Internationally renowned South Australian theatre company Slingsby will present the world premiere of its triptych, A Concise Compendium of Wonder, as part of the 2026 Adelaide Festival, from 18 February to 15 March.
Bringing together three original stories – The Childhood of the World, The Giant’s Garden and The Tree of Light – the triptych takes audiences on an imaginative journey across time and space, exploring humanity’s evolving relationship with nature.
Written by award-winning Australian authors Jennifer Mills, Ursula Dubosarsky and Ceridwen Dovey, and directed by Slingsby’s Andy Packer, these newly reimagined fairytales are bound by themes of environmental stewardship, resilience and hope. “These stories are about young people fighting for nature – and winning,” says Packer, Slingsby’s Artistic Director and CEO.
A Concise Compendium of Wonder is the culmination of a multi-year creative journey to develop an environmentally focused model for sustainable touring. The three productions are performed by one cast (Elizabeth Hay, Nathan O’Keefe and Ren Williams) with one evolving set, enabling longer seasons, deeper community engagement, and a dramatically reduced carbon footprint.
The season also marks the debut of The Wandering Hall of Possibility, Slingsby’s new regeneratively designed, custom-built, transportable wooden theatre. Nestled on Plane Tree Lawn in the Adelaide Botanic Garden, the venue transforms with each story, offering audiences three distinct immersive worlds to discover.
“Ultimately, this is about creating a space that brings generations together to experience stories that are beautiful, truthful and challenging,” adds Packer.
Packer sees Slingsby’s final Adelaide season as a full-circle moment, offering audiences the opportunity to say farewell to the company with the ultimate magical send-off. “In many ways, it’s the ultimate expression of what we tried to do with our first production,” says Packer. “Our first show, The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy, invited people into a tent. And now that tent is a wooden building, and it’s got all the bells and whistles.”
A Concise Compendium of Wonder
The Wandering Hall of Possibility, Plane Tree Lawn, Adelaide Botanic Garden
Season: 18 February – 15 March 2026
Bookings: www.adelaidefestival.com.au
For more information, visit: www.slingsby.net.au for detail.
Image: A Concise Compendium of Wonder – photo by Alex Frayne