The Listies revel in gross-out comedy.

The Listies revel in gross-out comedy.



Federation Square,

October 19-20


Melbourne Festival expanded its appeal to children under former artistic director Brett Sheehy, presenting a range of work for various ages (including the ground-breaking How High the Sky, a novel performance for new parents and their babies).


Encouraging kids to participate in the festival continues under Sheehy's successor, Josephine Ridge, who has devoted the entire middle weekend to children's events and activities.


Young-ones were entranced by <i>How High the Sky</i>.

Young-ones were entranced by How High the Sky. Photo: Calvin Harris



Federation Square came alive at the weekend with families checking out the free kids' program.


There was much to see, although you had to be intrepid, seeking out some of the square's many nooks and crannies, to get to it all.


This was especially the case with Trailblazer, the latest from Polyglot - one of our canniest and most engaged theatre companies working with younger audiences. The show is designed for children to take charge, and they did, with rambunctious glee.


It's a sort of mobile adventure playground, containing a number of scattered installations throughout the space. A prominent tent city in the middle of the square invited children to participate in activities from weaving invisible cloaks to shouting through impromptu walkie-talkies. Regular performances happened inside the tents, with kids doing their own thing in between.


You could follow the Bellbird on a blindfolded mystery tour into a secret forest. Another space was devoted to glories of bubble wrap, with kids dressed in suits of the stuff.


The immersive play proved a gateway to myriad other activities: a vegetable garden, a children's book market, a session with children's book illustrators, special kids' tours of the NGV, and several dedicated events at ACMI, from an exhibition on Shaun Tan's The Lost Thing to a screening of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox.


To cap it off, the Listies performed their zany live podcast, Earworms.


I hadn't seen these comedians before and they're naughty and fun, inviting (enthusiastic) audience participation and playing on the different level of understanding between kids and adults to hilarious effect. They're not above a spot of deflationary dad humour, and revel in gross-out comedy and sheer wackiness.


You can even download the podcast you helped create after the event.


All up, the children's weekend is an enjoyable and welcome addition to Melbourne Festival offerings. It may need more ushers and guides next time, though: the quest to find everything can prove too much for parents who have their hands full.