Bábkové divadlo na Rázcestí (The Puppet Theatre at Crossroads) is the first theatre in Slovakia to introduce a theatre project for toddlers and their parents under the name Batolárium (Toddlerium). Farbatolárium (Paintoddlerium) is the third show from a uniquely interactive theatre series for children and their parents. All three shows are concerned with the encounter among toddler, its parent(s) and actor/actress, during which we create for them a unique experience. The shows are interactive, meaning that they respect children’s restlessness, involve them in what is happening on stage, work with them while actors and actresses create direct contact with children’s sense of touch. When the show is on, it is allowed to move around, touch, discover, laugh and even cry. These particular encounters introduce children to the world composed of live music, sounds, voices, moves, touches. The goal of the project is to deepen the contact between a child and its parent(s), to motivate and inspire an adult being to greater playfulness. Colours have a huge significance in our life, mostly from the psychological point of view. Colours that we prefer can say a lot about our personality and actual state of mind. Colours of the environment are able to regulate our performance or exhaustion, colours allow us to communicate with our surroundings, they can attract people or warn them to stay away. Yet another goal of the show Farbatolárium is to provide toddlers with their first contact with colours. At the hand of our actors they get familiar with various materials and objects. We don’t present children with toys, but with real-life things which they might not get their hands on when at home (paintbrushes, paints, buckets, papers, etc.). An actor and an actress respond to toddler’s reactions when the most crucial moment is the instant of contact. Children can touch everything that actors hold in their hands, they can move around the space, communicate, play and at the end they are given crayons to doodle their own colourful view of the world.

We ensure all parents that colourful, painted and drawn on will end up only the actors.