Guest Blog: Peter Glanville On The Refurbished Polka Theatre

Polka is one of the few theatres in the UK dedicated exclusively to children. Based in Wimbledon since 1979, Polka creates world-class theatre for children aged 0-12yrs. There are over 90k visitors annually, and for many children, it may be their first experience of theatre.

Polka has been through a historic transformation recently, with the completion of a £9m capital redevelopment. It has been quite a journey, and throughout we've been thinking about what a 21st Century Theatre for children should look like. In essence, we retained the initial integrated concept of Polka when first built - that the whole building is imaginatively child-centred and that it offers a range of free indoor and outdoor creative play spaces as well as the two theatres.

So, we've built the Play Den, a huge indoor space where children can dress up, act out stories, play with a giant magnetic board or chill out in the reading corner. We've created an underwater corridor with wave baffles overhead, illuminated portholes and a lighthouse. We worked with specialists 'The Space to Play' to build a new large abstract house in our Outdoor Play Area and we've created a beautiful sensory garden with giant red pots.

It's a wonderland for children and families, who can also hang out in a train carriage in our new larger café, or have a look around the Polka Shop. All this with improved accessibility throughout.

But we know that if we want to create world-class theatre, we need to also support artists with better resources and facilities. We now have a more flexible 100 capacity Adventure Theatre with a gallery to support technical teams. Our Main Theatre (300 seats) has had a facelift but also now has a lift which gives access to the stage. We've also built The Nest, a new rehearsal space which is also riggable. It's a far cry from hiring a little church hall nearby and having to wheel the set down a cobbled road at the end of the day.

I'm sometimes provocatively asked why a theatre exclusively for children is necessary when there are plenty of 'adult' theatres that also produce and programme great work for children and families. Well, come to Polka or The Unicorn or The Egg in Bath. The impact of children entering a building that has been designed completely with them in mind is empowering and gives them an immediate sense of ownership - it encourages their spirit to play in a world that is made for them.

The cultural landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade and theatres across the country are doing their utmost to make the visitor experience as welcoming as possible for children and families. However, I've also been to venues over the past five years where there's no designated buggy space or where families have a 10am welcome to the smell of stale beer from the previous night's cabaret show. A rare experience, thankfully.

Polka's most recent production, previewing from 20th May, is a revival of my adaptation of The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson, co-produced with Little Angel Theatre. It's a beautiful celebration of a child's imagination, which also sensitively introduces themes of loss and memory.

Julia was very hands-on with the development of this work. Following an initial meeting with her to talk about my intentions for the adaptation. She also attended the research and development period to give feedback as well as coming along to the very first press show, as did Rebecca Cobb, whose illustrations inspired the aesthetics of the puppets and set, designed by Lyndie Wright. Thankfully she was full of praise with very few notes .

I was particularly pleased that the Guardian called it "a puppet-powered weepie". Like the book, I think the production doesn't dilute the intensity of the experience of loss when the dolls are cut up or the resonance of our memory being like a dream world where those we have lost reside. The intention to respect children's perceptions and emotions is paramount.

Whether we're presenting contemporary dance, as with our recent co-production of Plastic Drastic Fantastic with Akademi, or inclusive theatre as with RED, a promenade play that re-opened our building, the commitment is always to create work that means something to children. Productions that help them to think about the world, their experiences, their relationships - to themselves, to their friends, their family. Work that is nourishing and lives with them, not just a momentary 'fast-food' experience.

The Paper Dolls is at Polka Theatre from 20 May-7 August

Photo Credit: Hufton & Crow

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