‘The Gruffalo Live On Stage’ Brings Magic to Our MediCinema

Recently, our hospital joined a magical nationwide event as ‘The Gruffalo Live On Stage’ was livestreamed directly into our MediCinema, bringing the joy of theatre to sick kids who are unable to attend in person.  

Our patients were treated to a special screened performance of the much-loved children’s book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, performed by leading storytelling theatre company Tall Stories and held at Salford’s Lowry. 

The event was made possible thanks to a partnership between Tall Stories, Lowry, and reading charity Read for Good, expanding the Lowry’s annual hospital livestream initiative, taking live theatre to thousands of children in hospitals across the UK for the first time.  

Our patients enjoyed this special viewing from the comfort of our fully accessible 84-seat MediCinema, supported by our £1m MediCinema Appeal. It forms part of our hospital’s commitment to bring the arts to our patients via our charity-funded EnjoyArt programme.

The screening itself was carefully designed to capture the magic of live theatre, with teams from Tall Stories treating our patients to pre-show activities and interactive moments during the show. Patients also received special golden theatre tickets and goodies to take away to remember the day.

Elinor Cole, EnjoyArt Manager, said: “We were thrilled to be able to bring this special screening to our patients. It’s important to have art, including theatre, in hospital as it can boost a child’s morale and help provide distraction during a difficult time. It was such a lovely event and to see the smiles on patients’ faces while making crafts and then watching the performance was priceless.”

We’re so thrilled to have been part of this magical event, and are very grateful to Lowry, Tall Stories and Read for Good for bringing this incredible live theatrical experience to our patients.