Paper Balloon’s Once Upon A Snowflake is a magical piece of theatre with shadow puppetry, storytelling and enchanting songs for all the family.
Two hapless scientists (experts in studying small fairy-like creatures called ‘Sprites’) are despatched to help find Liza, the vanished girl – but they need the audience’s help. They are following the trail of a Winter Sprite – presumed dangerous - and believe his mysterious clues will lead them to Liza.
You’ll never see a snowflake the same way again!
See Once Upon A Snowflake at Quarterhouse from Friday 13 – Tuesday 24 December 2019. Book tickets here.
Keep the magic of the show alive by trying out these 3 activities at home, either before or after the show!
- Snowflakes play an important role in Once Upon A Snowflake. Winter Sprites use snowflakes to travel from place to place, so whenever you see one, you can be sure a Winter Sprite is nearby! Create your own paper snowflake by following the instructions here.
- You learn all about Winter Sprites in Once Upon A Snowflake. Have a go at creating your own Winter Sprite. What do they look like? How tall are they? What are they wearing? Do they have any distinctive features, such as big ears or a long nose? Feel free to use our Winter Sprite template if you would rather skip straight to the decorating part! Download the template here.
- In Once Upon A Snowflake Liza’s world is shared through shadow puppetry; all the shadows created in the show (through a mix of 2D and 3D puppets, and a range of different lights and screens) are created live. Have a go at creating your own shadow play.
Use your Winter Sprite from the previous activity or cut out a new shape. Shine a torch on a blank wall (mobile phone torches are great for this!) and place the shape in front of the light to create a shadow on the wall. Make it move and see how the shadow changes – how can you make the shadow bigger or smaller?
Now have a go at placing another object closer to the light (like your hand, or a toy). It'll be massive! Have a play at moving them about further and closer to the light and see what you discover.
Have a go at creating other shapes – like an animal, a person or a building. What new story can you make up with all the different shapes?
Enjoy trying out all these activities with the kids over Christmas! Don’t forget to share any pictures or videos with us @Quarterhouse on Facebook and @Quarterhouse_UK on Twitter and Instagram.