Designed for4 years and above 52 × 7-minute episodes Teatrino’s character-driven world takes Curious Dreamers award-winning musical storytelling to the next level, blending humour, imagination, and sound-led adventure.
Teatrino is a playground for the imagination, a space of endless possibility where each unique episode reflects the spontaneous experience of a child at play: discovery, flow, curiosity, and reflection.
Theatre teaches us many things. How to use our imaginations. How to demonstrate the pitfalls and wonders of life on a small stage. The resilience in how the show must go on. Togetherness and teamwork. The joy of the shared experience. Learning through practice, trial and error... It can reflect how we feel, what we aspire to, what we love and fear... Theatre is all around us!
Meaning little theatre, Teatrino is a spontaneous show that delivers an immersive shared experience for the young viewer filled with imagination and wonder. Lessons can be learnt through a flowing narrative that plays out on a theatrical stage with engaging, unpredictable, hilarious characters. Teatrino reflects the needs and wants of the audience in a relatable, funny way.
From the intro to the show, we can see Teatrino unfold into a marvellous, vibrant, inviting mini theatre that entices the audience to enter for today’s episode. Once inside this theatre of dreams, the fun begins. Teatrino stretches the limits of our imagination, travelling from the outer reaches of space to the depths of the deepest ocean.
Everything that happens in Teatrino is spontaneous, hilarious and full of emotional heart. No matter how dramatic a story becomes, there is always love at the centre. Good and funny always win out! At Teatrino’s heart is life, how it can be unpredictable and messy... And that’s okay as we are all in it together!
The Teatrino Format
& Story Engine
Every Teatrino episode is built the way a child plays, a flow of the imagination where one playful moment leads to another.
Comedy is front and centre. Physical, laugh-out-loud, classic mime, with the music emerging from the energy of the play itself.
The theatre and the Teatrino Orchestra emerge and unfold, revealing themselves. A simple discovery sets everything off: an object, a sound, a feeling, an interaction. The world wakes up and the play begins.
One thing leads to another. The characters follow their curiosity and the play runs wild: exploration, mischief and physical comedy driving the beats, the rhythm and the music. This is the heart of the episode, where anything is possible.
Everything comes together in its own way. Betty and the troupe bring the theatre to life through their adventures, mischief and moments of magic, often to rapturous applause from the Wizza Woos in the boxes. Kindness, humour and love always find a way to shine through.
The show is over and Bo Bo seizes his big moment in the spotlight. A song, a dance, a final bow... and once again, Teatrino has other plans for him. The curtain comes down on a laugh.
Tonally the show always leans into the theatrical and absurd. It will be dramatic, with emotion-driven moments and laugh-out-loud slapstick humour. Being a show that is non-verbal from its ensemble cast, the music and sets play a huge part in conveying the narrative. Moments of loneliness or emotional focus can be played on a simple stage with pin spot lighting. Chases can be depicted with rolling backgrounds, both vertical and horizontal. Big set pieces can roll on to the stage...
No matter how fantastical a story becomes, it is always seated in emotion, with recognisable character wants and needs, even adding musical theatre, with Betty singing a song based on a poignant emotional moment. The characters are never ahead of the story... Everything that happens in Teatrino is in the moment, so scenarios can build from chaos, be spontaneous and always resolve in a way that is unexpected but relates to the needs and wants of the cast.
Not a backdrop but a living thing, a mechanical, breathing, musical playhouse that frames every story and performs alongside the troupe.
a mechanical, cosy playhouse, the stage that performs
Lighting and set design
Teatrino is the ultimate playground for imaginative play. Simple staging, lighting and set design play a huge part in the show, highlighting imagery and characters to enhance emotional and dramatic moments. Day can turn to night at the flick of a switch. Rolling backdrops can move vertically as well as horizontally across the stage. Through theatrical trickery, Teatrino is both static and fluid. Even if we stretch to the limits of space or the depths of the ocean, the visuals will feel like a stage setting, operated by hand and prop designed.
The dressing room
Here, the characters can be dressed in costumes of any style as they pass behind the costume rail. From a circus performer in a dazzling big-top spectacular to a cosmonaut travelling across the galaxy... The roleplaying nature of Teatrino is heightened magnificently from here.
