Minor Matters

One of the most talked about pieces of children's theatre opens at the Belfast Children's Festival tonight. Minor Matters. It's about a homeless man, now living on the streets after he loses everything, his family, his farm and his home.

It's aimed at a 6+ audience but children are used to more difficult issues. Former Children's Laureate Jacqueline Wilson writes about tough subjects, including divorce, adoption and mental illness while another former children's laureate Michael Rosen has written about bereavement aimed, like this theatre piece at aged 6+, after the death of his own son in "Michael Rosen's Sad Book".

In Minor Matters the Swiss actor Peter Rinderknecht asks "what do we need to be happy?" Peter, from Zurich, says he has done this show over 200 times. It's not depressing. It's about telling a story.

It's on in the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday night at 7.30pm. Are you sending your children? If so, let me know what they say about it.