Emma

A few years ago, I wouldn’t have imagined this version of me. Clowning found me in a time when life felt small, heavy, and structured around survival - two back to back pregnancy, autoimmune disease and PND. It reminded me how to play. How to listen. How to say yes. It probably saved me to some respect. And now, I’m stepping on stage for the first time. 📍 Norwich Puppet Theatre @norwichpuppettheatre 🎟️ 23 May 11:00 & 14:00 Link in bio If this speaks to you, I’d love to see you there. Amazing photography by the talented @denisailie #clown #show #families #motherhood #norwich

The Lost Nose Trailer! The Lost Nose is coming to Norwich ✨ A joyful and interactive family performance (for children aged 0–5) + post-show craft activity A playful, imaginative clown show full of mischief, curiosity and unexpected moments… perfect for little ones and the young at heart. 🗓 23 May 🕚 11:00 & 14:30 📍 Norwich Puppet Theatre @norwichpuppettheatre Original Music by John Cameron @johncameronmusic Costume by Eleanor Waters Photography by Denisa Ilie @denisailie Come along and get wonderfully lost with us… #clown #familyshow #norwich #play #puppettheatre

Sometimes things happen and they are just the best. #family #parenting #brothers #love #yoga

As you know ZingZang is having trouble finding an adequate nose. She wonders if going to the Museum could help… If you want to find out if she succeeds or you want to help, then come on 14 April for Mini Studio @sainsburycentre where you and your little will be taken on a journey through the artwork to find inspiration! /whats-on/mini-studio-2025/ #norwich #clown #walkabout #art #family

I am so proud to say The Lost Nose is coming to Norwich ✨ A joyful and interactive family performance (for children aged 0–5) Show + post-show craft activity A playful, imaginative clown show full of mischief, curiosity and unexpected moments… perfect for little ones and the young at heart. 🗓 23 May 🕚 11:00 & 14:30 📍 Norwich Puppet Theatre Come along and get wonderfully lost with us… What the audience said: "Joyful, beautiful and playful." "The combination of movement, costume and music blended so well." "Delicate and Funny." 🎟 Get Tickets via the link in bio Credits Original music by John Cameron @johncameronmusic Photography by Denisa Ilie @denisailie Costume by Eleanor Watters Description: A clown woman with brown hair and classic clown attire dreaming sadly looking at the sky. #NorwichEvents #FamilyTheatre #ChildrenTheatre #ThingsToDoWithKids #NorwichPuppetTheatre #ClownShow #InteractiveTheatre #EarlyYears #FamilyFun #WhatsOnNorwich #CreativeKids #TheatreForChildren #KidsActivities #NorwichLife #PlayAndCreate

I cannot tell you how much I loved this conversation with @emma 🎙️ Before she became a Mum, Emma Zangs’ identity had been shaped by her lifelong love of dance and movement. Motherhood shifted things. There was less time to pursue her passion as she navigated this new world of intense emotion and deep responsibility. An artist to her core, Emma began to explore the light and dark of what it feels like to make the transition from woman to mother and has since found ways to express her own experience and support other parents through dance, clowning, performance and play. If motherhood has ever left you feeling disconnected from your body or struggling to find a creative outlet, then this conversation is for you! Listen via the link in stories or search for episode 38 wherever you find your podcasts 🎧 #motherhood #creativemums #podcastforwomen #dance #mumsinbusiness

I am so proud to say The Lost Nose is coming to Norwich ✨ A joyful and interactive family performance (for children aged 0–5) Show + post-show craft activity A playful, imaginative clown show full of mischief, curiosity and unexpected moments… perfect for little ones and the young at heart. 🗓 23 May 🕚 11:00 & 14:30 📍 Norwich Puppet Theatre Come along and get wonderfully lost with us… What the audience said: "Joyful, beautiful and playful." "The combination of movement, costume and music blended so well." "Delicate and Funny." 🎟 Get Tickets via the link in bio Credits Original music by John Cameron @johncameronmusic Photography by Denisa Ilie @denisailie Costume by Eleanor Watters Description: A clown woman with brown hair and classic clown attire dreaming sadly looking at the sky. #NorwichEvents #FamilyTheatre #ChildrenTheatre #ThingsToDoWithKids #NorwichPuppetTheatre #ClownShow #InteractiveTheatre #EarlyYears #FamilyFun #WhatsOnNorwich #CreativeKids #TheatreForChildren #KidsActivities #NorwichLife #PlayAndCreate

