Restless and Patch present ‘Home’

Featured
August 2, 2022

For the first time, leading South Australian arts companies Restless Dance Theatre and Patch Theatre come together in their adventurous new show, Home.

An extraordinary journey through a child’s mind, Home is an immersive theatrical experience for children aged 4-10.

Inspired by well-loved children’s stories including Alice in Wonderland, The Magic Faraway Tree and Cat in the Hat, Home takes audiences into magical and mysterious new worlds. At the centre of the stage is a yellow door – each time the door opens a new world appears on stage, with elements bursting out and into the audience.

Geoff Cobham, Patch Theatre artistic director and Home co-director said:

When speaking to children about home they were much more interested in talking about other people’s homes, especially weird and wonderful homes such as igloos, ships and castles, and imagining what these places are like to live in and explore. Taking this on-board, we decided to make Home a show that transports the audience to strange and wonderful new worlds.

Children are encouraged to interact with this hands-on show as props enter the audience and the set expands to envelope the entire theatre.

A few children play an extra-special part in the performance as they are invited to create live drawings, which become part of the show’s ever-changing set.

Home features original music, animation and projections together with dance, puppetry and sculpture. Many of South Australia’s best creatives come together as a part of the artistic team including Geoff Cobham and Daisy Brown as co-directors, prop maker Elias Ppiros (currently artist in residence at Patch), composer Jason Sweeney and choreographer Michelle Ryan.

Home stars performers Zoë Dunwoodie (Patch and previously Australian Dance Theatre), Charlie Wilkins (Restless Dance Theatre), and understudy Bhodi Hudson (Restless Dance Theatre).

Michelle Ryan, artistic director of Restless Dance Theatre said:

The Restless team and I are so excited to collaborate with Patch and share Restless with a younger group. We have always been passionate about putting diversity centre-stage because it is essential that children see themselves, and diversity, represented in live performance.

Home will enlighten and delight children and their adults as ‘doors’ open across Adelaide and South Australia throughout August and September.

Home opens at the Space Theatre on Saturday August 13 and runs until August 20, 2022, then tours to Noarlunga, Renmark, Mt Gambier, Port Pirie, and Whyalla.