Arts Centre Melbourne Reveals Autumn Winter Families Programming

This Autumn and Winter Arts Centre Melbourne has curated a program of three unique and engaging works, the Boy & the Ball, Wonderbox and Yong, designed to inspire and delight children and their families.

Arts Centre Melbourne Creative Producer Families and Children Mary Harvey said she is thrilled to be presenting such a diverse offering to children and their families.

"This sweet season of works celebrates young people by exploring important themes of inclusion, participation and coming-of-age stories. It is exciting to be presenting works in unique performance spaces across our buildings and arts precinct, and working with national award-winning artists and companies,’’ Harvey said.

"I can’t wait to see the faces of the families after they have seen these shows."

On April 5, kindergarten-aged children and their families are invited to experience performance maker Stephen Noonan’s the Boy & the Ball. The wonderous nonverbal performance sees a very shy boy, in a quiet world made from multiple cylinders of all shapes and sizes, use a ball to make a friend. The tale of joy and connection employs a little visual magic achieved through carefully delivered theatrical illusion.

This show was awarded the 2023 Ruby Award for Outstanding Work, Event or Project for Young People. Developed over a two-year period in close consultation with a team of artists and educators alongside the participation of kindergarten children, the work is nuanced to engage young children in storytelling wonder.

On May 24, Arts Centre Melbourne will work in partnership with ArtPlay to co-present Sensorium Theatre’s Wonderbox. Australia’s leading theatre company making work designed for young audiences with a disability, will perform the work for children and young people aged 6 – 13 years with a disability and their families at ArtPlay in Birrarung Marr.  Participants head inside a giant puzzle-box of illusions where kooky-carnival friends with magic in their pockets lead audiences into an immersive multi-sensory wonderland of fantastical large-scale projections, strange tiny delights, and infectious live music.

Then from July 30 – August 2 children aged ten and above are invited to experience Yong by Jenevieve Chang. Set against the backdrop of the Australian Goldrush of 1857, Yong is the story of a boy and his father who leave their small village in China hoping to strike gold and find their fortune in the goldfields of Ballarat. Despite his family's desperate need for money, Yong does not want to be on this journey. Faced with momentous change his courage and inner strength are tested, and in overcoming difficult challenges, he discovers a resilience in himself that he never knew he had.

Monkey Baa's Artistic Director Eva Di Cesare assembled an experienced creative team to translate the semi-fictional, historically significant story to the stage. Much more than a period piece, Yong has been created with the sensibilities of a contemporary young audience at its heart. The production of Yong is based on 'Yong: the journey of an unworthy son' by Janeen Brian, published by Walker Books Australia Pty Ltd, Sydney.

The Autumn and Winter works are presented as part of Arts Centre Melbourne’s year-round Families and Children Program. Launched in August 2009, it has grown in reputation to become a highly respected program nationally and internationally. Featuring intimate and large-scale theatre from some of the world’s most respected companies the program is robust and growing in size, scale, and scope.