We were so thrilled to welcome The Enchanted Cinema back to the Barn Theatre and Museum for The Snowman!

Kieron and Gareth are live cinema musicians, who create fun and interactive participatory events to beautiful hand-crafted animations.

We welcomed children from St Mary's Special School Bexhill and Torfield School Hastings, and Looked After Children on Thursday 30 November and Friday 1 December. Over the following weekend we had sell-out public shows.

Children and their grown-ups were invited to join a pop-up orchestra playing unusual, delightful and ingenious instruments to bring to life scenes from much-loved animation The Snowman.

The audience provided the sound FX for the different images seen in the animation (including an owl, a toothbrush, a whale, the sea, a musical box, a running tap, a tearaway motorbike, and the sound of boots crunching in the snow).

There were bells and cymbals, drums and tambourines, a xylophone and a harp to name just a few!

After watching the full animation, the children had the opportunity to meet the presenters and try out different instruments. As they exited the theatre into the museum, they were greeted by none other than Santa Pete (aka Pete The Pond) and his parakeet Lottie (who it turns out is rather partial to hot chocolate).

There was a museum trail, where the children had to find seven snowmen hiding letters to make the word 'tinsel'. There were arts and crafts: peg angels and a giant snowman to colour in.

Hot chocolate, mince pies and chocolate mini-rolls were served in the café!