At the heart of every family lies a story, and at the heart of every house is its kitchen. Three invites you into the lives of neighbours, Ida, Jaanvi and Ralph, to share their experiences, uncover their pasts, and learn how to make the best cup of tea.

Ida cherishes her time with her granddaughter Sophie, but as her memories fade, she feels her independence slipping away. Jaanvi shares her heritage with Anika, whose love forces her to face a life-changing decision. Ralph, content in his solitude, meets an unexpected visitor who challenges his loneliness.

From multi-award-winning puppetry company Smoking Apples, Three explores the unique relationships between Grandparents and Grandchildren. Using mask for the first time, in combination with striking puppetry and mesmerising shadow play, Three captures the quiet moments that define us.

Three R&D 2023

Three is inspired by the real-life stories and intrinsic relationships between grandparents and grandchildren including isolation, loneliness, wisdom and familial ties, pertinent in the wake of the pandemic where separation has become everyday and many older people have become a lost generation. Three explores diverse British culture and heritage to bring three different stories of grandparents and grandchildren to life.

This is our first show combining mask and puppetry and we have loved working with Rachael Savage, artistic director of leading mask company, Vamos Theatre, to support on this new visual aspect. 

The Marlowe, Canterbury and the Garage, Norwich, hosted some of our rehearsals and we delivered both online and in-person sharing,  to get feedback to keep developing the show.