Curve Relaxed Performance Information Pack for Toto the Ninja Cat and The Great Snake Escape
We are looking forward to welcoming you to Curve for the Relaxed Performance of Toto the Ninja Cat and The Great Snake Escape.
This pack is designed to give you more information about the performance and our theatre ahead of your visit.
What is a Relaxed Performance?
Relaxed Performances are open to anyone who would benefit from a more relaxed performance environment. This may include young people and adults with neurodivergence, such as autism, learning disabilities and other sensory or communication needs.
Our address is Curve, 60 Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1SB.
Getting here by Car
There are a number of car parks close to Curve. Please see our parking directory on the next page for details on opening hours, walking time from the car park to Curve, prices and Access bays. Customers are advised that none of the car parks detailed on this page are owned or managed by Curve or Leicester Theatre Trust Ltd.
There is also a drop-off point outside our theatre.
Getting here by Bus
All Leicestershire bus services have stops within a three to 10-minute walk of Curve, with services terminating on Humberstone Gate, Haymarket Bus Station or St Margaret’s Bus Station.
For more information about travelling by bus in the city, visit www.leicester.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/travelling-by-bus, or call Traveline on 0871 200 2233.
Getting here by Train
Leicester Train Station is less than a 10-minute walk away via Charles Street. For the latest service information, please visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Visual Story: Your Visit to Curve
Curve is a large, round building with a glass front, as shown below. The outside of Curve looks like this:
Halford Street Entrance
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Rutland Street Entrance what3words: ///driver.other.ideal
There are two main entrances into the building – Halford Street, by our Green Room Café, and Rutland Street, by our Box Office. Both entrances have a set of glass double doors.
Street Rutland Street
The doors can be opened by pressing the silver button on the wall or rail, but the Rutland Street doors will open outwards automatically as you move towards them. There is level access into the building from both entrances.
Halford
When you enter the building, you will be in the Foyer. Our Foyer is one big circle which wraps around two of our performance spaces – the Theatre and the Studio Theatre.
As you make your way around the Foyer, you will notice lots of large pictures on the big red walls. This is our production gallery, and features pictures from our previous productions.
A number of automatic hand sanitiser points are available around the building. To use these points, simply hold your hand beneath the dispenser.
Push dispensers are also available around the building.
Before the show, there will be some loud announcements in the Foyer telling you how long it is until the show begins, and other useful information about your visit. These will be at a quieter level during this performance.
It may also be noisy in the Foyer as other audience members will be arriving to see the show. You might like to cover your ears or wear a pair of ear defenders during this time.
In the Foyer inside the Rutland Street doors, you will find our Box Office. If you need to collect physical versions of your tickets, this is where you need to go.
There may be a small queue at the Box Office, so you might need to wait a few minutes.
In the Foyer you will also find our Green Room Café.
Here you can buy a drink, snack or ice cream to enjoy before the performance.
There may be a small queue at the Café, so you might need to wait a few minutes.
If you need to use the toilet before you take your seats, there are male, female and accessible toilets near the Green Room Café and Box Office. There is an additional accessible toilet outside Theatre Door 3. There are also genderneutral toilets on the Mezzanine floor. The hand dryers in the toilets will be switched off, and paper towels will be provided.
The toilets look like this:
There is a Changing Places Facility with adult hoist on the Ground Floor next to Theatre Door 4. Please note you will need to bring your own hoist straps to use this facility.
You will be watching the performance in our Studio Theatre. Here is a picture of the seats in the Studio Theatre. This is where you will sit to watch the performance.
Your ticket will tell you which door to enter through – Studio Theatre Door 1 or 6 - and where to sit, based on a row letter and seat number.
A member of our Visitor Experience Team can help you find the right door and your seat by looking at the letters and numbers on your ticket.
They will be wearing black shirts and/or fleeces with a colourful Curve logo.
When you enter the Studio Theatre, the lights will be on and it will be noisy as the audience will be getting ready to watch the show. You might like to cover your ears or wear your ear defenders to soften the noise, or bring a comfort toy to play with before the performance starts.
To access most rows in the Studio Theatre, you will need to take a number of steps.
When entering at the Stage Level via Studio Theatre Doors 1 or 6, there are 28 steps from the stage to Row P at the back of the theatre, with two steps between each row.
You will need to pull the bottom of your seat down to sit on it.
Booster seats are available if you can’t see the stage comfortably, and a member of our Visitor Experience Team can get one for you.
They will also be happy to help you with anything else you may need to enjoy the performance.
When the show is about to start, the lights in the Theatre will be dimmed but it will never go completely dark. They will remain on at a lowlevel throughout the performance.
The space will become quiet, so the audience can listen to the story and music.
If you would like a break from the performance, you might like to visit our designated Chill Space on the Mezzanine (Level M).
Everyone is welcome to visit our Chill Space before, during or after the performance.
When the show has finished, the cast will come back onto the stage and bow. The audience will clap to show the cast they enjoyed the performance.
At the end of the show, the lights will get brighter. You can leave the Studio Theatre when you are ready to.
Useful Information
The running time for the performance is 55 minutes with no interval, which means there will not be a break during the show.
Toto the Ninja Cat and The Great Snake Escape is based on the book series of the same name by Dermot O’Leary and Nick East. You might have read this at home!
Toto the Ninja Cat and The Great Snake Escape - The Story and Sensory
moments
Spoiler Alert!
