Windmill Production Company is renowned for creating bold and ambitious work for young audiences. This AusART Day (Thursday 22 October) Windmill will be asking for support to ‘Make Art Happen’ as they develop a work with and for toddlers, taking inspiration from the world famous sausage dog, Valerie.
Separated from her humans on Karta Pitingka (Kangaroo Island), Valerie survived alone for 529 days. That’s the age of a toddler. Her extraordinary resilience became a worldwide news story.
No one knows exactly how Valerie managed to survive in the wilderness for so long, but Clare Watson has been busy chatting with toddlers asking them what they think in the creation of a new show for toddlers set to premiere in 2027.
Photo by Bri Hammond
Here’s what Clare had to say:
What was it about Valerie’s story that made you want to create a stage show?
Valerie the sausage dog, who was lost on Kangaroo Island and then found alive was a story that captured the world. It was a story of hope and resilience. It was a story about being small and defying expectation. It was a story that was framed as a miracle. Windmill is based in South Australia and it’s a story that unfolded right here on our doorstep. At Windmill we create theatre experiences for children and their families and this felt like the perfect story for our audience.
The show is being made ‘with and for toddlers’. What made you want to collaborate with toddlers for this work, and what has that experience been like?
Valerie had a solo adventure on Kangaroo Island that lasted 529 days. Valerie can’t tell us what she got up to and exactly how she survived during her island adventure. We can only speculate. And so, we thought we’d ask toddlers to speculate for us. ‘What do you think Valerie did on the island? What would you do on an island adventure?’ Through a series of workshops and interviews, we’ve been imagining and investigating what might possibly have happened.
Photo by Bri Hammond
Have there been any recurring ideas or thoughts during the interview sessions? Did any of the conversations surprise you?
The brilliant toddlers we’ve been working with have been coming up with lots of great ideas about what Valerie has been eating, where she’s been sleeping and all of the animals that she met along the way.
We’ve had dance parties, we’ve done a lot of swimming and we’ve munched on cupcakes. Valerie has been having long chats with wombats, echidnas and even a platypus. She’s been learning from wallabies and playing with kangaroos and their joeys.
It’s been no surprise that our toddler friends have been hilarious, inventive and really well informed about the natural world. Toddlers’ love of nature is a constant source of joy. Surprisingly, we haven’t worried about such a small dog being all alone on a big island, instead we have found her friends and she’s learned how to find food and water.
Their proposal is that this little dog survived 529 days alone in the wilderness because she was not, in fact, entirely alone. Her story of survival becomes a story about humility: about learning to observe, to adapt and to accept what the natural world has to offer.
Photo by Bri Hammond
When will Valerie hit the stage? What do you think audiences can expect?
Valerie will be a gorgeous sausage dog puppet. We’re hoping to create an audience experience that feels a bit like you’re taking your very own trip to Kangaroo Island. The days and nights unfold as the seasons pass and we travel with Valerie through the stunning landscape, meeting some local friends along the way. On the island she discovers a community of friends whose generosity and hospitality teaches her how to survive in harmony with the island.
We can’t wait to share this gorgeous, local story with audiences in Adelaide 2027.
What is AusART Day, why is it important and why should people donate to Windmill?
AusART Day is a nationwide, sector-wide fundraising initiative that Windmill is participating in. It’s on Thursday 22 October and is designed to mobilise arts organisations to raise funds for their work on a single day. Simply put, it is a day to ‘Make Art Happen’.
As costs increase across the arts, donations to Windmill on this day go directly towards supporting the local artists and creatives who will get Valerie on our stages for toddlers and their families to enjoy.
How can people donate this AusART Day?
Easy. Go to: givenow.com.au/windmill_valerie
Hero image by Bri Hammond
Follow KIDDO on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter