Visual Story for the Relaxed Performance of

Thursday 22nd February 2018 at 12.30pm

This Visual Story is designed for visitors to the Relaxed Performance of The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales. This guide should help prepare you for your visit, understand what to expect during the performance and to find your way around the Theatre Royal Plymouth.

General Information about the Theatre Royal Plymouth This is what the Theatre Royal Plymouth looks like from the outside. You will come into the foyer (inside area) through the sliding doors.

The foyer can get busy before the show. There are places where you can sit down and have some lunch if you arrive early.

The Box Office looks like this. If you need to collect your tickets when you arrive, please queue here and someone will help you.

Food, drink and toilets There is a café and bars where you can buy food and drink before The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales starts and during the interval. If you would like to bring a packed lunch then you can sit down and eat it here too.

There are toilets on every floor of the theatre, including accessible toilets suitable for wheelchair users. The accessible toilet on the second floor requires a radar key, please contact a member of staff if you need it.

Theatre Royal Plymouth staff When you arrive at the theatre there will be ushers who will answer any of your questions, help you find your way around and show you where to go to find your seats. The Theatre Royal Plymouth staff are always happy to help and answer any questions. They wear a uniform which looks like this:

You can also ask questions to anyone wearing a Theatre Royal Plymouth lanyard around their neck.

The Auditorium The auditorium is the part of the theatre where the audience will sit while they watch The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales The door number that you need to go to find your seats is printed on your ticket.

Here is a seat map of The Lyric auditorium which will help you find your seats.

This is your door number This is the row your

seat is in and your seat number

The Lyric auditorium looks like this

You will have time before the performance starts to find your seats and

get comfortable.

During the performance

The main lights in the auditorium will stay on.

There will not be any loud bangs.

You can talk and don’t have to be quiet.

If you would like to have a break and leave the auditorium, there will

be a chill out zone on the ground floor where you can sit and relax.

How long does The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales last?

The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales will start at 12.30pm

and last for around 2 hours including a 20 minute break.

The interval is a break in the middle of the show when most people

leave their seats, get a drink or use the toilet.

After the break, everyone will come back and sit down in their seats

again. Then the actors will come back on the stage and finish telling the

story of The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales.

About The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales

The little Matchgirl is homeless and

lives in the street. She sells matches

for money. But sometimes she lights

a match to stay warm. Her friend, the

storyteller Ole Shuteye, begins to tell

a story every time she lights a match.

His group of performers, The

Shuteyes, help him tell the story.

The first story is about a girl called

Thumbelina. She’s very small. Her

mother finds her in a bag, and looks

after her. But her mother is killed in

a war, and so Thumbelina is on her

own. She sets out to look for a new

home.

Thumbelina finds her way to a big

camp for other people made

homeless by the war. She meets

Ralph, a frog, and his father. They

offer her a home, if Thumbelina

marries Ralph. But Thumbelina

doesn’t want to, so she runs away.

She escapes by floating down a

river on a glass bottle.

Thumbelina finds a city, guarded

by beetles. They won’t let her in.

So she travels on again, and finds

a home with Mrs Fieldmouse and

Mr Mole. Mr Mole wants to marry

Thumbelina, but is very cruel to

her. Then an injured swallow falls

in to her home, and she helps

him get better. They run away

together.

The next story Ole Shuteye tells

is The Emperor’s New Clothes. A

very spoilt Emperor loves to wear

new clothes all of the time, and

shops all day long.

On Parade day, the two designers

run away before the Emperor

shows off his new clothes. The

Emperor arrives for the parade,

thinking that he’s wearing an

outfit so magical that it is

invisible. He’s not wearing any

clothes.

The little Matchgirl laughs at the

Emperor, and wears his crown as

he runs away embarrassed.

The last story that Ole Shuteye

tells the Little Matchgirl is The

Princess and the Pea. A very

lonely Prince is looking for his

Princess. A Princess comes to the

castle, and the Prince falls in love

with her.

The Prince wants to test her, so

he puts a single pea under her

mattress and then piles lots of

mattresses on to the bed. If she

can feel the pea, she must be a

real Princess. But when the

Princess finds out, she is angry at

the Prince for testing her and

leaves him.

Ole Shuteye has finished telling

the stories, and there are only a

few matches left. But the Little

Matchgirl wants Ole Shuteye to

tell one more story. She wants

him to tell her story.

It is Christmas time in London,

and the Little Matchgirl is

homeless. It is snowing, and she

is very hungry. Without any help,

the Little Matchgirl dies. But Ole

Shuteye is a homeless man too,

and he finds help when a charity

offers him food and somewhere

to stay.

If you feel scared you can cover your eyes with your eye mask or leave

the auditorium.

If the sound is too loud during The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier

Tales you can cover your ears or wear headphones.

After each song, some people will clap. Clapping makes the actors happy

because it means people liked their song. If you want to clap then you

can. You don’t have to clap if you don’t want to.

At the end of the show, all of the actors will come out on stage and bow.

This is called a curtain call. Many people will clap a lot so the actors

know how much they liked the show.

After the show is over, everyone will leave the theatre. We hope you

enjoy the show and look forward to seeing you again soon!