Hey Miki...

“I mean it’s not often you can go and see a Christmas show and see a giant octopus with eight-foot tentacles or a seven-feet tall crab – think of the sandwiches you could make!”

To say Nick is enthusiastic about children’s theatre would be the understatement of 2012. Along with Fiona Creese and Nicola Blackwell he makes up theatre company Slot Machine, who put on highly inventive productions for adults and children alike – including Scooter Ballet, where the audience grabs some wheels and takes part in the mad spectacle.

Back to Miki, what’s the show about?

“The show is based on the children’s book by Steve Mackey, who is a brilliant artist. It’s about Miki, a little Innuit girl, a polar bear and a penguin, who live in the arctic – and they have lots of adventures,” explains Nick.

“They are not your usual children’s books, nothing twee, just really interesting stories beautifully illustrated. We looked at Miki and thought we would like to adapt it. So we put it on last year at Norden Farm in Maidenhead and it played to a record-breaking 9,000 people in five weeks.”

So what is the secret of Miki’s success?

“We try and tackle things that people look at and go, ‘You can’t possibly do that!’ For instance, the second half of the show is all underwater. But by doing things that are difficult, you find creative ways around the problem and end up doing stuff that is so magical it makes the audience literally gasp. Like when Miki appears underwater – we actually project a tiny puppet in a fishtank and so we can then show a ‘giant’ whale alongside her. Puppets allow you to play with scale. You can do things with puppets that you can’t do with a human being, like floating and soaring through the air – children respond well to that because that’s how they play with their toys.”

And then Nick is off, back to his favourite rant, his and Slot Machine’s genuine passion for children’s theatre.

“I don’t like children’s theatre that is patronising and boring,” he huffs. “And the music! It’s such dull two-chord stuff. The music in our show is interesting, proper music.”

Lush soundscapes are used in the show and dreamily transport the listener to snowy arctic wastelands and magical underwater kingdoms. And entering the Cornerstone you may also hear these graceful tinklings emerging from the gallery, where you will find the Winter Wonderland exhibition, complete with snowy decor and paper penguins made by local children.

“There are people reading various stories, including me reading Miki, and soundscapes playing. It’s a fully immersive exhibition,” says Nick.

“Miki is beautiful, magical and funny,” says Nick, asked for a final word, “...and that appeals to all, whether you’re seven or 70.”

Miki is at Cornerstone Arts in Station Road, Didcot, on December 15-23. Call 01235 515144.