What is The AWESOME Festival?
The AWESOME International Arts Festival for Bright Young Things (the AWESOME Festival) is presented annually in the Perth CBD. The Festival showcases a spectacular array of events including theatre, dance, early childhood activities, music, film, literature, visual arts and creative hands-on activities. AWESOME is committed to presenting high-quality, layered programming for children aged 0 – 12 and their families.
Festival Program
The 2022 AWESOME Festival dates are as follows:
27 September – 1 October: Perth Cultural Centre
19 – 23 September: School Excursions in the Perth Cultural Centre
For more information about school excursions please click here
For more information about volunteering at the Festival click here
To find out about access to the AWESOME Festival click here
To read our ticketing terms and conditions click here
Creation Creation
Windmill Theatre Company (SA)
Theatre
Ages 8+
A daring and audacious journey to the very edge of the universe and back again. It’s a wild theatrical experiment for the curious among us.
How did we get here? Are aliens real? And is it possible to lick your elbow?
Based on interviews with members of the South Australian community aged between 8-102, Creation Creation is a comedy about life’s biggest mysteries.
Two fearless creators have been asked to step onto the stage and attempt to unravel the mysteries of the universe using whatever tools they have at their disposal. Blankets become forts, cardboard boxes become battleships and ping pong balls become planets in this hilarious explosion of art, sculpture and puppetry.
Please Note: Some of the big questions tackled during this show, raised and then answered by the general public children and adults we interviewed, include; ‘how did the world begin?’, ’is there other life in the universe?’, ‘how are babies made?’, ‘what does dying feel like?’, and ‘what will life on earth be like in 1,000 years?’. These questions and answers are played out by our performers in gentle, moving and fun ways. Viewer discretion is advised, viewer curiosity is recommended.
All performances of Creation Creation are AUSLAN interpreted.
Teeny Tiny Stevies
(VIC)
Music
All ages
ARIA Award Winning Children’s Artist, Teeny Tiny Stevies are heading out on the road for their most comprehensive National Album Tour to date!
Fresh off the back of their brand-new album How to be Creative the band will be touring in both regional & capital cities of Australia throughout the July & September/October school holidays.
Performing a mix of fan favourites and brand-new material from their new album, the band will be leaving no stone un-unturned. How to be Creative is a ten-song masterclass in embracing the creative urge, overcoming self-doubt, trying new things, learning from mistakes, working with others, and the superpower that is perseverance.
Dreams of a Lonely Planet
Flying Bicycle Collective (WA)
Dance
Ages 6+
Where a friend might be waiting.
Boy, our hero, yearns to escape. Out there, on a planet far away, he can finally be left alone. Follow him to the moon and go fishing for stars in this enchanting serenade for the young and young at heart. Hear stories from the blanket fort, told through dance, shadow puppetry and starry-eyed adventures. In a surreal kaleidoscope of whimsical vignettes, dreams of finding a place to belong swell and burst like bubbles, saturated with colour, and filled with hope.
WASO’s Fairytale Ball
West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WA)
Music
Ages 3+
Witches, Wizards, Princes, Fairies – rejoice!
Once upon a time, magical creatures of all sorts gathered together for a Fairytale Ball. Now princes, princesses and the whole family are invited to join WASO for a marvelous musical adventure! Conductor Jessica Gethin will read from an enchanted storybook and take the orchestra through fantasy favourites for the whole family. Don your dress-ups and dance along to spellbinding scores in this storybook spectacular.
Program to include:
Sergei PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet: Dance of the Knights
John WILLIAMS Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter
Engelbert HUMPERDINCK Hansel & Gretel: Witches’ Ride
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY The Nutcracker: Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
Presented in association with the 2022 AWESOME Festival. Conceived by Jessica Gethin in association with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Human. Kind.
Josh Earl (VIC)
Music/Comedy
Ages 4+
Josh Earl is a human. He is also a comedian. And he would also like people to think he is kind. In this brand new show for children he would like you to meet some aliens who just want ice cream, a boy who just will not wash, and learn why hearts are like starfish and absolutely not like pizza.
We often ask kids what they want to be when they grow up and expect them to give occupational answers – doctor, teacher, footballer. What if we aspire for them to be happy, kind, empathetic, resilient, or creative?
Human. Kind. is a musical comedy storytelling show for children all about navigating their way through this big, sometimes overwhelming, world.
Our Little Inventor
West Australian Opera (WA)
Music
Ages 8+
Our Little Inventor tells the story of Nell, a young girl from the countryside who creates a machine to fix the pollution that is choking the big city. Despite her excitement at showing off her invention, the people in charge do not share her enthusiasm to save their environment.
This is a tale for people of all ages to share together, incorporating gentle humour that touches upon themes of climate change, resilience, perseverance, and the importance of family and friends.
Inspired by the book ‘Our Little Inventor’ by Sher Rill Ng, published by Allen and Unwin Publishers, 2019.
West Australian Opera presents Our Little Inventor in association with the 2022 AWESOME Festival, West Australian Young Voices and Western Australian Youth Orchestra.
Tröll
Trick of the Light Theatre (NZ)
Theatre
Ages 8+
A lo-fi wi-fi fable.
It’s 1998. Otto is twelve but online he’s thirteen and he’s pretty sure he gets away with it. He lives with his mum, dad, and sister, a mysterious Icelandic granny, and an ancient malevolent troll that’s lurking in the walls. From Trick of the Light Theatre comes a lo-fi wi-fi fable. Tröll combines storytelling, projection, music and puppetry into an uncanny tale from the dial up age.
Written and performed by Ralph McCubbin Howell, directed by Charlotte Bradley and Hannah Smith, this darkly comic one-man show brings the innovative staging and intricate narrative that enchanted audiences with The Bookbinder into the digital world.
As mobile phones become light sources, laptops transform into skyscrapers, and charger cords morph into puppets, it tells a story both mythic and modern in the vein of Stranger Things.
Please Note: Contains themes of bullying
Book Making with Josh Earl
Workshop
Ages 5+
During this tactile learning experience, children will design and produce their own book–from creating the cover and stitching the pages to personalising, decorating and adding content.
There will also be a focus on creative writing all facilitated by Josh Earl, writer for TV shows such as The Project and Spicks and Specks.
Sensory Storytelling
Sensorium Theatre
Storytelling
Ages 0-8
Sensorium Theatre’s Sensory Storytelling provides children with a disability or access needs and their families with a multi-sensory reading of their favourite stories and rhymes.
Through music and sensory play, everyone participates in these interactive sessions. Sensory storytelling is suitable for children with a broad range of access needs, including those with profound disability and on the autism spectrum.
Language Line
Jayden Boundry & Tyrown Waigana
Literature
All ages
Learning new words can be hard, but it can also be super fun and a great way to make friends and connect with one another. Come along and join the Language Line and learn one of the oldest languages on earth- Noongar. Author Jayden Boundry and Illustrator Tyrown Waigana will guide the whole moort (family) on the Language Line, and have you all Waangkaniny (talking) in no time. Boordawan (talk to you later).
The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin
Paula Hayes
Literature
Ages 7+
What is a Vexatious Haunting you may be wondering? Well, you don’t need to wonder any more as author Paula Hayes is here to explain. Come along to this wonderful session with Paula as she talks about her new book The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin. In a word full of strange and wonderful things, Lily is the perfect character to follow along this magical realism story as she uncovers secrets and learns a thing or two about enduring friendships.
Animal Astronaut Portraits with James Foley
Workshop
Ages 6+
Join Author and Illustrator James Foley and learn how to draw your very own Animal Astronaut portrait. If you’ve had the delight of reading James’ latest book Stellarphant, you’ll know that any animal can be an Astronaut, and all Astronauts need a portrait. With one of WA’s leading author/illustrators as commander of the ship, your drawing skills will be out of this world after this workshop.
