatre staff were excellent in helping with all our needs. The staff were really polite and
helpful which ensured a stress free visit to the theatre. Many thanks!
(Mother, Wicked)
The wheelchair access was great, no problems and the staff were great. Thank you.
(Nan, Wicked)
A big thank you!! For us it was a miracle that my son could attend the show. He suffers from
extreme anxiety and after finding it difficult to enter the theatre, he had a wonderful time! Lots of
laughter and participation and he forgot all about his difficulties.
(Mother, Horrible Histories Barmy Britain Part Two)
It was great to go as a whole family and it meant a lot to Rebecca, our disabled daughter. We
would love the opportunity to go again as a whole family together.
(Mother, Les Misérables)
My family had an excellent time at the theatre. My 8 year old has special needs and it is hard to go
out as a whole family. So to get the chance to do this was great - he was so thrilled with the
experience he still talks about 2 weeks later.
(Mother, Wicked)
Organisational Information
Mousetrap
Thank you for such a wonderful workshop and show. Both my son and I really enjoyed the day out
together in London. The workshop was very well put together and really got everyone involved. It
was fun and we laughed a lot. We are carers and without this experience we would not have been
able to take part due to the expense of theatre tickets. Thank you!
(Mother, Stomp)
We had an amazing time, thank you so much. Your staff were amazing on our many phone calls due
to my mistakes. My sister-in-law and I have always been scared to take our 2 year olds so my 7 year
old misses out but thanks to you we would definitely do it again. The cheap price made us give it a
go and now we have confidence to do it again. Thank you!!
(Mother, Peppa Pig’s Big Splash)
My son says it was spectacular! The show was exciting and the cast were exciting and fun. I was
impressed by the speed of receiving the tickets from when we applied. I will definitely take my
family again. Many thanks for a fabulous experience!
(Mother, Thriller)
The experience was fantastic, the 39 steps was fantastic! The instructions were easy to follow and
the follow up telephone call was great in answering any questions I had. The map was easy to
follow and clear. At the theatre the experience was also great and we were welcomed and my
daughter was fussed over which made her feel very special.
(Mother, The 39 Steps)
I didn't get my information in time but the staff were very helpful with the directions and the
support.
(Mother, Wicked)
13
We really cannot fault the experience we had. From the administration side of filling out the form
to actually attending the show. Thank you so much, we even got a phone call from FFN to confirm.
(Mother, Thriller)
We had a wonderful evening - great production, very comfortable and the staff from Mousetrap
were friendly and welcoming. Our son would like to go back and see the show again!
(Mother, The 39 Steps)
We loved our experience. The contact with FFN was brilliant and efficient. My son had the most
amazing time and this was priceless. Thank you so much! Thriller was great and we had seating
second from the front. Thank you FFN!
(Mother, Thriller)
A fantastic evening, great organisation and communication. I just wish this was more available for
families as we wouldn't have been able to go and experience such a wonderful family time
together. Thank you!
(Mother, Phantom of the Opera)
Everything from start to finish I felt was dealt with in a very efficient and organised manner. I can't
really fault anything. Thank you so much for the opportunity.
(Mother, Les Misérables)
Having a workshop as part of the experience was a brilliant way of getting theatre goers to
participate in production. We really enjoyed the day especially as we understood the work that
goes into making a successful production.
(Mother, War Horse Prom)
The organisation by Mousetrap Theatre Projects was great, they even chased me when checking if
we were still going (our phone was out of order and Contact a family Lewisham sent me a text).
New London theatre was a bit shambolic. They couldn't find any trace of us at first and then had to
reprint the tickets, but it all worked out in the end. Play was great - it had no speech - perfect!
(Mother, The Elephantom)
Theatres
Wonderful, uplifting family experience - great show. It was quite warm and humid however there
was air con which was fab. Thank you so much.
(Mother, Wicked)
It was increasingly hot in the theatre - very uncomfortable for all of us.
