It’s just a tiny step from Earth to the universe

At what age can very young children start enjoying theatre performances – and when is the right time to start taking them to the theatre?

The answer is as simple as it is encouraging: basically, any age is the right age! Even the very youngest children are receptive to sensory impressions, sounds, colours and movement, making them the ideal candidates for their first theatre experiences.

The Catalan Engruna Teatre demonstrates this impressively: for many years, the company has been dedicated to developing plays for children aged 0 to 2. With their production UNIVERS, they bring the theme of space to the stage and make it a sensory and age-appropriate experience even for the youngest audience members.

London, on a hectic pre-Christmas Saturday. I wait eagerly to be let in for the performance of UNIVERS, which I’m here to see for Ruhrtriennale 2026. 

Noon: A crowd of pushchairs is parked outside the (still closed) entrance to the Barbican Centre. There is a rack for the adults’ outdoor shoes. The first toddlers are already curiously crawling around on the play mat. What will await me inside?

Inside, the atmosphere is calm, even a little magical. All the audience members gather in a circle around the stage, bathed in soft light. Soft guitar sounds accompany our arrival in the world of UNIVERS.  Some children lie on their parents’ laps, looking relaxed, while others set off on a crawl to explore.

There’s plenty to discover: planets that shimmer blue, large telescopes through which you can gaze into space, and little gold nuggets that children can roll through suspended tubes.

It soon becomes clear that no two performances of UNIVERS are alike. Each one emerges through interactions with the audience and is shaped by the individual charisma, energy and personality of the individual spectators, who actively become part of the action on stage.

The two dancers repeatedly turn to the children, engage with them and invite them to play with them. Wheels are moved across the floor together, golden elements are hidden in tubes, and objects are balanced on the ceiling like a mobile.

The youngest members play a decisive role in shaping the action on stage, through their curiosity, their emotions and their undivided attention.

In this way, a unique, poetic universe unfolds, into which everyone can immerse themselves. At the end, the participants return to their bustling everyday lives feeling calm, moved and enriched.