Emma Dunn

Review of London Bubble Theatre Company

My son took part in the Speech Bubbles programme a...

My son took part in the Speech Bubbles programme at school due to being very shy and not communicating with teachers (to such an extent that he sustained a head injury at school one afternoon and didn't tell anyone for fear of bothering them!). After a few weeks, I started to notice a small improvement in his confidence and he would really look forward to 'bubble day'. When a leaflet came home in his book bag for bubble classes, I was keen to sign him up. Due to his low confidence, he didn't like to try new things so I had to bribe him and agree to stay for the class. Halfway through, he hadn't even looked around at me, so I snuck out and waited nervously in the office. He came out with the biggest grin on his face and said 'pay the money mummy, I want to go back!'. After all the different activities we had tried over the years, this was a first. He has been attending for over a year now and he is always keen to go. I think he has finally found a safe place where he can be his 'quirky' self and actually feel good about it. In the past year he has also taken up taekwondo (just passed his first belt) and also gymnastics which he is enjoying. He volunteered to go into the Ikea creche with his brother a couple of weeks ago, which would never would have happened in a million years and yesterday he came home with the news that he is Edward in his class production of Edward Tulane. It's a small production I'm not even allowed to watch, but just the fact that he's been chosen and has accepted has told me a million things. I truly believe that we owe a lot of this to the nurturing environment that is Bubble and I cannot thank the staff enough, from the bottom of our hearts.