(Mother, Peppa Pig’s Big Splash)
It was a fantastic night, we got the best seats in the theatre which made the performance even
more enjoyable. I just hope there are more opportunities like this for me and my children in the
future.
(Mother, Thriller)
Really enjoyed the show. My son was engrossed all the way through. Good seats, only four rows
back.
(Father, Ghost Stories)
It was very well organised and the theatre itself was very efficient. Tickets were available to pick
up before the show easily. Only problem was that I confirmed receipt of booking via email and I
still got a phone call asking if I was coming.
(Father, Wicked)
Very good seats.
(Mother, Thriller)
14
The size of the theatre was good for the children's first time. The seats were great as the children
did not have anyone in front of them. The staff were friendly and helpful.
(Parent, The Tiger Who Came to Tea)
The show was excellent. We had great seats - front row of the dress circle. Only problem was the
safety rail obstructs the view for children and there were no booster seats available at all for some
reason. My children had to kneel forward on their seats.
(Mother/Aunt, Horrible Histories Barmy Britain Part Two)
We all enjoyed the show immensely. Staff at the theatre were helpful, easy to find seats. A very
positive experience.
(Mother, Horrible Histories Barmy Britain Part Two)
It was a very lovely day and we all thoroughly enjoyed our time at the theatre; the children really
did enjoy the drama and music plus the ice cream. Staff were excellent. Son has celiac disease and
one of the staff had to run up 2 levels to get him and ice cream before curtain up as the others had
gluten.
(Mother, Les Misérables)
Just had a great time. The staff at the theatre were great, so helpful.
(Father, Wicked)
Children really enjoyed the show. Royal Albert Hall was not particularly child friendly - ramp access
and was for emergency use only and so buggies had to be lifted up the stairs. Our tickets were
upgraded to the arena from the circle as Annabel needed access to the BSL interpreter which was
wonderful. Perhaps the disability would be on the form to pick these things up sooner. Saves us
carrying two buggies up to the circle to be redirected down to the arena. But otherwise it was
fantastic. Thank you for organising!
(Mother, CBeebies Prom)
Show was brilliant but seats had restricted view. They were in the stalls but in the back row and
therefore we could not see some of the show.
(Mother, The Commitments)
General Comments from the Family’s Theatre Visit
We had a fantastic evening - everything went smoothly so thank you!
(Mother, Wicked)
Excellent, we had a great time. Thanks.
(Mother, Wicked)
We requested quite a specific date for our daughter to watch the show and we were truly grateful
to be given that date. It was an amazing show. The only problem with the show was that the music
drowned out the singing, so it was very hard to understand it all as it became unclear and
distorted. Other than that it was amazing. Thank you for the opportunity.
(Mother, Wicked)
We enjoyed it! It was a good night and Thriller was great.
(Mother, Thriller)
Fantastic seats right in the middle of the circle with an empty row in the front. The children
enjoyed the whole experience dressing smartly, catching the train, drinks in the interval. The
obviously loved the show but also the late night return. Thank you
(Mother, Wicked)
We had a really lovely time. Thank you very much!
(Mother, Wicked)
15
Thank you for facilitating a truly wonderful experience for my family. Everybody enjoyed this
interactive and entertaining musical.
(Mother, Thriller)
Wow!! What a wonderfully thrilling experience this was for me and my family. Many thanks to this
fantastic project and our equally fantastic and fabulous teacher Pokuaa who is strict and
demanding of all her students only because she cares and wants the best for us to build confidence
to go places like the West End shows. We really loved Wicked.
(Mother, Wicked)
The Lewisham young carers group from Family Action absolutely loved the show and the workshop.
Thank you for giving these young carers an experience of a lifetime.
(Family Support, Stomp)
Had a lovely day in London.
(Mother, Wicked)
Very supportive, good choice of productions. Amazing evening. Thank you!
(Dad, The Commitments)
The show WICKED was a great show. We really enjoyed it and would love to visit the theatre again
very soon.
(Brother, Wicked)
We had a wonderful evening. Everything was so straight forward and worked like clockwork. Thank
you so much!
