Services for Schools
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Working with The Spark Arts for Children, and supported using public funding through Arts Council England, Inspire brings some of the best performers and theatre companies into libraries to perform for school groups.
Along Came a Magpie
'A heartwarming story about friendship, compromise and the joy of sharing a cup of tea!'
We are delighted to welcome Scarlet Oak Theatre to Sutton-in-Ashfield Library, Worksop Library and Mansfield Central Library in March 2026.
In the intimate setting of a potting shed, we meet our gardener. She loves the smell of the flowers, the feel of the earth and watching her plants bloom. But along came a magpie who turns her potting shed upside down! Making friends is lots of fun, but can sometimes be tricky. Join the gardener and magpie on this playful and heart warming journey as they navigate the intricacies of friendship.
Featuring puppetry, plants and lots of pots, this forty minute adventure is designed to delight ages 2-6 and their grown ups.
Show Information
Age suitability: Ages 2 - 6
Running time: 40 Minutes
Capacity: 60 children per show
Key themes: Sharing and the compromise that is often required to make a successful friendship possible.
Performances
| Date | Library | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 11 March 2026 | Sutton-in-Ashfield Library | 10.30am |
| Sutton-in-Ashfield Library | 1.30pm | |
| Thursday 12 March 2026 | Worksop Library | 10.30am |
| Worksop Library | 1.30pm | |
| Friday 13 March 2026 | Mansfield Central Library | 10.30am |
| Mansfield Central Library | 1.30pm |
Cost: £90 per class - equating to £3 per child, based on a class size of 30
This is a discounted rate made possible by Inspire Libraries' Arts Council England funding to support local children to have the opportunity to experience theatre at their local library
Booking Information
To find out more about our performances for schools, contact:
About the show
- Featuring puppetry, plants and lots of pots, this forty minute adventure is designed to delight ages 2-6 and their grown ups.
About the company
Scarlet Oak Theatre takes inspiration from the natural world and draws on their years of working in a variety of educational settings, their mission to produce work that is rich, multi-layered and designed to be an experience for young people and their adults to enjoy together. They always aim to ignite conversations within families that last well beyond their time in the performance space.
Inspire works with our partners to ensure we present quality performances from theatre companies around the UK, bringing arts and culture to your local library and providing a memorable experience for your pupils.
- Performances take place either in the children's library or a separate meeting space. Creating a friendly and relaxed atmosphere for children and school staff.
- Children will generally sit on the floor, with chairs available for adults.
- We ask that groups arrive ready to be seated around 10 minutes before the performance start time to ensure everyone is settled for a prompt start.
- We are flexible to the needs of individual pupils, there will always be space for a child to move away from the show, if for any reason they need a break from the action and we'll discuss any access needs for pupils and staff during the booking process.
- Library staff will always be on hand throughout the visit to welcome classes and answer questions.
Once we know you would like to book classes from your school to see a performance, we'll send a booking form to confirm the booking, numbers attending and the process for payment.
The booking form also outlines the responsibilities of each party. As follows;
The School’s Responsibilities
The School shall:
- Make appropriate arrangements to transport the children to the performance venue in good time for the start of the performance.
- Provide staff to supervise the children during performances.
- Obtain from the organiser any information required for a risk assessment.
- Both parties shall maintain public and employer’s liability cover in respect of its activities and staff.
- Arrange payment for the performance - to be received no later than 2 weeks before the event.
The Library Service Responsibilities
The Library Service shall:
- Undertake contractual arrangements with the Visiting Company to present the production in association with our partners.
- Pay all fees, accommodation and travel expenses for the Visiting Company.
- Liaise with the venue over licensing and Health & Safety procedures.
- Both parties shall maintain public and employer’s liability cover in respect of its activities and staff.
- Provide information requested by schools in a timely manner.
