Meet the little pig with big dreams in Polka’s new stage adaptation of Dick King-Smith’s much loved novel Babe, The Sheep-Pig. Featuring stunning puppetry, original music and a charming ‘baa-ber sheep’ quartet, Babe, the Sheep-Pig runs on Polka’s Main Stage from 25 Nov 2016 – 5 Feb 2017 for the whole family ages 5 and up. With a subsequent national tour throughout 2017, this is Polka’s biggest ever production.
Join the lovable Babe in a heart-warming tale of friendship, adventure and bravery. When Babe arrives at Hogget’s Farm he is taken in by the trusty sheep-dog Fly, and soon discovers a talent for herding. With the help of his adopted Mum, the polite piglet soon wins over the most suspicious of sheep. But can a small pig make it in a dog’s world, and when his farmyard friends are in trouble can Babe save the day?
Dick King-Smith’s The Sheep-Pig won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award and has been adapted for the big screen as the film Babe, which received huge critical and box office success. Babe, The Sheep-Pig is adapted for the stage by Olivier Award-winning playwright David Wood, who is best known for his adaptations of classic family titles including Goodnight Mister Tom, The Tiger Who Came to Tea and James and the Giant Peach, which stormed the Polka Main Stage in summer 2016.
Babe, The Sheep-Pig is directed by Michael Fentiman, whose credits include The Taming of the Shrew and Titus Andronicus (RSC), and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Kensington Gardens) which he co-directed with Almeida Theatre Artistic Director Rupert Goold.
Hogget’s Farm animals will be brought to life by beautiful hand-crafted puppets, created by award-winning puppet designer Max Humphries (Chief Puppet Designer, Cirque de Soleil) and Dik Downey, with the ensemble cast delivering masterful puppetry by puppetry director Matthew Forbes (Associate Director in Puppetry & Movement, War Horse).
The cast of actor-musicians features Emma Barclay (You Me Bum Bum Train) as Mrs Hogget, Olivier Award- nominated Nicola Blackman (Little Shop of Horrors and The Lion King, West End) as Fly, Oliver Grant (War Horse, National Theatre) as Babe/Sheep and Ben Ingles (Romeo and Juliet, RSC) as Farmer Hogget. The cast also features Claire Greenway (Sister Act, London Palladium), Jacqui Sanchez (Shrek the Musical and Avenue Q, West End), Lucy Thomas (Bugsy Malone, Lyric Hammersmith) and Sam Wilmott (Wicked and The Lord of the Rings, West End).
BABE, THE SHEEP PIG plays 25 Nov 2016 – 5 Feb 2017 at Polka Theatre, prior to national tour
TOUR SCHEDULE
Friday 25 November 2016 – Sunday 5 February 2017
POLKA THEATRE, London
Press performance: Saturday 3 December, 2.30pm Box Office www.polkatheatre.com | 020 8543 4888
Wednesday 15 – Saturday 18 February 2017
WEST YORKSHIRE PLAYHOUSE, Leeds
Tour press night: Thursday 16 February, 7.00pm Box Office www.wyp.org.uk | 0113 213 7700
Monday 20 – Tuesday 21 February 2017
THEATRE BY THE LAKE, Keswick
Box Office www.theatrebythelake.com | 017687 74411 ON SALE SOON
Thursday 23 – Sunday 26 February 2017
DEVONSHIRE PARK THEATRE, Eastbourne
Box Office www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk | 01323 412 000
Friday 3 – Sunday 5 March 2017
THEATRE ROYAL, Margate
Box Office www.theatreroyalmargate.com | 01843 292795 ON SALE SOON
Monday 13 – Wednesday 15 March 2017
HALL FOR CORNWALL, Truro
Box Office www.hallforcornwall.co.uk | 01872 262466 ON SALE SOON
Tuesday 21 – Wednesday 22 March 2017
WYCOMBE SWAN, High Wycombe
Box Office www.wycombeswan.co.uk | 01494 512 000
Friday 24 – Sunday 26 March 2017
CONNAUGHT THEATRE, Worthing
Box Office www.worthingtheatres.co.uk | 01903 206 206
Saturday 8 – Sunday 9 April 2017
THE PAVILION, Bournemouth
Box Office www.bournemouthpavilion.co.uk | 0844 576 3000
Tuesday 11 – Saturday 15 April 2017
THE LOWRY, Salford
Box Office www.thelowry.com | 0843 208 6000
Sunday 16 – Monday 17 April 2017
THEATRE ROYAL, Norwich
Box Office www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk | 01603 63 00 00
Saturday 22 – Sunday 23 April 2017
NORTHCOTT THEATRE, Exeter
Box Office www.exeternorthcott.co.uk | 01392 726363
Saturday 29 – Sunday 30 April 2017
WYVERN THEATRE, Swindon
Box Office www.swindontheatres.co.uk | 01793 524481
Wednesday 17 – Friday 19 May 2017
VENUE CYMRU, Llandudno
Box Office www.venuecymru.co.uk | 01492 872000
Saturday 20 – Sunday 21 May 2017
EMBASSY THEATRE, Skegness
Box Office www.embassytheatre.co.uk | 01507 613100 ON SALE SOON
Thursday 25 – Sunday 28 May 2017
ORCHARD THEATRE, Dartford
Box Office www.orchardtheatre.co.uk | 01322 220000
Tuesday 30 May – Sunday 4 June 2017
NUFFIELD THEATRE, Southampton
Box Office www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk | 023 8067 1771
Monday 12 – Wednesday 14 June 2017
THEATRE ROYAL, Newcastle
Box Office www.theatreroyal.co.uk | 08448 11 21 21 ON SALE SOON
Sunday 25 – Wednesday 28 June 2017
CHURCHILL THEATRE, Bromley
Box Office www.churchilltheatre.co.uk | 020 3285 6000
Thursday 6 – Sunday 9 July 2016
GRAND THEATRE, Blackpool
Box Office www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk | 01253 290190
Monday 17 – Wednesday 19 July 2017
HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE, Aberdeen
Box Office www.aberdeenperformingarts.com | 01224 641122 ON SALE SOON
Friday 21 – Sunday 23 July 2017
THE ALBAN ARENA, St Albans
Box Office www.alban-arena.co.uk | 01727 844488
Thursday 3 – Saturday 5 August 2017
GRAND THEATRE, Swansea
Box Office www.swansea.gov.uk/swanseagrandtheatre | 01792 475715 ON SALE SOON
Monday 14 – Wednesday 16 August 2017
PALACE THEATRE, Southend
Box Office www.southendtheatres.org.uk | 01702 351135 ON SALE SOON
Thursday 17 – Saturday 19 August 2017
THEATRE ROYAL, Bury St Edmunds
Box Office www.theatreroyal.org | 01284 769505
Monday 21 – Wednesday 23 August 2017
THE HAWTH, Crawley
Box Office www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/thehawth | 01293 553636
Thursday 24 – Sunday 27 August 2017
WATFORD COLOSSEUM
Box Office www.watfordcolosseum.co.uk | 01923 571 102
Thursday 31 August – Sunday 3 September 2017
THEATRE ROYAL, Plymouth
Box Office www.theatreroyal.com | 01752 267222 ON SALE SOON
Friday 8 – Sunday 10 September 2017
KING’S THEATRE, Edinburgh
Box Office www.edtheatres.com/kings | 0131 529 6000 FURTHER DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED
