It’s out of this world that Out of the Box returns!
There will be not one – but three – newly minted world premiere shows at next month’s Out of the Box, the much-loved and highly anticipated children’s festival which returns with high hopes to QPAC after a seven-year hiatus.
QPAC will be bursting at the seams with children aged eight years and under when the much-loved Out of the Box festival returns to take over the entire venue from June 17 to 22.
More than one million children enjoyed Out of the Box since its beginnings in 1992, and after a seven-year hiatus the celebrated festival returns for a week dedicated to arts-rich participatory experiences curated especially for young children.
And the festival is returning with a bang – with three world premieres among the huge line-up of performances, along with workshops, free events and exhibitions.
QPAC festival partners Queensland Museum, the State Library of Queensland and QAGOMA will deliver Out of the Box across the expansive Queensland Culture Centre.
The festival’s theme of HOPE will shine through in the large-scale Tree of Hope art installation which will feature artworks by Queensland children, including those from schools across regional and remote Queensland.
In rehearsal for Wolfgang in the Stars. Photo: Peter Wallis
The world premiere of Wolfgang in the Stars, created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble, will float into the Concert Hall, where a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will journey through space to find inspiration for his timeless early masterpiece Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in a performance filled with acrobatics, humour and video projections.
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In a Monkey Baa Theatre Company co-production with QPAC, Mem Fox and Judy Horacek’s much-loved children’s book Where is the Green Sheep? will have its world premiere in the Playhouse. Written for the stage by Eva Di Cesare, this beautiful production blends puppetry and animation with the voices of children, inviting young audiences to find that elusive green sheep.
Gurril Storm Bird, an adaptation of a prize-winning book by Trevor (Bumi) Fourmile,also makes its world premiere, featuring traditional storytelling, song and movement created in collaboration with the jarjum from Hymba Yumba Independent School, Yidinji Traditional Owners and First Nations creatives. The Cremorne Theatre will be transformed into an engaging and immersive experience of Indigenous storytelling for children.
Fittingly, The Gruffalo returns to the largest space, the Lyric Theatre, after sell-out seasons around the world. The magical, musical adaptation is based on the award-winning picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
There will be interactive performances, such as Club Origami by Sydney Dance Company, outside theatre spaces.
Rehearsal for the stage show of children’s book Where is the Green Sheep?
The Lost Lending Library by UK immersive theatre company Punchdrunk Enrichment, will welcome children into a magical library that leaps from place to place seeking incredible imaginations and new stories.
Sensorium Theatre, Australia’s leading theatre company making work specifically designed for young audiences with disability, will present Wonderbox in the Playhouse Studio 1. With immersive projections, delightful surprises and kooky-carnival characters, the curiosity of children is celebrated as they discover magical versions of themselves in a wondrous, multi-sensory experience.
Workshops will include hands-on experiences in the kitchen with the Little Chefs cooking workshop with QPAC chefs in the Lyrebird Restaurant. Meditation and artistic expression follow in the Mindful Me health and wellbeing workshop, or children can discover more about our country through song and traditional language from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Songwoman Jessie Lloyd in the Sing on Country music workshop.
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Out of the Box wouldn’t be complete without everyone’s favourite Blue Heeler – Bluey! In the fun-filled Bluey Puppetry workshop, kiddos will make their own sock puppet inspired by the hit TV series and bring it to life through a playful and interactive puppetry demonstration. It’s the perfect opportunity to get crafty and explore creative play and storytelling.
Every morning there will be a For Mothers workshop for new mums to explore ancestral and creative practices to reinvigorate and reimagine parenting for the modern mama alongside their bubs. This will then become a free space throughout the remainder of the day for mothers to access.
Children taking part in the workshop for the world premiere of Gurril Storm Bird.
Between performances and workshops, children can attend one of the free drop-in events by adding to the Tree of Hope or joining Let’s Dance! a giant dance party on the Melbourne Street Green led by Neridah Waters and the Common People Dance Project. The QPAC Tunnel will host the Jarjum Life Museum by Inala Wangarra, created by jarjum (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children), then extend their experience with the Jarjum PlaySpace in the Playhouse Lounge.
State Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek says the return of QPAC’s Out of the Box festival was fantastic news for families, kindergartens and school communities.
“The festival’s program of hands-on arts and innovative productions will inspire creative learning for children, their parents and carers, as well as their teachers,” says Langbroek. “Out of the Box will span the entire South Bank Cultural Centre precinct with the Art Box for Kids project and Moments of Wonder workshops at QAGOMA, Spirits of the Wild workshops at Queensland Museum and the State Library of Queensland’s Scavenger Hunt.
“For 40 years QPAC has presented vibrant, high-quality programs for audiences of all ages, bolstering the state’s reputation as a prime arts and cultural destination.”
QPAC chief executive Rachel Healy celebrated the return of this important festival to QPAC in the year of its 40th birthday.
‘It fills our hearts to meet parents bringing their children to the festival that they themselves attended’
“Out of the Box is, without doubt, one of our most loved and most impactful events and we couldn’t be happier to be announcing its return,” says Healy. “When QPAC first launched Out of the Box in 1992, no one could have predicted the enduring legacy this special festival would have. It fills our hearts to meet parents bringing their children to the festival that they themselves attended as a kindy kid, and to see teachers passionate about their students attending because their own love of the arts began at Out of the Box.
“One of the key ingredients in the festival’s success has been the commitment to putting children at its centre. Every step of the Out of the Box journey is taken with children in mind, from the development of new work and the curation of in-theatre productions and workshops through to the thoughtfully adapted onsite experience to ensure a welcoming and child-friendly environment.”
This event is part of the QPAC 40 program, celebrating 40 years of curiosity, inclusion, gathering and stories. C&K Childcare & Kindergarten is the principal partner of Out of the Box, continuing its longstanding support of the festival since its inception.
For festival details and tickets, go to qpac.com.au/OOTB