A Squash and a Squeeze
26 Feb–21 Mar 2026
A Little Angel Theatre and Lowry co-production
Aimed at ages 3-8
Duration: 55 minutes approx.
Based on the original book A Squash and a Squeeze – written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
Step into the magical world of A Squash and a Squeeze live on stage!
Once upon a time, a little old lady lived all by herself in her cosy cottage, but she wasn’t happy – her house felt just too small. Whatever could she do? Will the wise old man’s solution of bringing in a flappy, scratchy, greedy, noisy crowd of farmyard animals work?
Join us for this heartwarming and hilarious adventure, full of beautiful puppets and enchanting songs. Written and illustrated by the unparalleled picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, and adapted for the stage by Oliver-nominated duo Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane.
This play is based on the original book A Squash & A Squeeze.
Text © Julia Donaldson
Illustrations © Axel Scheffler
Published by Macmillan Children’s Books ©
Please be aware that this production contains mirror ball rain, a few lightning strikes, and some flashing lights, but no strobe lighting.
Age guidance
A Squash and a Squeeze is aimed at ages 3-8. Our shows for this age group have storylines that can be followed and enjoyed by 3-4-year olds, but may also use slightly more complex ideas, humour, dialogue or song lyrics that older children will get more out of. There is nothing really scary in these shows but they can be a bit more dramatic than those for the youngest children, including in their use of sound and lighting, and characters may face some perils.
This show has standard seating for our studios. There are rows with chairs and soft blocks facing the stage, and some mats on the floor at the front. There will be up to 70 people watching the show (sometimes more if you come when there are school groups).
This isn’t an interactive style of show, but we welcome vocal responses from young audiences, and there are parts where a character comes out and talks to the audience, encouraging you to join in with his catchphrase. The audience stay in their seats while watching, but you can leave and re-enter the auditorium at any time.
There is nothing really scary in this show. There is a thunderclap effect at one point. The characters have a slight panic when the house is overcrowded, and there is a flapping chicken.
The show also contains mirror ball rain, a few lightning strikes, and some flashing lights, but no strobe lighting.
All ages are welcome at our shows and age ranges can only be a rough guide, but please bear in mind that A Squash and a Squeeze was not specially designed for under-threes. The show contains a lot of extra dialogue and song lyrics that are not in the book. A show aimed at two-year olds would have some differences – those shows are carefully made to hold their attention for the duration, and not to be unsettling for them.
The show is based on the book A Squash and a Squeeze, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, but the show contains a lot of extra dialogue and song lyrics that are not in the book. You can buy the book from us here.
School Bookings
For EYFS & KS1 / Age 3-8 – see above for notes on age guidance
Curriculum Links
English: picture books, Julia Donaldson
Topic: Farms and farm animals.
The Education Pack will be coming soon.
The visual story for A Squash and a Squeeze is available to view here.
Tickets for school groups are £7 for each adult and each child, or £8.50 for private schools and nurseries. These rates are only available on weekdays before 3pm during Islington term time. Free adult tickets are available for children with SEND who need 1:1 support.
Before requesting a booking, please check dates, times and availability here. Maximum school capacity for this show is 95 people per performance.
Please fill in our school booking enquiry form here.
Download our information for undertaking a risk assessment for school visits here.
🙏 Donate now
If you are able to support us, any donation, large or small, will make a huge difference.
All amounts are welcome. Thank you!
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Family Workshops - A Squash and a Squeeze
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Santa's Puppet Workshop
Credits
Adapted by Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane
Directed by Samantha Lane
Music & Lyrics by Barb Jungr
Puppets designed and made by Maia Kirkman Richards
Set and Costume Design by Kate Bunce
Lighting Design by Sherry Coenen
This play is based on the original book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
Text © Julia Donaldson
Illustrations © Axel Scheffler
Published by Macmillan Children’s Books ©
Image copyright – A Squash and a Squeeze © Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler 1993 – Macmillan Children’s Books
Dates and Times
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
All tickets £8.50 at 4.45pm on Thursdays
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
All tickets £10 at 4.45pm on Fridays
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
All tickets £8.50 at 4.45pm on Thursdays
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
All tickets £10 at 4.45pm on Fridays
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
All tickets £8.50 at 4.45pm on Thursdays
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
All tickets £10 at 4.45pm on Fridays
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
All tickets £8.50 at 4.45pm on Wednesday
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
All tickets £8.50 at 4.45pm on Thursdays
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
All tickets £10 at 4.45pm on Fridays