Below is a summary of the story, which means we tell you what will happen during the show. This might be helpful to know before you come to the theatre, but if you want the story to be a surprise then we suggest you don’t read these pages. Please don’t share these with other people as they might want the surprise too.
If you do not want to read the full story but would like to see the key sensory moments during the show, please see the green boxes
Every time Toto pulls a ninja move the moon flashes red.
When you enter the auditorium you will see the set on the stage.
A large moon glows in the sky and the stage is quite dark. It is night time. Music plays as you come in.
Just before the show is going to start the lights get a bit darker and you hear the sounds of animals in a zoo. The show begins.
The show starts with a song about ‘what zookeepers do’ sung by Derek and Norma the Zookeeper. Robert the parrot joins in.
During the song we meet a big Tiger.
Derek is showing Norma, the new Assistant Zookeeper, the end of the day routine.
They are accompanied by Robert the Parakeet, who keeps them informed about everything in the animal world.
After the song Derek introduces Norma to Brian, the King Cobra, and Brenda his girlfriend.
Derek explains that they have only been together in the zoo for a couple of days and that it was all thanks to Toto and Silver that they were here together, Norma asks who Toto and Silver are and Derek sings a song to introduce the story.
The song tells the story of Toto and Silver coming from Puglia in Italy to live in London. It describes how Toto is a Ninja cat with fast moves, and Robert the Parrot squawks with fear when Toto demonstrates her moves!
Toto and Silver now live in London, and their adventure with Brian the snake begins one evening when they hear a loud crash outside of their house.
They decide to leave their new home for the first time and creep out of the cat flap to see what the noise was.
They discover Catface rummaging in the bin.
Catface sings a song to introduce himself.
Catface is shocked to hear that the cats have not explored the sights of London and offers to show them around.
They travel by animal tube! A secret part of the London Underground.
Robert and Norma sing a song about the underground, moving the set around as they build the animal tube. The main lights get darker with gentle pulsing lights and the sound of underground trains in the background.
We see Catface, Toto and Silver enter the animal tube and they sing a song about it. We hear tube related announcements throughout, like ’mind the gap.’
Their first stop is The Tower of London.
The song continues as they pass the shard and head towards St Paul’s Cathedral. They test out the whispering gallery as their voices echo through the air.
They reach 10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives.
They want to take a closer look. Silver and Toto are able to jump over the railings, but Catface can’t do it.
Toto dives in to save Catface with a ninja move and cry.
Larry, the Downing Street Cat appears. Catface introduces them and Larry tells them that he’s heard a King Cobra snake has escaped from London Zoo.
Robert comes screeching in shouting that Brian is out! The lights go green and they sing a song about Brian the deadly King Cobra! There are hissing sounds in the background and a giant snake appears .
Norma and Derek explain that Catface then decides to head to the zoo to ask the other snakes if they might have an idea where Brian would go next. They don’t realise that Brian is also heading to the zoo And the Tiger enclosure!
In the Tiger enclosure greedy Silver is trying to eat the Tiger’s dinner!
Toto calls out to try and find Silver and stop them getting in trouble with the Tiger!
Before they have a chance to rescue Silver Tiger roars can be heard, and Jae Jae appears.
Catface tells them to bow down to her as she is most definitely the queen of London Zoo.
Jae Jae sings a song about being Queen of the Zoo. She threatens to eat them, but Toto pulls a ninja move and bashes her on the nose, which stops her in her tracks.
Jae Jae has been subdued. Toto tickles her tummy and she enjoys it. Jae Jae tells them that she heard that Brian was heading down to the sewer.
At the sewer entrance Catface confesses that he isn’t actually a cat, but a rat! Catface had fallen out with his father, King Rat, because he looked too much like a cat and so he left the sewer to live above ground.
The lights get darker as they head down into the sewers and they are nervous at the thought of meeting the rat army who protect the king.
The rat army sing a song about how they live to defend their King from cats and dogs. Toto pulls her ninja moves to disperse them.
King Rat appears shouting at everyone to stop.
They explain why they are down in the sewers, but King Rat is already on the lookout. He is just about to go and try and capture Brian himself. Catface realises that he can’t let his dad face a deadly King Cobra and they decide to go and help him.
As they head deeper into the sewer they meet the King Rat running away shouting in fear. He has found Brian! They hear the sound of a hissing snake and then a giant snake appears and the animals scream in fear!
Toto pulls some of her ninja moves on Brian and knocks him out! When he wakes up he tells them that he is just looking for his lost love Brenda.
Brian sings a song about his love for Brenda. By the end everyone is crying loudly.
Brian tells them that he heard she had been captured by illegal pet dealers and he was on his way to rescue her.
Toto, Silver and Catface offer to help with the rescue. They ride off on Brian’s back. To the block of flats where she is being held. Toto creeps in and pulls her ninja moves on the illegal pet dealers, bringing Brenda back out to safety.
Brenda and Brian are reunited and sing a song about how much they are in love.
Back in the rat kingdom King Rat gives a speech about how proud he is of his son and that he is welcome home. Toto and Silver are awarded crowns of cheese!
It’s the end of the story and time for Derek and Norma to do their final checks of the zoo. They open the snake enclosure and find that there are now snake eggs!
The lights go out.
The performers sing one final song about Toto the Ninja Cat. They clap their hands and you can join in with the clapping if you want to.
When the song finishes the performers bow and say goodbye and leave the stage.
We hope you enjoyed the show!
Meet the Characters
Derek and Norma, the Zookeepers, are played by performers. All of the animal characters are puppets.
