Ruskus Patruskus children’s shows are organized in six areas:

18 children’s shows to choose from

Ruskus has 18 children’s shows that you can consult arranged in alphabetical order. Under the name of each show, the language (Catalan or English), the genre (educational or entertainment) and the recommended age range are specified.

Children’s shows for schools

There are two types of children’s shows for schools: educational and animation.

The educational shows reinforce the content of the subject that is worked on in the classroom. Two of the most in-demand educational topics are shows in English and plays for nursery schools.

On the other hand, the children’s entertainment shows are suitable to celebrate special dates at school, such as carnival, La Castañada, Sant Jordi, Christmas and the end of year party. These are plays and shows that seek to generate joy and animate the party.

When choosing a school show, the most important thing is to make sure that the age range of the play is appropriate for the students, and also that the theme of the play fits well with that of the party.

Recommended children’s shows for each cycle

These are the most suitable works for each cycle. However, some of these children’s shows can also be adapted for different cycles:

• Toddlers: Animalets, Petitruskus, Trenet Xumet.
• Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades: Arzabastayan, Bibliòfilus, It’s Magic, Let’s Go to the Farm, Ruskus’ Little Train, Traspatràs.
• 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades: Cirkruskus, Clowning, It’s not Rocket Science, Missió Setciències, The Great Circusman, The Headless Monster.

Theater plays for children

The word “theater” is often associated with the place where shows are held, that is, a theater with a stage, curtain, sets, etc. However, plays for boys and girls are not done only in theaters, but in many more spaces such as schools, public squares, libraries and civic centers, among others.

Indeed, you don’t need a “theater” to do theater. In fact, there are only two essential things to do theater: an actor and a spectator.

However, in the case of plays for children, there are certain characteristics that should be analyzed.

Characteristics of children’s plays

Here are some of the highlights of children’s theater based on an original idea by David Ginn. (Possibly other animation groups will emphasize other aspects that may be equally valid.)

1. Animals. Children love animals, whether in the form of puppets or as part of the story. Animals. Children love animals, whether in the form of puppets or as part of the story. Therefore, children’s shows that are related in some way to animals have many points in their favor.
2. Colors. As a general rule, it is convenient that the theatrical works for children are happy and animated, and for that reason it is very convenient that very bright colors are used. This does not mean that the colors have to be necessarily striking, but it is recommended that they be lively and harmonious.
3. Music. Children are often fascinated by music, not only the melody but also the rhythm. For this reason, it is good that music has a prominent role in any children’s show.
4. Participation. I always make sure that some of the characters in my children’s shows are played by volunteers from the audience. This is enjoyed by both those who participate directly and those who see it as spectators. It is also very important to encourage indirect audience participation (clapping hands, answering questions, etc.).
5. Iconic characters. Children quickly recognize iconic characters: the witch, the pirate, the bad guy, the clown, the fairy, etc. An iconic character helps them position themselves and gives them a sense of something familiar, of security.
6. Mystery. Children love wonderful and inexplicable things. They are predisposed to believe and be surprised. For this reason, magic is usually one of the things that most triumphs with children.
7. Plot. Simplicity is essential when it comes to boys and girls. It is very important that the plot is easily intelligible. Complicated and difficult to follow stories often bore them.
8. Humor. Little ones laugh much more easily than adults. Also, they like to laugh. Humor helps keep children interested in all kinds of children’s shows.
9. Exaggeration. If a clown screams, pretending that he has hurt himself, the children laugh; But if he yells too loud and exaggerated, they laugh even more. In general, the more exaggerated, the better. This is not to say that exaggeration cannot coexist with subtlety and intelligent humor in children’s shows. On the contrary, adults will appreciate it and this is very good, since the idea is that everyone has a good time, both young and old.

Examples of these characteristics can be seen in the following three plays. Specifically, animal puppets in Animalets, magic and mystery effects in Familiar de màgia, and a lot of children’s participation in The Great Circusman.

Children’s Entertainment

Children’s entertainment includes two large areas: on the one hand, recreational activities with attractions, bouncy castles, water and foam games, and traditional games.

Apart from that, artistic entertaining activities performed by magicians, clowns, puppeteers, musicians, etc. are often also referred to as children’s entertainment.

My children’s entertainment shows are suitable for all kinds of events, from larger parties and school parties to family events and birthday parties:

Street Performances

Street theater is usually lively, flashy, and spontaneous. The idea is to create a lively atmosphere often framed in a major event, such as a fair or the celebration of a feast day.

It is convenient that children’s street shows have a wide age range, since the audience can be from very young children to young people. It is also advisable that the performances be predominantly visual, since the listening conditions in the street are sometimes difficult.

The rhythm must be lively, and the argument very simple or directly non-existent. On the street there are countless distractions and people come and go all the time, and this makes it difficult to maintain continuous attention over a long period of time.

For all these reasons, children’s shows related to the circus tend to work very well on the street, as well as walk-arounds and parades.

When it comes to organizing a traveling street entertainment, the Itineràntic show is a good option: it is a spontaneous and fresh animation that easily adapts to all kinds of situations. As for children’s shows on an outdoor stage, Cirkruskus is an ideal work to perform on the street, since it has a lively rhythm, it is very visual and it tends to appeal to young and old alike.

Children’s Christmas Shows

A good Christmas show should convey the Christmas spirit of brotherhood, joy and hope.

Children’s Christmas shows are basically organized in two ways. On the one hand, public Christmas events, which consist of attractions and activities for the little ones that are complemented by magic shows, clowns, puppets, etc.

On the other hand, shops usually organize Christmas entertainment activities for children to attract more customers during the days before Three Kings Day. It is common for shopping centers to organize children’s Christmas shows during these days.

Every year during the Christmas season, I adapt some of my happiest children’s shows for the holiday season. The three shows that are most in demand during Christmas are Arzabastayan, Cirkruskus and Trenet Xumet.

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Puppets and magic for babies and children of one, two and three years

Puppets are often associated with infants and very young children, but it should be noted that infants are not the best group to enjoy classic puppet theater. Despite its simplicity, the plot of puppet plays is often still too complex for children under one year.

An important part of my children’s shows are performed in nurseries throughout Catalonia with three works created especially for babies and children of one, two and three years: Trenet Xumet, Animalets and Petitruskus.

Puppet Theater for Babies

Puppets for children birth and one year should express themselves with gestures and sounds rather than words. They should stimulate the senses, be caressed by the children, and even do amazing things like playing an instrument, making soap bubbles, or even performing magic tricks.

One of the most successful puppets with babies is Conillet; Little ones love to reach out and stroke her soft white hair. They are also very fond of Nunci, a mischievous and silent glove puppet who plays a song on a xylophone.

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The most popular puppets among children are glove puppets, as many of them have at home or in daycare, and they are quite familiar to them. In fact, glove puppets are one of the most present puppets in many children’s shows, not only in the puppet theater. They are the classic puppets, with which many of us started.

This is the first puppet that my partner and I made: senyor Banyetes. We made the head and hands with papier-mâché:

However, a puppet is nothing more than an inanimate object that the artist brings to life. It is not important if he is a glove, rod or marionette puppet, but creates the illusion that he has a life of his own.

For example, Aneguet (from the children’s show Animalets) is actually a toy with wheels, but it is manipulated in such a way that it seems as if it were the duck that guides the clown, and not the other way around. Aneguet wants to get closer to the little ones against Ruskus’ will, and this tug-of-war is very funny for the little ones: