With poetry by Dommy B, a funky music festival for little ones and four family fun days, Summer 2018 at Z-arts offered something for everyone! Find out what else happened over this season…
There’s a marvellous May in store with AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH Dinosaurs! An upbeat, interactive poetry show from multi award-winning poet Dominic Berry, aka Dommy B, this show for ages 5+ follows a young troll girl who finds herself defending the town from a gang of destructive, deadly dinosaurs!
In May half-term we blasted off from Planet Earth to spend the week exploring outer space through drama, movement and dance in Out of this World our holiday activity for ages 6-10. And the whole family could get intergalactic at our free Milky Way Family Fun Day where there was a chance to see the night sky brought to life in the Daresbury StarLab mobile planetarium!
As we rolled into June you needed to check your oxygen, adjust your space suit and buckle up for the biggest mission of your life! Following five-star rave reviews, Oxford Playhouse’s One Small Step came to Z-arts for a fast, full-throttled trip to the moon.
We were also at Manchester Central Library for The Ministry of Lost & Found. An immersive adventure for the whole family, The Ministry of Lost & Found was full of strange and wonderful characters who you can meet and help in their search for something special. Families lost themselves within the walls of Central Library as they made, played, and foundadventures!
We then flew back down to earth with Tidy Up. A vibrant, upbeat, and interactive dance show for ages 3 upwards, Tidy Up explored order, chaos, and how amazing it is to embrace both! This joyful, silly and larger than life dance show is a stimulating, interactive journey infused with colour and laughter. There was a relaxed performance of Tidy Up as well as a Z-access Family Fun Day, designed especially for families with disabilities or additional needs.
Then it was time to get those vocal chords warmed up! Tiny voices and their grown-ups welcomed in World Music Day with a music session and sing song with Z-arts’ resident musician and Youth Music Coordinator Tsana.
And the grooving continued with Artful Playground’s Minifest at Z-arts. An immersive musical experience for children aged 2-9 and their families, Minifest has original songs written to stimulate young imaginations and get the whole family up and moving. Audiences were treated to a whole host of musical styles ranging from rock ‘n’ roll, to gypsy jazz and rap. The fun didn’t stop there as there was also be a family fun day at Z-arts for all ages on the same day. There were giggles aplenty as families soaked up some festival vibes and did the steam train conga ‘till they dropped!
Comedy Club 4 Kids presented the best stand-ups and sketch acts from the international circuit for children aged 6+ and their families… without the rude bits! It was just like a normal comedy club, but it was on in the day, kids were allowed in, and there was a higher than usual chance of heckles like “why is that your face!?”
Hulme Is Where The Art Is returned in July. Z-arts headed to Hulme Community Garden Centre for food, music, craft stalls, and frolicking among the flowers. There were activities for kids all afternoon and a bar for the grown ups! The following week we were back at Z-arts for a jam-packed Hulme is Where the Art is Fun Day full of accessible arts and crafts activities to inspire, entertain and engage! Families could finish off the day with a performance of the hilarious and surreal Climb That Tree by the award-winning songwriter David Gibb.
School may have been out for Summer, but Z-arts certainly wasn’t! Children became ‘green’ conscious superheroes with Captain Planet for ages 6-10. Over the course of the week they tried different arts activities that were themed to the environment, from upcycling to natural pigment painting. Those that attend the whole week even gained their very own Carbon Literacy certificate!
And if you’ve always thought drama was all about clowning around, this time you’re right. The Circus is Coming to Town was a fun and colourful week of activities for ages 11+, working with professional performers from the world of mime, street theatre and circus. Young people learnt new skills and performed a public show at the end of the week.
August will also see the return of Z-arts’ Creative Picnics, fun-filled mornings of creative activity centred on the theme of hedgehogs, with different sessions featuring music, dance, and crafts. Afterwards, you can join Z-arts for a relaxing lunch either at Z-arts or at Hulme Park (weather permitting!)
It was a red hot summer at Z-arts and we can’t wait for our Autumn Season!