Play is something so many of us lose somewhere between childhood and the relentlessness of adulting. And then motherhood arrives and it can be, as @Emma says, so dark. Which is something we don't talk about enough for fear of shame or judgement. In next week's episode Choreographer and Communication and Movement coach, Emma Zangs, talks openly about her experience of early motherhood and how it impacted her work. She suffered with post-natal depression, which was amplified as she wasn't able to prioritise her own creative outlets. In the end she found a way through it not with medication or the mere passage of time. She found herself again through play and more specifically through the art of clowning... yes clowning! And so came 'The Playtime Project' - safe, creative spaces where parents are the focus. Because the children are fine, as long as their Mum is too! You'll be able to listen to my conversation with Emma in full next Tuesday 🎧 #MumsInBusiness #MentalHealth #Motherhood #PodcastForWomen #ThePlaytimeProject

Tomorrow🥳 @tendcollective_ in Carrow House We have Big Play sessions available at 12pm and 1pm. Booking in Bio DM for questions #play #openplay #families #creative #norwich Creative play sessions for parents and children to connect, explore, and have fun together. Big Play is a welcoming space for families to connect through creativity, curiosity, and play. Join us for a 45-minute Open Play Session designed for parents and children to explore together. Each slot is for one family, so total freedom and space – only for you and your party! Big Play offers open-ended materials that don’t have a single “right” way to be used. Everyone is free to build, combine, imagine, and transform materials however they choose - doing nothing, slowing down, and exploring the present moment is all part of what Big Play is about. Big Play is inspired by research into matrescence - the profound and often overlooked transition into motherhood. It offers adults permission to create, experiment, and have fun, while staying connected with their children in a relaxed, supportive environment. These sessions are created in collaboration between visual artist Emma Zangs and textile artist Alice Bygraves, and hosted by Tend Collective. What to Expect A safe, calm, and welcoming space for your family to play 45 minutes of play materials in a space for just one family at a time- no expectations for what to do. A space to connect and relax- no need to clean up, in fact, we encourage you to leave what you’ve made for the next family to discover! Open-ended play that sparks imagination and curiosity Time and space for adults to focus on their own creativity Hands-on, playful activities suitable for children of all ages, including babies under 1 A sense of connection, care, and community A shared creative experience - what you make becomes part of the space, living on for other families to enjoy Big Play isn’t about outcomes or instructions - it’s about being together, following curiosity, and discovering what happens when families are given time, materials, and permission to play. Come as you are. Play together. Leave feeling connected. 🛝

Rest Restore Connect Move Slow down People often think of play as something fun that children do- it might involve pretending or laughter. Maybe play is kicking a football around or a taking turns to see who wins a board game. Play is more. We all play. We need it like we need water and sleep. Play is done when we are safe and present and involved for no greater purpose than that it feels good. We all need to feel this. Play is not extra- it is essential. Sometimes even Play Therapists need to be reminded to stop being so busy and to just play. Thank you Emma for bringing Big Play to Tend! ❤️ Join us for the next sessions in March on the 13th and 14th. Book 45 min and come see what happens when you make space for play.

Today we play with… bubbles or bubble wrap. Pop, tiptoe, jump, and listen to the sounds. One of my dream is to make myself a bubble wrap onesie. I never found enough bible wrap to make it happen but hopefully I will get there. If you have never been to Big Play, here are more information: ✨ Big Play is a space for children and parents. Together. Apart. Loud. Quiet. In the middle or tucked away in a corner. This is not about doing it “right”. Big Play offers time, materials and permission to slow down, follow curiosity and simply be. Book a 45-minute slot. Drop the to-do list. See what your imagination can do in the present moment. 🗓 WHEN Tuesday 31 February – Book a slot between 10-5pm Friday 13 March – Book a slot between 10-5pm Saturday 14 March – Book a slot between 10-5pm (Mother's Day Special) ⏰ 10:00–17:00 📍 WHERE Carrow House 301 King Street Norwich NR1 2TG 🚗 Free parking available Big Play is a collaboration between myself and textile artist Alice Bygraves @sunny_figs , hosted by Tend Collective @tendcollective_ Come and play! £15 (+booking fees)

And it’s a wrap for our first Big Play @tendcollective_ We are so looking forward to the next one. Here is what people said: “It was great to have ring fenced time to be and play.” “It was like being on holiday, switching off all the mundane tasks we have to do and focusing on play.” “We were very impressed how it sparked children imagination.” See you at the next ones… DM us for any question. #play #norwich #creativity #openplay #playtime