The wings
The backstage and wings of Teatrino, where we see the inner workings and mechanics of the theatre operated by the Snuff Snuffs. A myriad of dials, levers and pulleys operate scene switches, lighting and even trap doors to add surprise, chaos and hilarity.
Beyond the wings
The world isn’t bound by the confines of the physical theatre. It can transform into outer space, caverns of crystal, oceanic underworlds, in fact anywhere the characters’ imagination seeks to take them and us... That is the spontaneous magic of Teatrino!
The theatre is never just a setting. It opens, transforms and plays along.
Six curious characters, including a group of mischievous Wizza Woos, lead the play in Teatrino, beginning with the theatre itself.
the full ensemble · tap for colour
The troupe
A rainbow-haired little girl, a ghost in a top hat, a house on legs with a flair for drama, a comedy duo in the wings and a multitude of tiny, fluffy musicians. Each of them has their own quirks, wants and worries, and each of them needs the others to make the show go on. They get things wrong, they dream big, they try again... and whatever happens, they are always in it together.
How they speak
All the characters in Teatrino are non-verbal, except for Betty Bloom. She can talk through song and break the fourth wall, bridging to the audience. The other characters make reaction noises which add to the fun and peculiarity of their character traits.
These are working development plates from the studio: design exploration, character notes, and the hidden mechanisms we are building into each of them.
A fun, sparky, rainbow-haired little girl and the only human in Teatrino’s wonderfully enigmatic troupe.
Rainbow hair, tartan trousers, blooming tutu.
Who she is
Curious, quick-witted and fizzing with infectious energy, Bettie belongs to Teatrino as naturally as if she were born on its stage. With her rainbow hair, cheeky grin and a twinkle in her eye, she’s always ready to join the fun, follow a curious thought or see where a little imagination might lead.
Bettie has an uncanny knack for understanding what makes the theatre and its wonderfully eccentric inhabitants tick. She knows when to offer a helping hand, a gentle nudge or a perfectly timed compliment. Beneath her mischievous spirit lies a perceptive and empathetic heart. She doesn’t need to be the loudest or steal the spotlight; somehow, she has a lovely way of bringing everyone together.
Through Bettie
Bettie is our way into the world of Teatrino. With a twinkle in her eye and a wonderful sense of fun, she breaks the fourth wall with a conspiratorial glance, a cheeky aside or an invitation to join the action, making the audience feel as though they’re in on the joke.
In Teatrino, the rules and physics of the real world don’t always apply. Things can turn upside down, the impossible can happen and a simple situation can spiral into glorious absurdity. Bettie takes it all in her stride, meeting every surreal twist and theatrical surprise with the open-eyed wonder of a child who believes anything is possible. And when things go spectacularly wrong? She’s often the first to see the funny side, and the first to join in!
Her place in the troupe
Bettie is the blooming heart of this extraordinary troupe, a little spark of humanity in a world where everyone is wonderfully different and nothing quite goes to plan. She delights in the quirks, the big emotions and the glorious eccentricities of those around her, helping turn even the most dramatic meltdown into a moment of joy.
Playful, warm and full of surprises, Bettie reminds us that it’s good to be curious, to be a little bit silly and to see the world differently. She brings everyone along for the ride, making even the most unexpected detour feel like an adventure.
For Bettie, the show must always go on...even if it takes a wonderfully unexpected turn. And that’s half the fun!
↑ a secret disco ball and fairy lights hum beneath her hair
A multitude of tiny, fluffy, genderless characters who behave as one.
Tiny, fluffy musicians with one very big sound.
Who they are
The Wizza Woos are Teatrino’s house musicians: a multitude of tiny, fluffy, genderless characters who move, perform and react as though they share a single mind. Individually small but collectively full of character, they are an endlessly surprising presence in the theatre.
They may look like a perfectly behaved ensemble, but beneath their fluffy exterior lies a cheeky, mischievous spirit. They love a practical joke, enjoy popping up where they’re least expected and can turn even the most ordinary moment into a musical surprise. Yet when it’s time to perform, they snap into formation with remarkable precision.
One big ensemble
The Wizza Woos are masters of synchronised performance, moving together in wonderfully coordinated patterns that make them feel like one extraordinary musical creature. They may sing as one, but they’re never shy of the solo spotlight or a duet or two!
