Riverside Theatres has compiled some of the best children’s entertainment from around the country for its sixth annual Spot On Children’s Festival this New South Wales school holidays from 26 – 30 September 2017.
The 2017 Spot On Children’s Festival program is guaranteed to satisfy children who are bursting with curiosity, and their parents who are dreading finding the answers to endless questions! The jam-packed program of theatre, film, music and free events, will provide a smorgasbord of ideas, knowledge and inspiration to all!
Kicking off the program will be stories from the much-loved picture book character by Ted Prior, Grug and the Rainbow from Windmill Theatre Co – featuring exquisite puppetry and gentle storytelling, this new show has been especially created for the littlest theatregoers (ages one to five) and those who just love Grug.
Crowd favourite, The Listies return to the Festival with their best-smelling book adapted for the stage, Ickypedia – this seriously silly show answers all of life’s unimportant questions, and mixes clowning, slapstick and improvised chaos with a bucket load of theatrical invention.
From Parramatta to China, audiences will embark on a magic journey with narrator and musician, Nicholas Ng. Combining stunning puppets, masks, sword dancing and live music from traditional Chinese instruments, The Descendants of the Dragon will delve into the classic Chinese myth of the dragons that live in the Eastern Ocean.
What happens when the sun and moon stay up all night together? Sunny Ray and the Magnificent Moon will attempt to find the answer with a star-spangled theatre rock party to delight audiences, with original music inspired by everything from folk to funk, disco and pop.
A visual spectacular will be on offer when Dislocate perform Curiosity – a theatrical collision between the worlds of Circus Oz, Dr Seuss and Alice in Wonderland! With aerial and acrobatic feats including chair balancing, stilts, ladder routines and original song and dance – this is a show not to be missed.
The much-loved Little Wing Puppets returns to Riverside to present the interactive production, A Little Bit of Blue exploring the world of the iconic Australian Bowerbird through puppetry and clowning. While the gang from the hit ABC Kids television series will present their energetic and fun new show, SplashDance Live – Let’s Bop! featuring songs by the multi award-winning musical maestro, John Field (writer of more than 400 hits for The Wiggles).
Once again the Festival will screen a fantastic program of children’s films for the bargain ticket price of $10, including Beauty and the Beast Sing-A-Long, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, The Lego® Batman Movie and anime Wolf Children. The Festival’s program also includes a special screening of Rumpelstiltskin – a live performance captured for the screen by Australian National Theatre Live starring Paul Capsis.
The Spot On Children’s Festival will continue its dedication to relaxed performances which sees the traditional rules of theatre dismissed to cater for young audiences with anxiety or additional needs; as well as Auslan Interpreted and Audio Described performances, and Autism Spectrum guides. During relaxed performances, the theatre lights will be kept on, children can meet the performers before the show, and there are no rules on entering or leaving the theatre throughout the performance.
Rounding out the bumper program will be a variety of free activities including a dance-along radio show, Together Time Live! presented by Kinderling Kids Radio, a Courtyard Party with live bands, a reading tent presented by Parramatta Library, balloon twisters, face-painting, craft activities, a play gym, book tent and more.
The 2017 Spot On Children’s Festival runs 26 – 30 September at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres. For more information, visit: www.riversideparramatta.com.au for details.
Image: Spot On Children’s Festival Characters – by alphabet.