Tiny and Tall Productions make theatre for audiences of all ages, creating playful, accessible experiences that bring generations together. Their latest production, A Tale of Us, is a little different: it’s a play specifically for parents and their babies.

Written by Sharon Kanolik and directed by Jade Lewis, A Tale of Us follows Ivy and her baby through their first year together – a funny, frank and magical journey through the highs, lows, exhaustion and unexpected joy of becoming a new parent.

Combining drama with multi-sensory play, the show is designed for babies aged 0–18 months and their grown-ups.

We caught up with Tiny and Tall's Artistic Director, Tessa Bide, to find out more...

What can audiences expect from A Tale of Us?

A Tale of Us about those huge, life-changing feelings that come with having a baby: the love, the exhaustion, the loneliness, the joy, the worry and the feeling that suddenly your whole identity has shifted. Ivy is figuring it all out as she goes along, just as most of us do.

The show is unique in that it is just as much for the adults as it is for the babies. Sharon’s script is so spot on, it makes you feel so ‘seen’ as a parent, and completely unjudged for having some of those anxious thoughts and darker moments alongside all of the love and joy. For babies, the show is full of beautiful things to look at, tactile objects they can touch (and inevitably put in their mouths!), sounds to listen to and opportunities to explore, so they're not just sitting quietly watching a story – they're part of the experience.

And afterwards there's a Stay and Play session, where families can explore the world of the show together and, hopefully, meet some other parents too. We really wanted to create something that felt like a welcoming space rather than an environment where parents have to worry about their baby making noise or behaving in the "right" way.

The show is specifically designed for babies and their grown-ups. Does that ever bring any unexpected surprises?

Absolutely! Babies are wonderfully unpredictable audiences.

You can rehearse something a hundred times and then a baby will completely change the atmosphere by laughing, shouting or crawling up to the performer wanting a one-on-one performance.

But that's exactly what we love about making theatre for this age group. Babies don't pretend to be interested. If they're fascinated by something, you know about it! And if they're not, they'll let you know that too.

The performer has to be incredibly responsive, and every performance is different because of the babies in the room. There's something really special about that shared experience between performer, parent and baby.

Can you tell us a little more about the world of the show?

The design creates a kind of magical world that grows out of the everyday experience of new parenthood. It’s themed around the seaside - because Ivy finds out she’s pregnant on a trip to the sea - and includes a magical, interactive reveal at the end of the show.

There are moments during the show that will feel very familiar to parents – the endless nights, feeding, spending days and days almost trapped in your own home – alongside much more dreamlike and playful moments.

It's beautiful, tactile and full of things for babies to notice. But underneath all of that, there's a really strong story about a woman becoming a mother and trying to work out who she is now.

Have there been any stand-out moments for the performer?

There are so many tiny moments that make us smile – a baby suddenly responding to something on stage, a whole group of babies becoming completely absorbed in a particular moment, or a parent laughing because something on stage is so recognisable.

But I think the moments that stay with us most are the ones when parents tell us afterwards that they've felt seen.

Becoming a parent can be incredibly joyful, but it can also be lonely and overwhelming. There's a lot of pressure to talk about how wonderful it all is, and sometimes not enough space to say, "Actually, this is really hard."

If someone comes out of A Tale of Us feeling a little less alone, or looks across at their baby and thinks, "We're doing alright," then that's a pretty wonderful thing for a piece of theatre to achieve.