One Wizza Woo, sporting a distinctive Mohican hairstyle, has a particular weakness for jazz and likes to show off his maverick side. His improvisations rarely last long before the others pull him back into line for another impeccably synchronised performance.
The Orchestra
Music is at the heart of Teatrino. In a world without dialogue, the score carries emotion, creates atmosphere and guides the action, becoming a character in its own right.
The Wizza Woos perform on The Orchestra, a magnificent steampunk-style barrel organ operated by the Snuff Snuffs. With a turn of the handle, as though starting an engine, the machine whirrs into life and rises beside the stage in all its glory. The Wizza Woos emerge as miniature representatives of different musical families, from wind, percussion, brass and strings to choir, bringing the instrument to life in a wonderfully theatrical spectacle.
Hatches and doors appear in the most unexpected places, revealing tiny Wizza Woos performing in surreal and hilarious musical vignettes. A glimpse behind a panel might uncover a whole section of the orchestra, while another opening reveals a miniature performance that seems to have sprung from nowhere. The possibilities for surprise, musical invention and visual comedy are endless.
Our audience
The Wizza Woos are not just the musicians of Teatrino; they are also its audience. From the theatre boxes on either side of the stage, they watch the action unfold, responding with synchronised applause, collective gasps and enthusiastic reactions.
Their presence creates a playful sense that the whole theatre is alive, with performers and audience sharing in the same unfolding spectacle. And, being Wizza Woos, even their applause can become a performance of its own.
Their place in the troupe
The Wizza Woos bring music, rhythm and a mischievous sense of fun to Teatrino. They can be a perfectly disciplined ensemble one moment and a cheeky rabble the next, creating a world where musical precision and comic chaos sit side by side.
They love a practical joke and have a habit of appearing at the most unlikely moments. But when the conductor raises their baton, the Wizza Woos become consummate professionals: attentive, precise and ready to play as one.
Until, of course, the music stops....and the mischief begins again!
The backstage double act that keeps the show, and the chaos, moving.
Wrapped in cotton wool, with extendable rainbow limbs.
Who they are
The Snuff Snuffs are the practical heartbeat of Teatrino, the quietly ingenious duo who keep the theatre moving. Wrapped in cotton wool, with extendable rainbow limbs, they are perfectly equipped for backstage life: stretching to reach impossible heights, shifting oversized props or rolling into a ball to get around in a hurry.
Behind the scenes, a labyrinth of dials, levers and pulleys controls scene changes, lighting and trap doors. The Snuff Snuffs operate this wonderfully elaborate machinery, transforming the stage and keeping the magic flowing, though their interventions can sometimes send a performance into delightful chaos.
The double act
Best friends and natural partners, the Snuff Snuffs have a rhythm all of their own. One tall and gangly, the other short and squat, they are beautifully in tune, instinctively anticipating each other’s moves in a perfectly choreographed physical double act.
Even the simplest task becomes a comic routine of stretches, tumbles, counterbalances and unexpected detours. One reaches while the other anchors; one gets into trouble while the other improvises a rescue. They communicate through movement, timing and shared glances, turning everyday backstage jobs into performances in their own right.
What they stand for
The Snuff Snuffs celebrate the simple pleasures of friendship, resourcefulness and a job well done. They may lack the grand theatrical ambitions of their fellow performers, but they make up for it with practical know-how, quiet determination and an instinctive ability to solve problems.
They remind us that not everyone needs to be centre stage to be essential. Sometimes the greatest magic happens behind the scenes, through small acts of care, collaboration and creativity.
Physicality and comedy
Their soft, squashy bodies and extendable limbs make them wonderfully inventive physical comedians, able to stretch, tangle, bounce, tumble and roll through the theatre. Meanwhile, the machinery offers endless surprises: a misplaced lever triggers a scene change, a pulley sends a prop flying or a trap door opens at precisely the wrong moment.
Completely absorbed in their work, the Snuff Snuffs rarely notice that their practical solutions have become comic spectacles. Their instinctive teamwork and impeccable timing turn backstage mishaps into spontaneous moments of hilarity that can send the story in unexpected directions.
Their place in the troupe
The Snuff Snuffs are Teatrino’s unsung heroes, shaping the atmosphere, shifting the scenery and creating the sounds and surprises that bring each performance to life. Grounded and unpretentious, they are the counterpoint to the troupe’s larger-than-life personalities.
