Young Critics Collective: A Message For The Future

A Message For The Future is a joyful show for families with babies and toddlers, that blends live music, rock ‘n’ roll storytelling, and multi-sensory magic to celebrate nature, kindness, and hope for the future.

Young Critics are an imaginative collective of students that value collaboration and innovation. Together, they review and help shape future theatre programming.

“A Message for the Future, an original piece of storytelling created by Crescendorious, is a vibrant, inclusive, multi-sensory theatre experience for 0-3s and their carers, celebrating nature and kindness. Three guides, Dandelion (Brigitte Aphrodite), Minibeast (Quiet Boy) and Herb (Sophie Coward), lead families through a soft, glowing garden designed by Xander Lo Lo Noble, combining live punk, folk and operatic songs with herbs, water, light and touch.

One of the show’s strongest moments came before it had formally begun. Families removed their shoes at the fence and stepped into the garden, where birdsong, ambient music and dim, shifting colours created an immediate calm, as if they had been transported to another world. Performers welcomed people in character, giving families time to settle and chat while their children explored. Herb handed out leaf-shaped cloths for parents to write their child’s name on, and the opening song saw Dandelion sing every name and greet each child individually. This made every child an individual guest rather than part of a crowd, and children were visibly attentive when named as the lighting warmed to orange and the music picked up. It was a clever hook before the performers had even introduced themselves. The show closed the same way, thanking each child, and this bookending gave the experience a clear shape.

Rather than complex characters, Dandelion, Minibeast and Herb act as guides through the sensory world, which suits an audience of 0-3s. Costume does much of the work of telling them apart. Dandelion’s oversized orange and yellow patterned robe and petal-shaped headpiece recall the flower’s glowing colours and echo the warm orange the lighting turns to when the music lifts. Minibeast’s blue pyjama-style outfit, with wings attached, marks him as the insect, while Herb’s matching pyjama style bursts with vibrant patterns that mirror the garden around her. The pyjama look also feels comforting, fitting a show where families relax together. Voice separates them further: Herb’s operatic singing suits her character, and Minibeast’s guitar was joined by flute and sax. Because the music was primarily live, the performers could respond to the room, singing children’s names and shaping the pace around the audience. Lighting changes marked the end of each song, making the show predictable and reassuring. The set design was particularly effective. Netting “fences” and soft felt flowers marked the garden as a separate world.

Well-judged lighting shaped the mood, with calming blues and purples at the start and warm orange when the energy lifted. Each object felt woven into the performance rather than offered as a separate activity. Felt-covered tissue boxes released endless green netting, like a never-ending magic-trick scarf, before being passed round for everyone to play with. Glowing “seeds” arrived in wicker baskets, and fluorescent fans became lion manes and the glowing moon. The shiny percussion shakers were the most integrated of all, letting children join the band while giving them another texture to explore.

Although the show moved through many objects, and the pace occasionally risked feeling busy, the herb and potion sequence slowed everything down. Over chimey music, children had time to smell rosemary, sage and lemon verbena, then helped make a “potion”, pouring water from a watering can, stirring with kitchen utensils, banging the pot like a drum and holding their hands under the strainer to feel the water. The sequence embraces smells that may be strong or unfamiliar, recognising that every sensory experience contributes to young children’s development. A spinning mirror ball and wind chime made stars, but the most memorable moment for me was when the bubble machine started. The children were captivated, reaching for the bubbles and watching them drift, and the room felt completely absorbed.

The show’s most distinctive choice is the way it privileges access and the adults in the audience. Brigitte, co-director of Crescendorious, aims to create work that is accessible to all, and that ethos is visible throughout. It begins before families enter: a visual story sent in advance and a relaxed introduction set clear expectations, while ear defenders were offered and the volume of each instrument demonstrated, so children were prepared for what they would hear. Inside, performers worked close to families on the floor rather than above them. The company makes explicit that ensuring parents feel seen and appreciated is of high importance to them, which is why Dandelion brought round warm lavender bags during the herb sequence and the performers avoided “mummy” and “daddy”, letting parents be seen as individuals. The humour worked the same way, with jokes drawing real laughs from the adults. Chairs, cushions and rugs were offered repeatedly, and watching quietly was as valid as joining in, which made carers collaborators, not supervisors.

The story is told through song and sensory moments rather than plot, so the message is felt rather than explained. The shape is simple but clear, moving from welcome to songs, herbs, potions, stars and a closing thank-you. However, because the environmental message is so gentle, which is perfectly suited to 0-3s, older siblings may miss it. A clearer signal, such as a short closing song that names the message directly, could give them something to take home without losing the softness that works so well for the youngest children.

Ultimately, A Message for the Future is a show where care and art are synonymous. The future is offered as a shared feeling; a gentle, joyful experience for any family wanting to share nature and kindness with their youngest.”