Preview: Scottish Ballet's Wee Hansel & Gretel and Wee Cinderella

• Kelly Apter
• 12 November 2018

Wee Hansel & Gretel / credit: Andy Ross

Scottish Ballet dishes up bite-sized fairytale ballets for youngsters

As magical and full of wonder as Scottish Ballet's Christmas shows are, when you've yet to reach double figures, staying focused can be a challenge. So, in a bid to open up two of Christopher Hampson's fairytale ballets to a younger audience, the company has tweaked and pruned them into a perfect bite-size package.

Aimed at children aged 3–8 and their families, Wee Hansel & Gretel and Wee Cinderella will have all the pointe-shoed splendour of their bigger counterparts, but with a few key differences. Lasting for just under an hour, the shows will start with an opportunity to meet the dancers in the foyer, followed by an introduction to the storyline and a few of the key characters.

To avoid any fear of the dark, auditorium lights will stay on – and a live relay of the performance will be shown in a quiet space outside, to ensure anyone who has to leave can still watch the action. There's also some interactive fun to be had during the interval, courtesy of the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.

Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Thu 1–Sat 3 Nov (Hansel & Gretel); Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Fri 21 Dec and Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Fri 11 Jan (Cinderella).