TO THE MOON AND BACK Returns to the Barbican This Winter Plus Other Activity For Young Audiences Around The Centre

M-SET's Olivier Award-nominated show for babies, young children, and their grown-ups To the Moon and Back returns to the Barbican for a limited run this winter.

With a simple knock on a door, audiences travel on a multisensory journey of discovery, exploring tactile, interactive spaces filled with sounds, special effects and colourful props made from unusual materials. Conjuring the natural world, from rain made of feathers to stars made from velvet, ideas will be revealed so that everyday objects can be turned into tools for creativity and fun at home after the show.

Artistic Director and founder of company M-SET, Paula Manning invents delightful installations, combining stimulating live music, drama, visual arts and design. The production sold out when it premiered in The Pit in 2019 and was nominated in the Best family show category at the 2020 Olivier Awards. All sessions of To the Moon and Back are relaxed.

'an extraordinary experience, carefully managed to create moments of free play with an eclectic mix of materials and objects, but all perfectly aligned with the overarching space adventure story'
The Reviews Hub, *****

M-SET and the Barbican have also collaborated on an Activity Book for children. This step-by-step guide is packed with great ideas to make a multi-sensory show at home. Learn how to transform furniture, toys, utensils and clothing into sets, props, sound and lighting effects, to bring your stories to life. The fully illustrated activity book is ideal for children of any age. Let your imagination take flight and share photos or videos of your creations on social media. Available here

M-SET specialise in providing inclusive education through multi-sensory theatre, arts and media. Their active and explorative approach develops learning skills, encourages enquiry and raises self-esteem. For over 10 years they have developed long term relationships with a full range of arts venues and organisations as well as primary and secondary schools and educational units across London. With a focus on integration and raising social and disability awareness, their projects integrate pupils of different ages, backgrounds and abilities from mainstream and SEND schools

The Barbican's year-round family film programme includes the much-loved Saturday morning Family Film Club screenings and workshops, and the twice weekly Parent & Baby screenings featuring the week's new release titles. During the Autumn half-term holiday (22 - 29 Oct 2022), the family offer includes the annual Family Film Week with a programme of family-friendly films, free workshops and special guest introductions.

Squish Space, our free creative play space for under 5s and their families, is back in the Level G Studio. This space is designed by artists and early years specialists and brings people together to learn through interaction, collaboration and play. Using a variety of materials and tactile objects, Squish Space is a place to spin jump, hide, touch and explore. This summer, Squish Space also features a new season responding to the themes of our exhibition Our Time on Earth. From 31 August, the space will explore ideas of the planet and our world around us through new objects and design - including sound and moving image. Squish Space is free, though booking is essential, and times and dates vary.

Barbican Creative Learning have created a learning resource which provides curriculum-linked access points, thematic break downs and activities that relate to Our Time on Earth.

In the Theatre this autumn, Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Shakespeare Company present the global premiere of My Neighbour Totoro, a landmark adaptation of Studio Ghibli's enchanting classic coming-of-age 1988 animated feature film in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV. This production is recommended for ages 6 and over, while younger children and babes in arms are welcome at our two relaxed performances, taking place at 2pm on 15 December 2022 and 7 January 2023.

Audiences are invited to marvel at the beauty and fragility of our world and to explore the chaos of the Big Bang and the wonders of Mother Earth, meeting a magnificent array of birds, insects, animals and even a few dinosaurs along the way in the newly announced family concert Our Precious Planet (Sat 28 Jan 2023). Dramatic, moving and at times laugh-out loud funny, the underlying question is: what do we want the future of our precious planet to look like? With music from Barbican Associate Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dalia Stasevska and artist Grégoire Pont's drawings projected live alongside the music. Pont is passionate about using animation to bring classical music to life for young audiences, illustrating live to music in his performance concept of 'Cinesthetics'.

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