(Mother, The 39 Steps)
We had tickets to see Ghost Stories. The small group of teenagers that we took really, really
enjoyed the show. Very different, but kept their attention well. Great day out!
(Social Worker, Ghost Stories)
It was great, epic! I didn't realise the audience was going to be older and so much alcohol being
drunk. My kids haven't experienced adults drinking in the afternoon like that. We were not allowed
to take food into the even though it was only to eat in the interval.
(Mother, Let It Be)
It was a brilliant show and we have great seats. Thank you!
(Aunt, Stomp)
Very supportive, good choice of productions. Amazing evening. Thank you!
(Dad, The Commitments)
We couldn't hope or expect any better! It was wonderful. Thank you so much! I told one child with
me but based on this experience I could take more Rainbows.
(Rainbow Leader, Wicked)
Thank you very much! We loved it!
(Mother, Peppa Pig’s Big Splash)
It was a lovely afternoon out. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Thank you!
(Foster Carer, Thriller)
Excellent show, kids had a great time.
(Mother, The Tiger Who Came to Tea)
16
We loved this show, the whole experience was a day to remember. It made my Amber so happy she
has become a Michael Jackson fan. Thanks!
(Mother, Thriller)
Had a great time, the cast got the audience involved with dancing and singing. Wish it went on for
longer. Great show and great cost. Great that my 6 year old really liked a couple of the songs he
had never heard before. We love going to the west end for shopping, going out and of course
theatre.
(Mother, Thriller)
My 9 year old son really enjoyed the show. The only problem was that we had a tall adult in front
of us and even with two booster seats he had restricted viewing. My son overall loved it.
(Mother, Wicked)
The whole day was brilliant.
(Mother, Wicked)
We would like to thank everyone that contributed to our time at the West End's Apollo Theatre. It
was a wonderful experience and sharing it with my daughter was fabulous. Thank you all very
much!
(Father, Wicked)
The whole experience was great. The venue was slightly difficult to find even with a map and the
app, but this did not spoil the morning. The kids enjoyed the show immensely. Thank you!
(Foster Carer, What The Ladybird Heard)
Our two grandchildren aged 4 and a half and 8 really enjoyed the whole experience. The
performance was excellent and the children were engaged throughout, as were we!!
The venue was amazing and gave us a chance to explore Southbank with the children as they had
never been there before. We all had a really lovely day and think this is a worthwhile experience to
extend to as many families as possible.
(Grandparent, Handmade Tales)
A wonderful experience was had by the whole family. I could not find fault at all!
(Mother, Jersey Boys)
It was a really lovely show, the kids really enjoyed it.
(Mother, Aliens Love Underpants)
My children thoroughly enjoyed the experience of seeing a West End show, including travelling to
London. Thank you for the opportunity.
(Mother, The Pajama Game)
This was a great offer. We were so surprised to get the tickets we had applied for. Thank you, we
had a great time!
(Mother, Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather – Live on stage)
The show was excellent, my daughter and I fully enjoyed it. Of particular use was the national
portrait gallery talk, which was assisting the children to absorb a bit of history before the show in
detail as the woman was an expert and we were not just looking at the pictures.
(Mother, Horrible Histories Barmy Britain Part Two)
There is nothing, I believe, that FFN can do better. You've done a marvellous job. As for the
experience, the production was terrific, however it is a shame that some members of the audience
do not cohere the request that mobile phones are switched off. There was more than one person
checking emails/ texts while the show was on. In addition, I believe that very young children should
not attend theatre. On three occasions, young children had to be taken to the bathroom during the
17
show as well and asking questions through the show. These of course, are negative aspects to an
otherwise lovely, relaxing night out which my children and I very much enjoyed. Thank you FFN
(Father, Wicked)
Myself and my daughter had a wonderful afternoon together. Wicked was 'wicked'.
(Mother, Wicked)
We thoroughly enjoyed our theatre experience and will definitely try to attend a show again,
finances permitting. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.