They wear their practical nature like a badge of honour. The world may applaud the stars, but the Snuff Snuffs know that every great performance depends on the people behind the scenes.
↑ legs extend to reach high set pieces, then roll into a ball to travel
A flamboyant diva with dancing boots, a flair for the extraordinary and a heart beneath the glamour.
Faded grandeur, extravagant flair and dancing boots made for the spotlight.
Who she is
La Maison wears her heart on her sleeve and her emotions on a grand theatrical scale. Passionate, proud and gloriously expressive, she can turn the smallest slight into a full-blown drama and the tiniest triumph into a standing ovation. She is as hilarious as she is endearing.
A perfectionist with very particular ideas about how things should be done, La Maison can be demanding and impossible to please. But beneath the magnificent indignation lies a vulnerable soul who longs to be understood and appreciated. A well-placed compliment from Bettie, who understands her better than anyone, is usually enough to bring her back into the fold, though she may need a moment to compose herself first!
Mystique & grandeur
There is an alluring mystique to La Maison, a sense of faded grandeur and a world that exists entirely on her own terms. Elegant, intriguing and just a little eccentric, she carries herself as though every gesture and entrance should be worthy of the occasion.
With an eye for the extraordinary, ordinary simply won’t do. Yet beneath the glamour and unwavering belief in her own impeccable taste lies a hint of melancholy. There is always more to La Maison than meets the eye, making her all the more captivating.
Born to dance
Theatrical, flamboyant and never knowingly understated, La Maison was born to take centre stage. She comes alive through dance, expressing herself in sweeping gestures, extravagant poses and movements that demand to be noticed. Even crossing a room can become a grand performance.
Then there are her signature dancing boots, ready to stamp, strut and sparkle their way into the spotlight. Of course, things don’t always go to plan. A misplaced step or an unruly boot can send her performance into comic chaos, but even disaster deserves a dramatic flourish!
Her place in the troupe
La Maison brings glamour, passion and glorious emotional excess to Teatrino, creating endless opportunities for physical comedy and unexpected tenderness. Her connection with Bettie reveals the softer soul beneath the spectacle: someone who wants to feel valued, understood and loved.
She celebrates the joy of self-expression and the courage to be unapologetically yourself. For La Maison, life isn’t simply lived; it’s performed... preferably with a dramatic entrance, a spectacular flourish and dancing boots firmly in the spotlight!
Like a ghost in a top hat, but not at all spooky.
Ghost-soft silhouette, floaty glides.
Who he is
Bo Bo is Teatrino’s self-appointed guardian of order, protocol and theatrical propriety. Whether selling tickets, ushering the audience, directing a performance or presiding as ringmaster, he takes his responsibilities very seriously. With his ghost-soft silhouette, floaty glides and air of quiet superiority, he believes there is a proper way to do everything, and he’s determined to make sure everyone knows it.
Unfortunately, Teatrino’s eccentric inhabitants have other ideas. Their unruly antics and unpredictable behaviour constantly disrupt his carefully laid plans, and the harder he tries to restore order, the more gloriously things unravel.
The frustrated performer
Beneath Bo Bo’s official duties lies a secret ambition: he doesn’t just want to run the show. He wants to be the show.
In his imagination, he’s a magnificent ringmaster, a masterful director and a star deserving of thunderous applause. In reality, his grand gestures are mistimed, his entrances interrupted and his attempts at dramatic flair rarely go to plan. The comedy lies in the gap between how Bo Bo sees himself and what actually happens. He’s not deliberately funny; he’s funny because he takes himself so wonderfully seriously.
Yet there’s something endearing about his determination. Every setback is met with renewed resolve and the conviction that next time will surely be his moment.
His big moment
At the end of each episode, Bo Bo seizes his chance to step into the spotlight. He adjusts his top hat, composes himself and prepares for his grand finale, only for something unexpected to steal the show. A rogue prop, an errant performer or a mischievous theatrical mishap can derail even his most carefully orchestrated moment.
Ever the professional, Bo Bo gathers his dignity and prepares to try again. His increasingly inventive, invariably thwarted attempts to claim the spotlight become a delightful running gag.