The 2022 AWESOME Festival, Sensorium Theatre, The Artground (Singapore), National Museum of Singapore, WA Museum and Performing Lines WA present
Hu木an: A Sensory Forest Adventure
Sensorium Theatre, The Artground (Singapore)
Interactive Theatre
Ages 4-8
Welcome to the luscious Singaporean forest!
Feel the textured leaves with your toes and fingertips, smell the exotic flowers, play hide-and-seek with Hornbill, spot Owl in the moonlit canopy, and help Kingfisher look after her eggs. In the magical Hutan, even a passing rain shower brings a surprise visit from the cheeky Gibbons with a mayhem-filled picnic of yummy tropical fruits for all their new friends.
Inspired by the National Museum of Singapore’s William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings, the immersive tactile set, beautiful live music and friendly performers makes this a delightful inclusive experience for children with access needs and their friends.
The Whale’s Tale
Born in a Taxi (VIC)
Theatre
Ages 3+
A beached whale, a confused navigator, a ridiculous Dr… whatever could be the matter?
A highly interactive spectacle full of slapstick, clowning and a 9-meter whale puppet that can swallow you whole! Watch out, you could be the whale’s next snack ….or become the hero of the story and live to tell the tale!
Owl and Star with Helen Milroy
Literature
Ages 0+
Join Author Helen Milroy for a wonderful session exploring her latest book Owl and Star. This heartwarming story looks at friendship, determination and how rewarding helping others can be. Enter the magical world full of stars shining brightly and enjoy the live reading and fun family friendly activity.
Masterclass in Imagination
Mark Greenwood, HM Waugh, Norman Jorgensen, Gavin Aung Than
Ages 7+
Come along to this session to flex those imagination muscles and learn, play and create with some of the best Imaginators possible!
A panel of WA’s top authors- including Mark Greenwood, HM Waugh, Norman Jorgensen and Gavin Aung Than- will share a tantalising tale, some activities and games to inspire and show you how to create your own stories. Even now just imagine the fun you’ll have.
We Live Here
Circus WA & Flipside Circus (WA)
Circus
Ages 5+
We Live Here is an inspiring circus show that celebrates the memories and moments that make a life.
A sensitive, funny, yet heart-hitting show based on the stories of parents, siblings, and guests of Hummingbird House, Queensland’s only youth hospice, We Live Here explores themes of resilience, chaos, and the beauty of a moment shared.
Seashore
Sally Chance Dance (SA)
Dance
Ages 0-3
On the seashore of endless worlds children meet with shouts and dances – Rabindranath Tagore.
Bring the family down to the seashore – a place to breathe in the sea air, get your feet wet and catch a wave; an open, playful space of infinite sky and footprints in the sand.
Seashore is a 40-minute performance work for, and with, children aged three years and younger, created and presented by Sally Chance Dance in collaboration with Perth-based children and their adults.
Sally Chance Dance promotes the social and cultural status of very young children and the important role of parents/carers, making visible the pleasure and power of dance play.
3D Painting with Nathan Hoyle
Workshop
8+
Mix and match colours, shapes and sizes as you paint and assemble your unique artwork. You’ll be using spray paint, stencils, wood, glue and your own ideas as you make your painting, which will become a bright and beautiful masterpiece for you to take home.
Noongar Animal Tales
Cheryl Kickett-Tucker, Helen Milroy and Alton Walley (WA)
Literature
All Ages
From Kangaroos to Possums and Swans of all sorts, this session tells the tales of Aussie animals big and small from the hearts of Noongar children’s authors Cheryl Kickett-Tucker, Helen Milroy and Alton Walley. Come along and listen to the magic of these stories and learn about friendship, family and the fun adventures of the native Aussie animals. With a live music element, you’ll be bouncing along with Yonga, gliding along with Maali.
Journey to Africa with Afrobeat Dance
Bellamore Ndayikeze
Workshop
Ages 10+
Join Afrobeats Artist Bellamore Ndayikeze on a Journey to Africa with this high energy dance workshop. Learn about culture and animals and how to move your body for fun using lively Afrobeat moves. This dance workshop is for everyone, no matter if you have danced before or are wanting to try it for the first time.
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