(Auntie, Wicked)
It was a wonderful experience, myself and my family enjoyed it very much.
(Mother, Wicked)
My nine year old twins thoroughly enjoyed their theatre experience and want to go again. Thank
you for making this possible.
(Mother, Les Misérables)
The show was wonderful and we had fantastic seats. My daughter loved it. Thank you very much.
(Mother, Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather – Live on stage)
I was worried about picking up the tickets at the door before the performance as I know timings
would be tight between my husband getting home and up to London for 7pm. But all this went very
smoothly and straight forward. Thank you.
(Mother, Les Misérables)
I was notified a day before the show. I had no emails or letters to act as a reminder that my first
choice had been granted. I only received a call late the day before. The theatres two male staff
were really happy to help me with my child’s pram. Coming and going "great people".
(Mother, Aliens Love Underpants)
Could not have wished for a better night out with my family. We all had enjoyed the show very
much. Excellent service all round. Thank you.
(Foster Carer, Wicked)
Communication was excellent. We were thrilled to have received tickets through Mousetrap. The
experience was brilliant, my daughter sat through the whole production without wanting to leave -
brilliant! Great show. Great day. Very grateful. Thank you all so much!
(Mother, Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather – Live on stage)
I can't think of anything that could have made it better as it was perfect! Many thanks for a
wonderful theatre trip. My girls aged 9 and 7 thoroughly enjoyed the show! Thank you.
(Mother, I Believe In Unicorns)
My daughter and I enjoyed the whole experience and will be attending the theatre again at some
point in the future. It was a wonderful show and it was well worth the price as going to the theatre
can be expensive.
(Parent, Wicked)
Great show, the family really enjoyed it. Great seats which made it a great experience for the
children's first time at the theatre. Thank you.
(Mother, Thriller)
Not been to the theatre before - this was a great thing to do. Show was really funny and my son
laughed out loud. Very good play, seats were really good. Thank you.
(Father, The 39 Steps)
I loved the experience and opportunity to go to the theatre. I enjoyed it very much and wish to go
again.
(Mother, Ghost Stories)
18
It was really good and I had lots of fun. The seats were really good and I had a great view. I got a
bit of a fright but it was funny after.
(Mother, Let The Right One In)
We had a wonderful time, what a great experience. The children are still talking about it. Thank
you so much for making this possible.
(Mother/Daughter/Sister, The Phantom of the Opera)
We had good seats - very good in fact. We all loved the play. It was so much better than I'd
expected or even imagined. What a good evening out, thank you!
(Mother, Wicked)
We enjoyed the theatre, the only problem we had was our seats were double booked so we had to
sit at the back on some empty seats which the children were not happy with.
(Mother, The 39 Steps)
The whole experience was absolutely perfect and extremely enjoyable. Thank you very much for
this opportunity.
(Mother, Les Misérables)
My family and I found the production to be quite boring and related little to the Wizard of Oz.
Given that it was a musical we thought there would be familiar songs and audience participation.
However I also feel that given the production length of time and the packed theatre it would
appear that perhaps we had chosen the wrong production and will choose more carefully on our
next visit.
(Aunt, Wicked)
Live singing and dancing. The costumes were beautiful. Great atmosphere. Really enjoyed the
event. Thank you!
(Mother, Top Hat)
The experience was great, all four children enjoyed themselves so much and are still talking about
it. Thank you!
(Mother, Wicked)
We all really enjoyed the experience, what a great show! Just wish we could go more often. Thank
you so much for the opportunity - it all ran very smoothly.
(Mother, The Commitments)
Suggestions from Participants
More offers please.
(Father, Wicked)
Maybe postcodes of where the parking is so it’s that bit easier on a sat nav to find the parking.
(Mother, Thriller)
Just to say a massive thank you, we had a fantastic evening. Just wish we could apply for more
than one show at a time. Many thanks.
