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Popular children's TV characters Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka and their friends make a much anticipated return this summer in the magical nationwide tour of the staged production IN THE NIGHT GARDEN LIVE. One of last year's top-selling children's theatre productions in the UK with extended runs and sell-out performances, this much loved show takes to the road again to seven new UK venues from 14 April to 4 September in its custom-built showdome.

With rave reviews from young fans and their parents and carers alike, IN THE NIGHT GARDEN LIVE is a true spectacular theatre experience. This year the state-of-the-art show-dome will be sited in a mixture of locations, from large city shopping centres such as Meadowhall in Sheffield, Metrocentre in Gateshead and The Trafford Centre in Manchester, as well as open green spaces such as Woburn Abbey (near Milton Keynes), Cardiff's Bute Park, Richmond Old Deer Park and Bewl Water (near Tunbridge Wells). Tickets are limited and expected to sell fast so families are advised to book early to secure the hottest ticket of the summer.

In 2011, for the first time, families will be able to buy a ticket to meet one of their favourite characters in person after the show. This has been introduced following overwhelming public demand last year,

At IN THE NIGHT GARDEN LIVE children and parents are able to see the ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV's iconic In the Night Garden and meet its much-loved characters Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka in a live performance. Visually stunning, the show faithfully recreates the magical world of the hugely popular children’s television show. The characters are brought to life with full-size costumes, enchanting music, magical puppets and spectacular panoramic projections, creating an immersive theatrical experience to make audiences feel they are actually entering the magical world of In the Night Garden. Families have the choice of two shows during the run in each location – The Pinky Ponk Show and The Ninky Nonk Show - each with a different story. There are up to five performances a day, six days a week, to suit every family's schedule and a highly competitive ticket-pricing scheme from £10 - £29.50.

The showdome is a purpose-built, inflatable touring theatre that has all the facilities of a regular theatre – including box office, toilets and catering points – but it is uniquely family-friendly with buggy parks, baby-changing areas and microwaves to heat up baby food. The auditorium has just 13 rows with a seating capacity of 550, providing excellent sight-lines and proximity to the stage for all audience members.

IN THE NIGHT GARDEN LIVE is written by celebrated creator and composer of In the Night Garden, Andrew Davenport, directed by acclaimed choreographer and director, Will Tuckett, and produced by theatre producer Andrew Collier of Minor Entertainment.
Andrew Davenport, creator and composer of In the Night Garden, said: "Sitting in the audience for In the Night Garden Live and experiencing first-hand the fantastic party atmosphere, sharing the delighted excitement of children and parents alike, has to be the all-time highlight of my career. In the Night Garden Live has been a huge project, pioneering and challenging, both creatively and technically - so I am thrilled at its continued success, and look forward to seeing it on tour in exciting new locations around the UK."

Producer Andrew Collier commented: "I'm delighted to announce that In the Night Garden Live will tour the UK this spring and summer. We had an amazing response last year - the children loved seeing their favourite characters, and the parents really appreciated that the showdome is so family friendly. We've had many requests from parents wanting to hear about new dates since the final performance in Birmingham last October, and I'm pleased that in 2011 we are able to cover more of the country, visiting a mix of large, prestigious shopping centres and open green spaces that are easy to get to and promise a great day out for all the family."

NOTES TO EDITORS
In 2010 the first In the Night Garden Live tour was staged in Liverpool, London, Glasgow and Birmingham and played to audiences of over 125,000.

In the Night Garden has been a phenomenal success in the UK with high ratings, awards and press accolades since its launch in spring 2007. The show has won multiple awards (Best Preschool Programme 2010 Broadcast Awards, BAFTA's for Best Preschool Live Action 2007 and 2008) and has sold over 1 million DVDs, 2.5 million books and 4.4 million plush toys in the UK alone. TV sales now total 35 countries including Canada, Australia, Spain and China, with this truly global show being translated into 19 languages. In the Night Garden broke the US market in October last year.

LISTINGS INFORMATION
For tickets: or call 0844 581 1251

All performances at 9.30 a.m., 11.15 a.m., 1 p.m., 3.15 p.m. & 5 p.m.
No performances on Tuesdays, any exceptions to this listed below

Tickets: £10 - £29.50 plus premium seats available
Two separate shows in each location throughout the run: The Ninky Nonk Show & The Pinky Ponk Show
Running time for both shows just under 1 hour with no interval

Dates
Thurs 14 April – Monday 2 May Meadowhall, SHEFFIELD
No performances on Friday 29 April

Monday 9 – Saturday 21 May Metrocentre, GATESHEAD
There will be Tuesday performances at Metrocentre
No performance on Friday 13 May

Saturday 28 May – Saturday 11 June The Trafford Centre, MANCHESTER

Saturday 18 June – Saturday 2 July Woburn Abbey, near MILTON KEYNES

Saturday 9 – Saturday 23 July Bute Park, CARDIFF

Saturday 30 July – Saturday 13 August Old Deer Park, RICHMOND

Saturday 20 August – Sunday 4 September Bewl Water, near TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Travel details for each location will be available at

About Ragdoll
Ragdoll Limited, a privately owned family company, was founded in 1984 and has produced more than 1,500 programmes aimed at the youngest viewers and won the prestigious BAFTA Award for Best Independent Production Company in 2008. Ragdoll produced series for children including the phenomenally successful, BAFTA winning Teletubbies, can be seen in more than 120 countries and territories around the world. In 2006 Ragdoll and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide formed a joint venture, Ragdoll Worldwide to manage and exploit the existing Ragdoll catalogue including In the Night Garden.

About Minor Entertainment
Minor Entertainment was created in 2009 to produce spectacular family theatre events in unique spaces.

Emma Finlay