Kidstown

This is an archived event

About Kidstown

Come and play.

Children aged 6-11 years old were invited to Kidstown by artists Nigel & Louise with designer Amy Pitt.

Kidstown was a massive game that children made up themselves.

After being handed a passport, kids entered the giant outdoor arena. Here, they found stuff to play with, build and wear. Assistants were on hand to help them realise their imaginings.

Grown-ups were invited to take a seat outside, relax and listen to the rolling news being broadcast of what happened inside.

"I like Kidstown because we can be free." - Kidstown resident

Over summer 2023, we collected interviews and stories from the young participants of Kidstown in order to create an epic show in 2024.

A postcard from Kidstown

Image gallery

The journey of Kidstown

  • A queue of people at the entrance of a large metal structure. There is a big blue and yellow sign above the entrance that says 'KIDSTOWN'.
  • Two children are standing on zimmer frames, looking at each other. One is holding a flower and the other has a bouquet on their zimmer frame.
  • A child is drawing on a blackboard. An adult is standing next to the child and is smiling.
  • A child is standing at a desk, using a typewriter. An adult is standing next to them, looking at them and holding a microphone.

Meet Nigel & Louise

Kidstown was a project we dreamed up with Nigel Barrett & Louise Mari with designer Amy Pitt.

If you don’t know Nigel & Louise, they make “wild, bold, visual performances for people who don’t really like theatre and unusual theatrical experiences for those who do”.

Their recent work includes Dog Ballet (dogs included) and Party Skills for the End of the World.

You can find out more about them here.

Two adults are standing together and facing a group of children while smiling. The adult on the left has red hair and is wearing a black jacket over a blue shirt. The adult on the right is wearing the same black jacket over an olive shirt, and they're holding a microphone up to their face. There's a group of children around them taking pictures with old fashioned cameras.

Useful information

Tour

Kidstown took place:

26-29 July in Newtown

5-12 August at Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Eisteddfod of Wales
At the Eisteddfod, Treantur (Kidstown) was delivered in Welsh

18-21 August in Ebbw Vale

We laid the foundations of Kidstown in Newtown in August 2022. Over two weeks, local artists and the community helped us prototype the idea.

Access

We offered sign-supported English, live illustrators, radio aid support, relaxed sessions, and touch tours at each site.

Watch the BSL trailer

Listen to our audio flyer

Thank you

Everything we do at NTW is in collaboration. Kidstown was a team effort that brought together artists, professionals and volunteers, all working passionately to bring this imaginative wonderland to life.

We also want to say a big thank you to our partners and sponsors:

Discover more

  1. Two children are standing next to each other, having their picture taken. The child on the right is wearing a wedding dress and holding a bouquet, the other is wearing a curly lilac wig.

    Kidstown: Where imagination takes the stage

    21 September 2023
    Della Hill, our in-house data whizz (AKA our Operations and Social Impact Manager), opened up her spreadsheets and gathered some feedback from audiences…