It was introducing your little one to family members on Facetime, it was many, many walks around the park with takeaway coffees with mum friends who share your frustration of maternity leave in lockdown. It was no one to come and hold the baby so you can have more than a 1 minute 48 second shower; just enough time to wash your extremities whilst simultaneously rocking the baby bouncer with one foot (no time for shampooing, it will just have to wait for another time!) But, whilst it was hard, it was also full of small special moments; Dads who got to be home that little bit more, getting to know neighbours even better and doorstop visits from friends and family. Plus, there were absolutely no expectations to leave the house or get dressed. Just you and your baby, sitting on the couch feeding and endlessly binging on Netflix.
My baby boy was born three weeks into lockdown, on a sunny Easter weekend April 2020. It was obviously not the maternity leave I expected it to be, and there were so many things I had wanted to do and places I wanted to take him, that I just couldn’t do. Coffee dates with friends, local church play groups, his first swim, and his first trip to the theatre.
As I work at Cast, the theatre in Doncaster, I so desperately wanted to take him to a show at Christmas, to see his face be lit up by fairy lights and Christmas decorations, to put him in an adorable, but not all that practical, Christmas outfit, and to watch him take it all in. But then Lockdown hit again! This year, although he’s older, I am looking forward to doing all the exciting Christmas activities we didn’t get chance to do last year, which will include his first Christmas show at Cast, Wish.
Wish is festive show specially designed for babies. It’s set in a cosy relaxed space, telling the story of a magical adventure with music, the use of Makaton, lights, projection and movement; there will be so many amazing sensory experiences for little ones! Plus, if like most of us new parents, you feel overwhelmed at the thought of taking your baby to the theatre, where its dark and everyone must be quiet and sit nicely inside, please don’t worry; we want you and your little one to feel as relaxed as possible. Babies cry, they fuss, they need food, they need changing, sometimes they need to be held stood up, or need to crawl and explore, and that’s all ok in this show – in fact, we encourage it!
My little boy and I were lucky enough to help the team behind Wish during some of their rehearsals recently, and to see him interact with others in a setting like this was a really special moment. I felt bittersweet emotions of how much he had missed since coming into this bizarre new world, but he took it completely in his stride and was in his absolute element throwing snowballs around!
Wish will be a really magical festive experience for little ones who’ve already missed out on so much, and I for one can’t wait to create some magical memories this festive season.
Wish is on at Cast from Thursday 2nd – Sunday 12th December 2021.
Performance times are 10.15am, 12pm and 1.45pm
Tickets are £6
Suitable for babies up to 18 months.
Sponsored editorial blog post by Cast
