Theatretrain Letchworth

Four years.

When parents first book a taster, they're usually thinking about the next Saturday.
Will my child enjoy it?
Will they settle?
Will they make friends?

Very few are thinking about where their child might be four years later.

Reviews like this remind me that confidence, creativity and performance skills don't develop overnight. They grow little by little, week after week, through lots of small moments that build up over time.

Seeing children become more confident, more expressive and more comfortable in themselves is one of the greatest privileges of what we do.

A huge thank you to Panainte for taking the time to leave such a lovely review. It really does mean the world to all of us. 💙

People often ask if I ever switch off from Theatretrain.

The honest answer is...
I find it quite hard.

When you work from home and run a business you genuinely love, it's very easy to keep thinking,

"I'll just answer one more email..."

"I'll just finish this one job..."

There always seems to be something else that could be done.

But over the years I've realised something.

The school holidays are important for children...
..and they're important for families too.

So during the holidays, I try really hard to do something I don't always find easy.

I try to put Theatretrain down for a little while.

Because these few weeks are my chance to make memories with my family before the school routine starts all over again.

The funny thing is, I usually come back in September with fresh ideas, lots of energy and even more excitement for the new term.

So if you've sent me a message over the summer and it's taken a little longer than usual to reply...

I'm probably making the most of some family time.

And I hope you're getting the chance to do exactly the same.

See you all very soon. ❤️

What happens after a child has been at Theatretrain for a few weeks?

Most parents start by wondering how their child will feel walking through the door.

Will they settle?

Will they join in?

Will they enjoy it?

A few weeks later, they're often talking about something completely different.

Their child mentioning a new friend's name at dinner.

Putting their hand up at school.

Singing songs from class in the car.

Asking how many sleeps there are until Saturday.

One thing I've noticed over the years is that the changes parents notice aren't always the ones they expected.

I've written a new article about some of the things parents often tell me after their child's first few Theatretrain sessions.

Read it here: https://theatretrain.co.uk/what-parents-often-notice-after-the-first-few-theatretrain-sessions

People often tell me,

"𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀."
Or,
"𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀."

And I completely understand.

Choosing an activity for your child is a big decision.

You want to get it right.

But there comes a point where no amount of reading can tell you what it actually feels like to walk through the doors.
To meet the teachers.
To see the Welcome Ambassadors in action.
To hear the laughter coming from the classrooms.

Sometimes you simply have to experience it.

If you've been quietly following along and wondering whether Theatretrain might be the right place for your child...

I'd love to meet you.
Come along for a taster.
Then decide.
It's as simple as that.

❤️ Book your child's taster here: https://www.theatretrain.co.uk/hitchin/new-customers

🎭 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀

Five minutes before the doors open...

The halls are quiet.

The classrooms are set up, the teachers have arrived, there's usually some music playing and we're having a quick chat about our new tasters. Who might be feeling nervous? Who might need a little extra support?

Then I do one final walk around.
"Have I forgotten anything?"
I ask myself that every single week!

I'm probably at my most nervous on the first week of term. After all the planning, there's always that little voice wondering if everyone is going to turn up.

Then I hear the first voices outside.

And suddenly the quiet disappears.

That's my favourite moment.

Most parents don't realise that I'm probably even more excited to see the children than they are to see me. I can't wait to hear what they've been up to and welcome them back for another Saturday.

Preparation is one of the ways we show we care.

❤️ Those five quiet minutes are over in a flash... and then the magic begins.

At the end of every term, I like to leave everything ready for the next term so it's ready to go and I can really switch off and rest over the summer.

There are the obvious jobs like planning classes, organising registers and getting everything ready for the start of the new term.

But then there are the jobs nobody ever thinks about.

Like the ribbons. ( the ones we mark out our stage space with)

At the end of every single term,
I wash them.
Iron them.
If any of the ends have started to fray, I carefully melt them so they're ready for another term.

It sounds like a quick job...
Until you realise how much ribbon that actually is!
Across our 3 centres I have ribbon for 6 main company rooms and 2 minis rooms which is roughly 244 metres of ribbon to sort!

By the time I've finished, my house looks like a ribbon factory!

Will the children notice that they've been washed and ironed?

Probably not.

But I will notice how they don't tangle as easily, how bright they are, and how much they charge our boring class rooms into a theatrical space.

I think that's true of lots of things at Theatretrain.

Some of the things that make a Saturday feel special are the things nobody ever notices.

They're just quietly looked after, ready for the next group of children.

And strangely...
I quite enjoy it.

Because every ribbon I fold away is another reminder that a new term of dancing, singing, acting and imagination is just around the corner.

There's something really special about seeing a child come out of class with a huge smile on their face.

Of course, we love watching confidence grow.

But knowing they look forward to coming every Saturday and leave happy is just as important.

Thank you, Laura, for taking the time to share your experience. Hearing that your son's confidence has grown over the past year, and that he still comes out smiling every week, means such a lot to all of us. ❤️

It's a privilege to be part of his journey.

"I'm too tired to go today."

I heard those words from my own son, Oliver, more than once.

After a long week at school, just getting him out of the house sometimes felt like the biggest challenge.

He'd look exhausted.

Low on energy.

Not particularly enthusiastic.

Then something would happen.

Three hours later he'd come bouncing out with rosy cheeks, a huge smile and somehow more energy than when he arrived.

It always made me smile because nothing had changed except the environment.

He'd spent the morning doing something he loved, surrounded by friends, and somewhere along the way he'd forgotten he was tired.

I've learned that energy doesn't always come from resting.

Sometimes it comes from being around the right people and doing something that fills your cup.

Have you ever had a child tell you they're too tired to go somewhere... only to come home absolutely buzzing? ❤️

It's National Tell a Joke Day.

So here's my contribution...

Being a parent means waking up exhausted and then spending the rest of the day explaining to people why they can't lick things.

That's it.

That's the joke.

And the worrying part is that most parents know exactly which child and which object immediately came to mind.

😂