Monkey Baa Theatre Company presents Possum Magic
Geelong Arts Centre and Monash Performing Arts Centre this April
Monkey Baa Theatre Company is delighted to bring the magical stage adaptation of Mem Fox and Julie Vivas’ Possum Magic to the Geelong Arts Centre and Monash Performing Arts Centre in April 2024.
Possum Magic has captivated young readers for generations and this magical production has already enchanted over 170,000 audience members across Australia. Featuring spellbinding magic, puppetry and original music, Monkey Baa’s award-winning team has turned the whimsical world of the book into an exciting live experience for audiences aged 3-8 and their families.
Lovingly adapted by Monkey Baa’s Artistic Director Eva Di Cesare and Co-Founder Sandra Eldridge, Possum Magic is directed by Eldridge and features Will Bartolo, Sarah Greenwood, Josh Virgona and Sarah Woods.
Monkey Baa has assembled an astounding team of creatives to help bring the book to life, including production designer Emma Vine (Spamalot), award-winning composer and sound designer Nate Edmondson (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), and magic and illusion designer Adam Mada (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child).
Audiences will meet Grandma Poss, who loves making magic. She makes wombats blue and kookaburras pink. She makes dingoes smile and emus shrink. But one day, when danger arrives in the form of a snake, Grandma uses her most magical spell to make Hush invisible. Hush has many wonderful adventures. But being invisible isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and Hush longs to see herself again.
One problem, Grandma Poss can’t find the spell to make Hush visible again, until then she remembers… this particular magic requires something more, something special, something to do with food… people food! Join Grandma Poss and Hush as they embark on a whimsical journey to cities around Australia to find the food that makes Hush visible again.
Director Sandra Eldridge said, “It’s tremendously exciting to bring one of Australia’s most loved iconic stories to the stage, and we are honoured to have the support of Mem and Julie. With this show, we really wanted to highlight how important it is for young people to find their own voice and visibility, and for those who are older to encourage and support their journey because it leads us somewhere new too.”
Author Mem Fox said, “Back in 1978, when I wrote a children’s story as a university assignment, I’d have died of joy if I’d known it would eventually become Possum Magic…now a play! And although I’m as old as Grandma Poss, I’m as excited as a child.”
Dates:
5-7 April 2024
Alexander Theatre, The Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts
48 Exhibition Walk, Clayton
12-13 April 2024
Geelong Arts Centre
50 Little Malop Street, Geelong
Tickets: https://www.monkeybaa.com.au/shows/possum-magic
For: Ages 3-8 and their families
Productions images can be found here: Please credit Clare Hawley
Trailer can be found here
Monkey Baa Theatre Company
Monkey Baa creates great theatre for young people. For over 26 years, Monkey Baa has presented award-winning shows and creative experiences empowering young people across Australia and internationally. As one of Australia’s most extensive touring companies, Monkey Baa have completed 28 national tours, visited 135 regional and remote communities, as well as embarked on five successful international tours. Their dedication to bringing theatre to young people has resulted in over 3,650 performances, touching the lives of more than 1.6 million people.
Monkey Baa believes that young audiences, as equal citizens, deserve the same dexterity, depth and rigour in theatre creation and presentation that adult audiences demand. They tell stories that embrace social and cultural connectivity, celebrate Australia’s rich cultural heritage, challenge and inspire. Accessibility to a theatrical experience is deeply important to the company and they believe that rural and regional young audiences should have the same opportunities as their city cousins, so they continue to tour from the bush to the coast and across the seas. Monkey Baa’s passion and curiosity lies in the process of theatre making, be it new writing, adaptation, or reinterpretation. In addition to collaborating with exceptional artists, an integral part of their process is their collaboration with young people, from a work’s inception right through to the opening performance.