Physicality and comedy
Bo Bo glides rather than walks, appearing unexpectedly and moving with solemn, deliberate purpose. His comedy lies in precision, timing and reaction: a prim turn of the head, a disapproving pause or a tiny adjustment of his top hat can speak volumes. The more chaotic things become, the harder he works to maintain his composure, and the funnier he becomes.
His place in the troupe
Bo Bo is the comic counterpoint to Teatrino’s more anarchic characters. Where they follow instinct, he follows rules; where they embrace chaos, he tries to contain it. Their differences create endless opportunities for physical comedy and absurd theatrical mishaps.
But Bo Bo is more than a pompous rule-follower. He brings ritual, occasion and wonderfully peculiar theatre etiquette to Teatrino. Beneath his self-importance is a performer who simply wants to be seen. For Bo Bo, the show must go on, preferably under his direction, with impeccable timing, and with himself firmly at the centre of the applause.
Betty discovers a set of bagpipes lying on the stage and tries to play them. They make a terrible squeaking noise that sets off a chain reaction of mishaps around Teatrino! The chanter is blocked, so off she goes to find the Snuff Snuffs. Meanwhile Bo Bo gives the bagpipes a poke... they let out a sad wheeze. They must be unwell! With help from the costume department, Nurse Bo Bo tucks them up in a makeshift bed, even giving them a hot water bottle. Detective Betty finally tracks them down... How odd!
Betty and the Snuff Snuffs attach the bagpipes to the Orchestra to unblock them, but the Snuff Snuffs keep on turning the handle, and the bagpipes inflate like a balloon with sticky-out legs, carrying Betty and a heroic Bo Bo up into the theatre sky. Their huge rasping squeak, with the Wizza Woos playing along, is surprisingly a splendid performance! They land with a wheezing splat and a Wizza Woo flies out of the end in delight... Yes, it was the blockage! Rapturous applause... and La Maison flies past in a biplane to take the bouquet. At the end of the show, Bo Bo tries to play the bagpipes on his own... and falls through a trap door!
Betty enters Teatrino to find it quiet and seemingly deserted. She sings a song about Teatrino being a place of magic and wonder, hoping it will respond with its gift of theatre... but it stays sleepy and still. Suddenly a spotlight pings on her, centre stage. Is anybody there?
The background illuminates into a starlit sky with a crescent moon. La Maison lowers on wires, glowing from within, wearing the wings of an angel as paper fireflies flutter around her. A rocket ship rises from a trap door, the Orchestra rises and plays, and Bo Bo beckons from the hatch... Blast off! Betty floats among the stars in her spacesuit, the earth far below, as Bo Bo waves from the moon with a wobble. On Mars, the Snuff Snuffs, dressed as aliens, pop up and down in the craters to play with her. What fun! Back on earth, Betty reprises her song, thanking Teatrino for its wonderful gift. Theatre is a place of magic and wonder... and so are Betty’s friends. Once the show is over, Bo Bo decides he wants to travel to the stars himself, only for the rocket to topple on its side with him stuck inside. Great!
Betty has a big song to sing and the Wizza Woos are warming up ready to belt it out! But as they play the introduction, a crucial note is missing... and so is a Wizza Woo. Panic hits Teatrino! They search the wings, La Maison’s dressing room, the stage and the costume department. No sign. The Wizza Woos are sad, and Bo Bo does his best to cheer them up. Then Betty signals for everyone to listen... There it is, faint, but it’s THE ONE!
The note leads to one of the Orchestra’s big pipes. Now miniaturised, because size is but a state of mind in Teatrino, Betty and the Wizza Woos head inside. It all becomes farcical as one door opens and another closes, the missing Wizza Woo always just out of sight... until outside, the Snuff Snuffs turn the handle once more, mixing all the Wizza Woos together like a musical soup! Bo Bo conducts with aplomb as Betty and the full band perform a rousing final number. All together! Then Bo Bo takes a final curtain call on his own... the curtains close behind him, and with rising frustration he tries and fails to get back through.
It’s time for a performance! Bo Bo raises his baton, La Maison is dressed as an ostrich for her big high-kicking number, the horns parp, the strings bow... but something is wrong with Bo Bo’s baton. It’s glowing, and it has developed a life of its own! The music speeds up and up. Bo Bo panics, the Snuff Snuffs become a flurry of arms and legs on the levers and pulleys, and Betty races between helping them and changing La Maison from one costume to the next as she rushes around the stage like a dervish. The Wizza Woos in the audience are loving it!
