The Gruffalo Live Comes to MediCinema

On Saturday 4th July, screenings at our MediCinemas at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital connected young patients and their families with a special broadcast from The Lowry’s Quays Theatre in Salford. The performances formed part of Tall Stories’ 25th anniversary tour of their much-loved stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Gruffalo. 

Young patients and their families enjoyed the livestream experience from the comfort of their MediCinema.

Experienced from the comfort of our fully accessible cinema spaces, the special screenings were carefully designed to capture the magic of live theatre, with pre-show activities, interactive elements during the performance, and golden theatre tickets for every child to take home. Supported by on-site teams, the screenings created a shared, immersive moment, transforming hospital spaces into places of imagination, laughter and escape. The performance included British Sign Language interpretation ensuring the experience was accessible to as many patients as possible.  

Patients took part in Gruffalo-themed arts and crafts ahead of the livestream. 

This initiative marks an expansion of Lowry’s hospital livestream programme, delivered in partnership with Tall Stories and the charity Read for Good. Together, they are reaching more children than ever before, including those receiving care in specialist hospital settings across the UK. Since its launch in 2022, the programme has already brought live performances to over 2,000 children and families.  

With huge thanks The Lowry Theatre, Tall Stories and Read for Good for bringing the live theatrical experience to MediCinema.