Pollocks Toy Museum have today announced details of the museum’s winter activity programme with a magic lantern event, a toy theatre making session, and a live performance of Pinocchio just some of the exciting activities planned.
Magic Lantern Performances
First up is the magic lantern event. In what sounds like the perfect entertainment for Halloween 2021, The Toy Museum will offer visitors a chance to peruse the museum’s many curios by way of a specially designed magic lantern show.
“Join us as we shine Magic Lanterns into the hidden corners of the Pollock’s Toy Museum collection this Halloween weekend. A spellbinding opportunity for visitors to experience the museum’s seven thousand curios and historical buildings as they have never seen them before!” says the Pollock’s Toy Museum website about the event.
Although we commonly view magic lanterns today as an innocuous yet archaic device, the lights were once used by showmen to conjure up moving phantasms in darkened rooms.
The Toy Museum event will see Nicole Mollett and Frog Morris from The Art of the Magic Lantern company use repurposed; pre-cinema projection equipment accompanied by live storytelling to create wonderful light shows for all ages.
The Pollock’s Toy Museum Magic Lantern Performances will take place on Friday 29th October @ 18:30 & 20:00 and Saturday 30th October @ 18:30 & 20:00. You can book tickets for the event here.
Pollock’s Toy Museum Magic Lantern Workshops
Nicole and Frog will also be running a workshop series in late October 2021 which will teach all ages how to make magic lantern slides and exploring how ones artwork can be brought to life using light and shadow!
The Magic Lantern Workshops will take place on the 28th of October 2021. For information and to purchase tickets, please click here.
The Incy Wincy Spider Trail
This fun trail will invite children and families to hunt down spiders amongst the museum’s vast collection of teddies and dolls. Participants will be able to make and take home their own Pollock’s badge as a keepsake.
The Incy Wincy Spider Trail will take place between Friday the 22nd of October and Sunday the 31st of October 2021 between 10am and 5pm. You can book tickets for the event here.
Paper-cutting with Chloe Campbell: Toy Theatres
Then, on Thursday the 11th of November 2021, the Toy Museum will invite visitors to join the artist Chloe Campbell as she instructs guests in the art of paper cutting. By the end of the session, participants should be able to construction their own Toy Theatre by following Campbell’s advice.
Tickets for the event will guarantee guests entry to the museum, a 2 hour workshop with Campbell and a Redington Toy Theatre Booklet (worth £12) together with a paper cutting kit including a scalpel, spare blades, cutting mat and a guide on How To Paper-cut.
Paper Cutting with Chloe Campbell will take place on the 11th of November 2021. Tickets are priced £45.00 and can be purchased here.
Pinocchio by The Magical Paper Theatre
Finally, between the 18th and the 21st of December 2021 Pollocks Toy Museum will be offering guests a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience Pinocchio by The Magic Paper Theatre in the museum’s wonderful model theatre.
“Being a cultural icon and one of the most re-imagined characters in children’s literature, Pinocchio is coming alive one more time with paper characters in our model theatre, The Magical Paper Theatre” says the Pollocks Toy Museum website about the event.
In order to tell the story in an authentic, 19th century pop-up book style, the museum have created more than twenty-five characters, a 15-meter long crankie box, fifteen scenes and special effects with the story told using a professional recording, the original score, familiar melodies, and special sound effects.
Tickets for the event are expected to be in short supply with the museum advising guests to sign up to the Pollock Museum Mailing List so that they can be the first to know when tickets go on sale.
Tickets for the performances will cost £14 for adults and £12 for children with special family tickets (two adults, two children) for £45.