The Orchestra begins to steam and creak... It’s going to blow! The baton flies from Bo Bo’s hands and drops through a trap door. Betty leads the Snuff Snuffs through the inner workings of the theatre to find it, and wrestles it under control like a panicking pet. Harmony is restored to Teatrino once more, and from now on Bo Bo gives his baton a little comforting pat. Even batons need a little love. He raises it to conduct... POOF! He disappears in a burst of stars. Just his hat, sitting on the stage.
La Maison is excited. Today is HER day, and she is going to perform in her red ballet shoes! What joy! But the shoes don’t fit... no matter how hard Betty tries, her feet are way too big. Betty finds her a new pair from the costume department. Not red, but they fit! But without her red shoes La Maison just can’t dance. She has lost her dancing mojo, and retires to her dressing room a broken home. Small Snuff Snuff tries on the red shoes and dances with strange aplomb, then Big Snuff Snuff does a full Travolta. Wonderful... though it doesn’t help La Maison’s mood one bit.
Betty realises the red shoes give La Maison the courage to dance, so with the Wizza Woos and their tiny paintbrushes, she paints the new pair red. They fit perfectly! La Maison takes to the stage and performs wonderfully, much to the relief of the Snuff Snuffs, who have work to do. The Wizza Woos throw roses, which she grandly sweeps up with a bow. All is quiet as Bo Bo tries on the red shoes... They fit! He spins and pirouettes until he loses control and crashes into the wings. His hat rolls back on to the stage... Oww!
Betty is helping the Snuff Snuffs with their levers and pulleys in the wings. It’s great fun, if a little tiring, tangly and a tad confusing. She is just about to push a big red button when the Snuff Snuffs block her, shaking their heads and hands in panic... Never push the big red one! Then off they go to operate the Orchestra, leaving Betty alone in the wings. Alone with the red button. She knows she shouldn’t... but she can’t resist.
At first nothing happens. Then everything starts to sound wrong. A Wizza Woo’s flute sounds like a foghorn, La Maison moves to the sounds of a farmyard (she’s incensed and a little embarrassed), and Bo Bo’s noises come out tiny, like a Wizza Woo’s. Betty presses the button again to fix it... It makes things worse. Again... and again... until she sees both Snuff Snuffs, arms folded, pointing at a big blue button. Ahem... Of course! Betty presses it and everything returns to normal. Phew! Apart from Bo Bo, who tries to sing at the end of the show and still sounds like he’s taken helium.
52 Theatrical episodes · 7 minute Eps · ages 4 and above
By creating space for exploration and imagination, Teatrino invites children watching at home to actively engage with the story and become part of its unfolding journey, built around a playful, experiential framework that encourages discovery, creativity and wonder.
conceived for broadcast and built for a wider life across YouTube, short-form, apps, and live experience
Teatrino is created by Sacha Kyle in partnership with award-winning composer Giles Lamb. Sacha is the creator of the double RTS-winning CBeebies series Hushabye Lullabye, on which Giles was composer. The series has reached audiences across the UK, China, Norway, South Korea and Canada, with millions of streams on its companion albums.
Sacha Kyle is a BAFTA member, WFTV Fellow and International Children’s Media Fellow, with twenty years across animation, live action, children’s, comedy and drama. She is also a play therapist and education consultant.
Giles Lamb is an award-winning composer and sound designer with thirty years across film, television, games and installations. He holds a BSc in Neuroscience and an MPhil in Psychology.
Curious Dreamers are working with multi-award-winning British screenwriter Dave Ingham on the development of Teatrino. With an extensive career in children’s television, Dave’s credits include Shaun the Sheep, The Octonauts, Charlie and Lola, Fireman Sam and Bob the Builder. He co-created the BAFTA-nominated preschool series Boj and brings a wealth of experience in storytelling and character development for young audiences.
Studio & Co-Production Partners
Teatrino is in early development, and we’re actively looking for studio partners who share our passion for creating a bold visual world to help shape distinctive visual language. We see the world of Teatrino as hybrid CG and stop-frame animation with the soul of handcrafted theatre, tactile, theatrical, surreal, and emotionally warm.