Excalibur, A&E and horse puppets: Polka's new summer show
Plus: Your Community Bank opens a hub in Merton
Good morning, Wimblers.
This week we sat down with Polka Theatre’s artistic director, Helen Matravers, to discuss their plans for the summer, what makes Polka special and the legend of King Arthur.
We’ve also got your usual news snippets, some recommendations to keep you busy before the tennis, and a great property of the week.
Happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
💰 Your Community Bank, the not-for-profit credit union serving Croydon, Sutton and Merton, has opened a part-time hub at Merton Civic Centre. The hub is open Tuesdays and Thursdays (10am – 2pm) and is there to answer any questions and walk you through any paperwork you might be dealing with. Merton council already works with the organisation to deliver the Merton Young Savers Scheme, which helps young people in the borough build good financial habits from an early age. All Year 7 students living in Merton are eligible for a free savings account with a £20 deposit from the council and £10 for their parent or carer, funded through Merton’s Cost-of-Living Fund. Click here to read more.
💞 A new initiative has been launched to support Merton carers. The council marked the beginning of Carer’s Week by announcing three new initiatives to support, celebrate and recognise the borough’s carers. The first is Merton’s pledge to increase its funding for the carers grant, called the Carer’s Discretionary Payment. This grant allows carers to receive a one-off payment for a short break to cover the cost of training courses, equipment, or other items or expenses. The second is the addition of two new support groups: Mencap Meet Ups (a support group for carers of people with learning disabilities or autism, running on the second Wednesday of the month) and a new monthly Carer’s First support group based in Wimbledon are available. Click here for more details.
🏀 A group of Merton schoolgirls have reached the area finals of a major basketball competition. The girls, from Harris Academy in Merton, reached the finals of the Jr NBA 3v3 basketball tournament after taking part in the Her Time To Play coaching clinic in January. The girls from Harris Academy were among the top 32 teams out of the whopping 349 who applied. Check out more in the Wimbledon Guardian.
The Wimble’s sponsor of the week 🥕
The Rooftop Farm is hosting a tour this month in collaboration with London Climate Action Week. The tour is a fun and insightful exploration of sustainability, growing in an urban environment, and the positive effects of urban farming. Tickets are £15 and include 50% off your coffee upon arrival at The Fire Station Café as well as a 50% discount voucher for the farm’s honey and mushrooms (sold at the café). Book here.
Property of the week 🏡
A very swanky flat indeed. This three-bedroom property is in one of Wimbledon’s most exclusive residential developments. The flat also comes with a communal gym and cinema. How much? £1.5 million. Check out more photos here.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🎯
🎨 Ken Zier at Wimbledon Fine Art: A much-admired Danish seascape artist, Ken Zier’s works are full of light and movement. Pop in, enjoy a selection of oil paintings and even purchase a piece to take home.
Where: Wimbledon Fine Art
When: Sunday 14 – Sunday 28 June, 12–3pm
🥂 Chapel Down English wine-making masterclass: Chapel Down is one of England’s best-known sparkling wine producers. Based in Kent, their grapes’ distinctive flavour comes from the chalky terroir and warm, maritime climate of the region’s North Downs. If you’re yet to try English sparkling, this tasting is the best place to start. Tickets are £40 per person and include six different varieties to try, as well as nibbles.
Where: Amathus, Wimbledon Village
When: Thursday 18 June, 6.30–8pm
🥳 Wimbledon opening party: Excited for the tennis to start? This year, the Dog & Fox is kicking off the party early, turning their dining room into a dance floor with live music and a Stella Artois garden takeover with curated BBQ menus. Entry is free, but you should reserve a spot using this link.
Where: Dog & Fox
When: Saturday 20 June, 7pm – midnight
🧘♀️ Deep Rest: Yin Yoga and Sound Bath: This 90-minute yin yoga and sound bath is an immersive experience designed to help you slow down, soften the body and gently quiet the mind. Those attending must bring a yoga mat, blanket or pillow, warm layers and an eye mask (optional). Prices range from £28 to £38, and spots can be booked here.
Where: Wimbledon Village Hall
When: Saturday 20 June, 3.30–5pm
🛍 Artisans Market at Cannizaro House: Over 30 wonderful boutique suppliers will be at Cannizaro House for this market, with everything from jewellery, clothes, skincare and candles to dog accessories, glass decorations, gin, rum and more.
