Family half term at Theatre Royal Plymouth

Half term is nearly here, and the Theatre Royal Plymouth has filled its autumn programme with enough to keep families busy across the break. The venue, over on Royal Parade, is the largest regional producing theatre in the country, and it tends to lean into the school holidays with a mix of shows and workshops that cover a lot of ground.

The most obvious place to start is The Colour of Dinosaurs, which runs at The Drum from 28 to 31 October. It takes the actual colours of dinosaurs, based on the work of palaeontologist Dr Jakob Vinther, and builds a show around it with five musicians, with a nod to disability, cultural identity and a plain love of dinosaurs. It is aimed at ages five and up, and there are captioned, BSL and audio-described performances if you need them. If the kids would rather do than watch, there is a companion workshop for 8 to 11-year-olds on Wednesday 29 October at The Lab: six hours from 10.30am to 4.30pm taking in storytelling, puppets, music, a trip to the show and a session with the company, at £20.

At the other end of the age scale, A Tale of Us runs at The Lab on 30 and 31 October, a funny and magical new play for parents and babies up to 18 months that blends drama with multi-sensory playtime and finishes with a guided Stay and Play session. The Littlest Yak also lands at The Drum on those same dates, so the two sit comfortably together if you are juggling a baby and a toddler.

Looking slightly further ahead, King Arthur arrives at The Lyric on Saturday 1 November, a comedy retelling of the Arthurian legends with John Nicholson, Le Navet Bete and Peepolykus, aimed at ages eight and up. Mrs Doubtfire is the big Lyric title of the season, running from 20 October to 7 November, and the Christmas line-up starts to appear too, with Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas at The Drum from 26 November to 27 December, a relaxed version from 2 to 6 December, and The Loneliest Snowball at The Lab from 2 December to 2 January. There is also a Welsh National Opera family concert at The Lyric on 27 November.

Booking is straightforward. You can book online, where confirmation comes straight away and digital tickets appear seven days before you visit, or call 01752 267222 Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, with paper tickets posted for a £3 second-class fee. The building is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 2pm, if you would rather sort it in person. Family rate tickets are available for groups of two to six, provided there is at least one adult and one child under 16, and there is a multibuy offer if you book three or more qualifying productions at once. If you are booking for a larger group, smaller parties of 10 to 19 can book online with varying discounts, while groups of 20 or more should go through the Box Office. School groups of ten or more get one complimentary teacher's ticket for every ten pupils. For any queries, the Box Office takes emails at boxoffice@theatreroyal.com, so keep your order number handy in the subject line. One thing worth knowing upfront: refunds are not given unless a show is cancelled, though Booking Protect is available if you want cover.