Our children’s theatre programme: building empathy through storytelling
A children’s performance can be a first encounter with a world beyond a young spectator’s own experience. Through characters, music, movement and imagination, theatre helps children recognise different feelings, family lives and ways of seeing the world. At Figueres a Escena, this belief shapes a programme designed to entertain while opening space for curiosity, kindness and conversation.
Teatre El Jardí and Sala La Cate welcome children, families, schools and educators to a varied cultural programme. Theatre sits alongside dance, music, circus, cinema and other live experiences, giving every child different ways to connect with a story. Some shows are lively and humorous; others are gentle, thoughtful or visually adventurous.
The experience begins before the lights go down and continues after the applause. Choosing a show together, entering an unfamiliar venue, noticing the reactions of others and discussing the performance afterwards all contribute to a child’s cultural and emotional education.
Stories that make room for other perspectives
Empathy grows when children are invited to imagine what another person might feel. A puppet, an actor, a dancer or a musical character can make abstract emotions easier to understand. A child may recognise fear in a character who is lost, loneliness in someone left out, or courage in a person attempting something new.
Live storytelling also creates distance that can be useful. Children can explore difficult subjects through fiction without feeling that they are being tested or lectured. They observe a character’s choices, see the consequences and gradually form their own interpretations. This process encourages emotional vocabulary and thoughtful responses.
Theatre can also challenge assumptions. A story may place a child in an unfamiliar culture, introduce a non-traditional family or show a character with a different way of communicating. These encounters broaden the picture of everyday life and help young audiences understand that there is no single way to belong.
The shared experience of live performance
Watching a recorded programme is different from sitting in a room with performers and other spectators. In a theatre, children notice the energy of the audience, the quiet before a scene and the collective laughter that follows a surprise. They become part of a temporary community with a shared focus.
This communal setting supports social learning. Young spectators practise waiting, listening and responding appropriately, while also discovering that other people can react differently to the same scene. One child may laugh at a comic moment, while another remains moved or uncertain. Both responses can be valid starting points for conversation.
The venue itself adds to the sense of occasion. A visit to Teatre El Jardí or Sala La Cate can become a family ritual, a school outing or a memorable first step into the arts. The anticipation of entering a performance space gives children a feeling of participation and helps them see culture as part of community life.
Choosing a show for every age and interest
A strong family programme offers variety in subject, format and intensity. Some children respond immediately to physical comedy and circus; others prefer songs, visual theatre, animals, fantasy or stories grounded in daily life. Offering different artistic languages allows children to discover what speaks to them without restricting the idea of children’s culture to one style.
Families and educators can use the programme information to consider a child’s age, attention span and previous experience. A short, playful production may suit a first visit, while an older child may be ready for a more complex narrative or a performance that leaves questions unanswered.
| Experience | What children may explore | Helpful adult response |
|---|---|---|
| Theatre and puppetry | Feelings, relationships and imagination | Ask which character they understood best |
| Dance and movement | Body language, rhythm and expression | Invite them to describe what movement communicated |
| Music and opera | Mood, listening and cultural traditions | Discuss how sound changed the atmosphere |
| Circus and physical theatre | Trust, risk and teamwork | Notice how performers supported one another |
| Cinema and visual storytelling | Perspective, memory and different worlds | Compare how images told the story |
The current programme of performances makes it easier to find an event that fits a family’s interests or a school’s educational aims. A carefully chosen show can be the beginning of a longer relationship with the performing arts.
From watching to talking and creating
A performance becomes more meaningful when children have time to process it. Adults do not need specialist knowledge or complicated activities. Simple prompts can help: What did you notice first? Which moment surprised you? How did the character change? What would you have done in that situation?
There is no need to search for one correct interpretation. Children may focus on a detail that adults missed, or connect the story with an experience from home or school. Listening without immediately correcting them shows that their perspective matters. It also models the empathy that the story may be exploring.
Creative follow-up can deepen the experience. Children might draw a setting, invent a different ending, recreate a scene with objects or make a soundscape for a favourite moment. These activities turn spectators into active interpreters and help them communicate feelings that may be difficult to express directly.
Schools can extend the same work through classroom discussion, writing, role-play or collaborative projects. A visit to a performance then becomes part of wider learning rather than an isolated cultural event.
A welcoming pathway into the arts
Accessibility and welcome are essential to meaningful participation. Children need to feel that a venue belongs to them, whether they are attending for the first time or returning regularly. Clear information, friendly staff and an atmosphere that respects different needs can make a major difference to a family’s confidence.
The wider work of Figueres a Escena supports this sense of belonging. Its venues host performances, workshops, talks, rehearsals and community activities, creating multiple ways to encounter culture. Behind each event is careful coordination, as shown in this day at Teatre El Jardí, where the practical work of welcoming audiences is part of the artistic experience.
ATEB, the organisation’s theatre school, extends that pathway through training for children, young people and adults. Learning theatre offers another form of empathy: participants take risks together, listen to scene partners, inhabit different roles and discover how individual choices affect a group. Performing can build confidence, while the process of rehearsing develops patience and cooperation.
Making the most of a family visit
A little preparation can help children feel secure and engaged without taking away the surprise of live performance. Adults can explain what will happen in broad terms, including the journey, seating and applause, while leaving the story itself open to discovery.
Useful habits include:
- Choose a performance that matches the child’s age, interests and comfort level.
- Arrive early enough to explore the venue without rushing.
- Encourage children to notice sound, light, movement and audience reactions.
- Leave space after the show for drawing, play or an unhurried conversation.
- Return regularly so theatre becomes a familiar and welcoming part of life.
The most valuable outcome may be a new question, a moment of recognition or a desire to tell someone else the story. Children’s theatre does not have to provide every answer. Its strength lies in creating a shared imaginative space where young people can feel, wonder and understand one another a little better.
Browse the Figueres a Escena programme and choose a performance to experience together at Teatre El Jardí or Sala La Cate. Each visit offers more than an afternoon of entertainment: it is an opportunity to listen, imagine and grow through the power of a story.