Where: Cannizaro House
When: Sunday 21 June, 11am – 4pm
‘It’s a huge smorgasbord of different styles and genres of theatre’: In conversation with Polka Theatre’s Helen Matravers 🎭
Polka Theatre recently announced its packed autumn and winter season for 2026–27. Leading the season is the new musical Toto, which will begin in October. Theatregoers should also look out for Rebel, Rebel (directed by Helen Matravers); Colours, Colours Everywhere; Blub; The Three Little Pigs; At Sea; and The Sleep Show. Polka’s flagship summer show, Arthur, also starts next week. We sat down with artistic director Helen Matravers to talk about Arthur, accessibility and how the beloved Wimbledon gem chooses its shows.
Before we jump into the summer season, I hear you’re directing a show at Polka next year — tell us about that.
Yes, I’m directing a show called Rebel, Rebel, which starts in January next year. It’s a brand-new show celebrating female voices from the past and present. Also, full disclosure, this is my time solo directing a show. I’ve made loads of work in my career, trained as an actor and devised a bunch of projects, but this is a new challenge for me — and I’m really excited!
Arthur is this summer’s flagship show. What exciting things has the show got in store for us?
Arthur is our YC Chan main house theatre show. It’s actually a co-production with a theatre in Bath called The Egg (and it’s going to be their Christmas show). It’s a very funny, bonkers and silly retelling of the ancient legend. At its heart, it’s a show that explores what what makes a great leader. It follows Grace, who finds herself in A&E during the winter solstice of 2026. Grace encounters Merlin in A&E and is then transported back to the summer solstice in 526 AD, where she meets a young Arthur. Together, they go through a set of challenges, learning to like one another and work out what their individual styles of leadership look like.
It’s written by an amazing playwright called Marietta Kirkbride. It’s got a great set design, puppetry and, of course, the Excalibur moment; we couldn’t leave that out.
What is the process for curating new seasons at Polka?
It’s really tricky. The best way to describe it is it being like a Tetris puzzle. We have to cater for children ages zero to 13. A two year old won’t watch the same thing as an eight year old. We’re really trying to curate new stories and platform new voices, as well as providing audiences with something familiar. There’s a balancing act between book adaptations, new writing, dance, opera, rap and traditional styles of theatre. It’s a huge smorgasbord of different styles and genres of theatre. Because we have two theatres, we always try to make sure there’s a variety between the venues. Whatever is on at the main space will have a different age group, vibe or feeling to what’s being performed at the studio theatre.
There are no more than ten dedicated, permanent children’s theatres in England, and there are none that look like us in terms of being a community hub with play areas, workshops, etc. We try to make sure that what we put on stage mirrors the uniqueness of the building. We’re always trying to create new stories that children are fascinated by.
Would you say that accessibility plays a big part in Polka’s mission?
Absolutely. Accessibility underpins everything we do. We approach our mission with the ethos that no child should ever miss out. It’s important to remember that accessibility is about everyone. We know that there are parents, grandparents and carers who need accessible facilities; for example, they might be visually impaired or hard of hearing. When we look at a show, accessibility is what we think about first and foremost. There is no way we’d ever turn a child away from a show because they weren’t able to enjoy it in the same way their peers could. The doors are open to every single child out there. It’s incredibly important that all children get the chance to see themselves on stage, to have their own story reflected back at them.
Polka actually staged the first ever relaxed performance, and over time we’ve seen that sort of accessibility spread across the theatre sector. We make sure that all of our shows offer dates with British Sign Language (BSL), captions, audio descriptions and relaxed performances.
And how does accessibility inform the curation of shows at Polka?
I think it starts with looking at the source material and then who is adapting the show, who is creating the music, and who is performing. For example, we staged The Firework-Maker’s Daughter around Christmas. It’s a story set in Southeast Asia, but the book was written by Philip Pullman.I asked Jude Christian, who has Southeast Asian heritage, to adapt it into a play for us because it meant there was a real authenticity to the language and world of the production. It’s very important for us that the source material is diverse and balanced, and that it enables children to see stories on stage that they can relate to.
Looking beyond the summer, we’ve got a show called Colours, Colours Everywhere in which the lead performer is a hearing-aid user. Across the board, we work to present the most open and diverse theatre possible so that it can reach as many children as possible.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I asked when the final dog race was held at Wimbledon Stadium. The answer: 2017
Q: Which of these famous athletes comes from Wimbledon?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition. I hope you enjoyed our interview with Helen Matravers. Do book tickets for Polka’s upcoming shows, you won’t regret it. Other than that, have a great rest of the week and we’ll see you next time.