Experience life-like ancient creatures from land and sea together in one breath-taking show fuelled by extraordinary puppetry, theatrical magic and charm.

Erth’s Prehistoric World is a unique and thrilling adventure. Journey to the bottom of the ocean to discover ancient bio-luminescent creatures and incredible marine reptiles, then back to dry land to witness some of the most amazing dinosaurs to have walked the Earth.

Experience the creatures of your imagination coming to life on stage in this enthralling new show!

Erth’s Prehistoric World
7 – 10 April 2022
Brisbane Powerhouse
www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

Featuring accomplished circus artists aged 11 to 18, the imaginative tale of memory, dreams and friendship is inspired by the artists’ own stories.

The intimate tales weave in an array of circus skills including breathtaking aerials, amazing acrobatics, gusty German wheel and extraordinary juggling to create a heart-warming performance perfect for audiences of all ages.

The fun continues after the show, with burgeoning circus stars feeling inspired invited to join staff from Flipside’s training centre for post-performance circus activities in the Judith Wright Centre’s Shopfront.

“It’s all very nostalgic” says Stories from the Sky director Alyssa Venning. “The performance leaves you feeling as though you’ve just stepped out of a whimsical dream, or been on a ride through out-of-space.”

Beginning the process with a week-long development earlier this year, Alyssa and the young performers have been training three times a week at the Flipside training centre in Alderley in preparation for the season.

Since beginning in 1998, Flipside Circus has developed a reputation for spectacular shows and superior contemporary circus training.

Following nine years working in programming at Brisbane Powerhouse, William Pike has recently joined the Flipside team as CEO to contribute to the company’s continued success.

“I love working in a place where we encourage safe risk taking, hard work, showing off and laughter, as well as building trust and young people’s capacity as creators,” says William.

“Being able to contribute to a young person’s development as a creative thinker is what I love most.”

Any performance from these fresh-faced, fit and fearless artists is sure to delight the whole family – so be sure to book your seats now for a school holiday experience where the imaginary becomes reality, flying is perfectly possible and dreams really do come true.

Flipside Circus – Stories from the Sky at JWCOCA
Tuesday 14 to Saturday 18 April
11am daily, plus 2pm Thursday and Saturday
Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts
www.judithwrightcentre.com

Combining live puppetry and miniatures with multimedia sets, animation, music and live footage, A Moon Safari by Steam Bicycle treats the audience to both behind-the-scenes filmmaking and a live theatre performance at the same time.

Nellie Lettuce’s only wish is to ride a bicycle but she’s locked inside her Victorian home by over-protective Uncle Zebulon. Zebulon fears that The Mysterious Cheese Thieves ransacking the town of Lardville will snatch her away.

But Zebulon has failed to tell Nellie his plan to foil the Thieves. When Nellie finds a red button hidden inside her Uncle’s teapot she is launched on a journey of self-reliance and the adventure of a lifetime!

A Moon Safari by Steam Bicycle is a fantastical wormhole for the imagination, featuring whimsical Jules Verneesque inventions and ridiculous Victoriana characters, while playfully looking at a time when social values were rigid and grilled cheese was a known food group.

First time theatre director, Lucas says he is energised by the possibilities of working with a new form.

“The immediacy of the audience’s reaction, the dynamism of the medium and the ability to change ideas on the spot, was too tempting to resist after 20 years of animation where the frame-by-frame process can be like watching paint dry on a wet day. Similarly, watching the characters come to life before your very eyes made it easy to get hooked on puppetry,” he said.

For A Moon Safari, Lucas collaborated with renowned puppeteer Megan Cameron, who he met in 2007 whilst working on Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are.

“Megan is an astonishing puppeteer and we’ve been looking for an excuse to work together for a while. There are not so many opportunities to bring her kind of nuanced performance to a larger audience so I wrote a story that utilises her ability to subtly inhabit a character, while capturing the narrative ideas that interest me.”

A Moon Safari by Steam Bicycle at ACMI
Tuesday 7 April to Sunday 12 April 2015
www.acmi.net.au

This summer school holidays, bring your little badgers to a charming tale of adventure and discovery, in a brand-new one-man adaptation – starring Luke Carroll (Play School, Black Diggers).

Kenneth Grahame’s rollicking tale of four woodland creatures is one of the true enduring classics of children’s literature and writer/director team Maxine Mellor and Kat Henry have given it a fresh coat of paint.
Join Ratty, Mole, Badger and the incorrigible Mr. Toad on their journeys, trials and misadventures around the river, the Wild Woods and beyond.

Full of heart and humour, The Wind in the Willows gently addresses some of the big questions about humanity, time and the value of friendship.

For children aged 4 – 12 and anyone who enjoys messing about in boats.

The Wind in the Willows
Season 7 Jan – 17 Jan 2015
Venue Roundhouse Theatre, La Boite
www.laboite.com.au