Honk!

• Donation from Mattioli Woods enables family Christmas show PIRATES LOVE UNDERPANTS to be shared with local families supported by Charity Link and Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People
• Local elders groups to attend free festive cabaret
• Accessible performances across Made at Curve productions
• Launch of Curve Buddy scheme to support solo theatre-goers

Leicester’s Curve theatre is sharing joy this Christmas with special shows and events for local community members who might otherwise not be able to attend a performance.

This festive season, Curve presents a new Made at Curve production of Lerner and Loewe’s classic musical MY FAIR LADY (now running until 4 January 2025), alongside world premiere Made at Curve adaptation of Claire Freedman and Ben Cort’s beloved picture-book, PIRATES LOVE UNDERPANTS (now running until 5 January 2025).

Sharing theatre with young people and families in need this Christmas

Thanks to a donation from Leicester-based wealth management company Mattioli Woods, Curve will share a special free performance for families who are supported by local organisation Charity Link.

Curve has partnered with Charity Link to share performances with families facing hardship since 2018. As well as free tickets to see the performance, every young person will receive a free present donated by guests joining the press night performance of MY FAIR LADY.

Mattioli Woods’ generous donation also enables Curve to share a digital performance of PIRATES LOVE UNDERPANTS with children and young people living with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions at Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People.

The digital performance of PIRATES LOVE UNDERPANTS will be filmed and edited free-of-charge by award-winning creative video agency Crosscut, with children, families and carers set to enjoy the production in Rainbows’ specially adapted cinema room.

Curve Christmas Cabaret for local elders

In December, more than 150 local elders will visit Curve for a free Christmas cabaret event, enjoying food and hot drinks with sing-a-longs and performances from MY FAIR LADY and PIRATES LOVE UNDERPANTS company members. Curve’s Christmas Cabaret event is supported by The National Lottery Community Fund.

Accessible performances across Made at Curve Christmas productions

All performances of PIRATES LOVE UNDERPANTS from Saturday 7 December will be Relaxed to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable experience for all audience members. The run of PIRATES LOVE UNDERPANTS will also include Audio Described performances (11 December 2024 and 4 January 2025), British Sign Language interpreted (20 December 2024) and Captioned (21 and 28 December 2024).

On Wednesday 18 December, the 2:15pm performance of MY FAIR LADY will be Dementia Friendly, specially adapted to support audience members living with Dementia, their families and carers, including small changes to the show and theatre space. In addition, Curve will offer Audio Described (21 December 2024 and 2 January 2025), British Sign Language interpreted (13 December 2024), Captioned (14 and 19 December 2024) and Relaxed (3 January 2025) performances of MY FAIR LADY.

Accessible performances at Curve are supported by voco Leicester and David Wilson Homes.

Curve Buddy Scheme

Curve also recently launched its Curve Buddy scheme, aimed at helping those in need of extra support when attending the theatre alone pair up with a friendly and trained companion. Supported by Leicester-based music licensing company PPL PRS, a Curve Buddy will meet the theatre-goer and assist with the collection of tickets, accompany them during the performance, help to locate amenities and ensure they leave the theatre safely once the show has ended.

To find out more about Curve and book tickets, visit www.curveonline.co.uk, call 0116 242 3595 or visit Curve’s Box Office in-person.

Lead image: MY FAIR LADY, photography by Marc Brenner