A Toy Theatre is a miniature stage, built in card or wood and brightly coloured. Children perform plays on it using characters and scenes cut out from printed sheets and text written in a simple "playbook". The audience would normally be family and friends and the auditorium the front room. Adults too are known to use them, especially the large elaborate versions published in Germany and Denmark.
As well as being a flexible means of expression, the sheets represent a vibrant folk art derived from the full size theatre. It is a unique record of real plays and stage presentations, particularly of the nineteenth century. Many enthusiasts collect and study old sheets for this reason.
2011 is the bicentenary of Toy Theatre! See "News" (above) for more information.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Toy Theatre" is also the name of a voluntary association (an unicorporated association) which publishes this web site and exists to continue the tradition of publishing Toy Theatre material in the United Kingdom and to increase awareness by providing information and material accessible to all.
Specifically this is achieved by:
..Publication of original Toy Theatre material in traditional style, principally for children to perform but also for collectors.
..Republication of traditional Toy Theatre material for collectors and students to make it more generally available.
..Publication of handbooks and descriptive material.
..Maintenance of web sites providing good quality information, free downloads and also links to sources of further information.
CONTACT: TOY THEATRE Postal Address 67 The Fleet Belper Derbyshire DE56 1NU United Kingdom Tel.: +44 1773 821920
What is Toy Theatre? 
CONTACT: TOY THEATRE Postal Address 67 The Fleet Belper Derbyshire DE56 1NU United Kingdom Tel.: +44 1773 821920