HALF-TERM Artsreach entertainment in the last week of October brings long-time favourite Squashbox Theatre to Dorset with Curious Creatures, on 24th, 25th and 27th October, and Zannie Fraser of Luminous Tales with The Goose and Mrs Frost, an enchanting and mainly non-verbal show for very young children at Hinton Martell on Wednesday 28th.

THE Cornwall-based and much-loved Squashbox Theatre will bring Curious Creatures to three venues, aturday 24th October at 2pm at Stalbridge hall, Sunday 25th at 3pm at Cranborne’s Cecil Memorial Hall, and Tuesday 27th at 10.30am at St Mary’s Church, Cerne Abbasincluding St Mary’s Church, Cerne Abbas, on Tuesday 27th October at 10.30am.

Curious Creatures is set in a wildlife park, established by world-renowned explorer, zoologist and animal collector Jeremiah Johnson. Nobody knows more about animals than him. Unfortunately, Jeremiah is lost in the African jungles, so the park has been handed over to his nephew Craig … and things don’t quite go as planned!

Meet performing fleas, skateboarding snails, gymnastic gerbils, irritable alligators, over-excited elephants and a very intelligent orang-utan! Learn about how animals evolved, how their amazing adaptations help them survive in the wild and how animals can help us learn more about ourselves. Using puppets, comedy and live music plus lots of amazing facts, Squashbox uncovers the mysteries of the animal kingdom.

After the show, there will be a puppet-making workshop where children can create their own articulated card puppets of amazing animals from around the world; suitable for ages four-plus, places are limited and children must be accompanied.

Luminous Tales, with solo performer Zannie Fraser, brings The Goose & Mrs Frost to Hinton Martell village hall on Wednesday 28th October at 2pm. The company specialises in visually stimulating shadow theatre productions for children and their families.

Mrs Holly Frost lives with her goose, quietly watching over the world below. When she bakes, the sun shines, when she hangs up her washing, it rains, and when she shakes out her bedding, soft feathery snowflakes fall, covering the earth in a blanket of snow.

From crisp white paper pages to bright colourful pop-up scenes, this is a gentle story of intergenerational friendship. With live action, puppetry and beautifully illustrated paper theatre it tells a heart-warming story about the changes in the seasons, working together to make amends and the transformative power of kindness. There is minimal speech, making it widely accessible for all – it is recommended for children aged three to eight.