(Mother, Ghost Stories)
Thank you for a wonderful evening. Family really enjoyed themselves. My one comment would be
that some of the dancing is quite sensual for younger children so maybe a warning about that. Also
drinks in the venue are very expensive so be careful. Thank you once again, we had a brilliant time.
(Father, Thriller)
Map should have been enclosed.
(Mother, Aliens Love Underpants)
19
The show and experience was great. The confirmation details were too close to the performance
day. We thought we did not have any tickets. Apart from that, thank you for this lovely opportunity
to see a show at an affordable price. Thank you.
(Mother, Once)
I would have liked to have got my first choice but I understand this is difficult. The whole
experience was amazing. My girls really enjoyed an "adult trip" out at night. It's just a shame FFN
can't do this deal more often.
(Mother, Jersey Boys)
My family and I had a great time for such a discounted price. The audiences were great and the
best part of the show was the different ways to get the kids involved. A workshop in which kids
could participate in would be good especially over the summer break. It would be good for those
who have an interest in drama/dance.
(Mother, Groove on down the Road, A Journey to Oz)
Having more notice that we were successful in obtaining tickets would have helped me making my
travel arrangements to London.
(Mother, CBeebies Prom)
Great initiative to encourage families to enjoy theatre shows. Please include my email address in
your database. I would love to know about offers that could give my family the opportunity to go to
a theatre performance again. Thanks.
(Mother, Wicked)
Perhaps you could have a dedicated performance for organisations that work with young people in
order for them to bring larger groups. All the young people had a really good time, it is not often
that they get to do an activity in London during the evening. Would certainly do this again!
(Support Worker, Wicked)
I would recommend to participate FFN offers up to/or 3 times, rather than 1 time.
(Father, The Phantom of the Opera)
If you have children of different ages, it can be difficult to find one show that everyone is happy
with. It may be worth allowing to have two shows (2 tickets to one, 2 tickets to another)
(Father, Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather – Live on stage)
We had a fantastic night and really enjoyed the whole experience. Two things that might help
young/small children: Matinee performances and where possible, seating at the front of the 'circle'
as my 7 year old did find it hard to see with 2 big men in front - but we managed and really loved
the night and the show.
(Mother, Wicked)
20
Comments from Family First Nights Participants Workshops
General Comments from Practitioners and Participants
I loved that the adults told me how much they had enjoyed it despite being very reluctant at first.
The young people all seemed very happy and excited – keen to tell me they had had fun. This is a
FABULOUS space and I really enjoy working in this way with families – for me it is the most
inspirational of all the Mousetrap work I do as the intra-familial results seem obvious very quickly.
Thank you for asking me to take part again.
(Practitioner, Wicked workshop)
The feedback from the young people and parents was positive. Energy was high and a couple of
parents stayed back to thank me afterwards. There were two sisters who LOVED it. They joined in
with everything, made great suggestions and loved that their mum joined in. They smiled from start
to finish.
(Practitioner, Barmy Britain 2 workshop)
Very interactive, not intimidating.
(Participant, Wicked workshop)
Relaxed and fun!
(Participant, Wicked workshop)
It was fun, interesting and made us more confident. It was fantastic.
(Participant, Wicked workshop)
We thoroughly enjoyed everything, it was very informative.
(Participant, Barmy Britain 2 workshop)
They tried to include everyone which I really enjoyed.
(Participant, Barmy Britain 2 workshop)
Everything was great. The kids really enjoyed the show and the workshop!
(Participant, Barmy Britain 2 workshop)
The fact that the workshop was free was a lovely addition to the show.
(Participant, Barmy Britain 2 workshop)
The show was excellent, my daughter and I fully enjoyed it. Of particular use was the national
portrait gallery talk, which was assisting the children to absorb a bit of history before the show in
detail as the woman was an expert and we were not just looking at the pictures.
(Mother, Barmy Britain 2 workshop)
21
For additional information, please contact:
Family First Nights
Mousetrap Theatre Projects,
33 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 7EH
020 7836 4388
www.mousetrap.org.uk