ENCHANTING ILLUMINATION & MYSTICAL DARKNESS UNFOLDS IN ZOOOM
Direct from Australia, Patch Theatre’s ZOOOM is a beautiful story about a lost star and finding one’s own personal light that will play at MTYP from April 28 to May 7.
Children attending the show are encouraged to bring a piece of darkness and as they enter the theatre they are given a light to guide them through the show and to keep them safe.
Geoff Cobham, Artistic Director of Patch Theatre, explains: “The theatre itself will have an element of darkness to it when children first enter so each child will receive their own interactive light which will aid as a little spark that keeps them safe and helps guide them through the interactive sessions of the show. We want to demonstrate how the dark can be a magical place where dreams are made, and that light is at its most beautiful when it’s surrounded by darkness.”
ZOOOM is a captivating story of a child alone in her bedroom, unable to sleep and curious to understand. When a lost star arrives in the middle of the night, adventures happen and with the assistance of the audience, the girl discovers a community of people who can help her return the star home.
Using original music, lasers and projections, ZOOOM was inspired by Crockett Johnson’s much-loved children’s picture book Harold and the Purple Crayon.
“I loved the story of Harold and the Purple Crayon as a kid, I still do!” says Cobham. “This particular book and the idea that you can draw a landscape of wonder and excitement and then immerse yourself in it, played an integral part in my interest in light, in theatre and now in theatre production for kids.”
“I wanted to create a show for our 4 to 10-year-old audience that was more than just entertaining and continued the Patch legacy of producing work that is utterly engaging, explores big ideas and takes young imaginations to a whole other place. Children of this age are such a capable audience.”
Cobham continued: “We know from our work with Early Childhood Educators that children in the 4 to 8-year age range are forming abstract thoughts. You see them use objects in their dramatic play to represent other things or make movements to represent a more complex action. Their ability to pretend and the scope of their imagination fascinates me, and I think it’s important to nurture and challenge that through the arts.”
Patch Theatre has been making professional theatre for 4 to 10 year olds since 1972 and have performed all over Australia, and internationally in the USA, Canada, Singapore, Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
ZOOOM is the final show of our 2022/23 season! It runs from April 28-May 7 on the MTYP Mainstage. To purchase your tickets today, click here.
