ACTOR ON A BOX

Articles of dress matter in The Emperor’s New Clothes; similarly, articles of grammar matter in the title of an ongoing series of children theatre, featuring Hans Christian Anderson’s timeless tale, at the Sydney Theatre Company. The show is called Actor on a Box and most definitely not Actor on the Box.

Jonathan Biggins, the creator and director of this holiday’s edition, is determined to introduce live theatre to children who have been raised on television screens and computer monitors.
“Soon theatre will be the only thing you can’t get on the internet,” Biggins said.
Biggins, whose wife recently returned to university to study education, was saddened to learn that some primary school teachers do not read to their students. “Technology, like Smart Boards, is taking over in the classroom,” he said. “We hope to inspire our youngest audience with the power of storytelling and the imagination.”
Actor on a Box: The Tale Maker is told through just a single character. Miss Woolf (Lucia Mastrantone) is a school librarian whose world of pages and stories is set to be replaced by an interactive Smart Board. But Miss Woolf will not go down without a fight. Armed with just a few props and a selection of fairy tales, Miss Woolf attempts to win over her young students.
The audience at the STC might be initially hesitant to play along and act as students. After all, what kid wants to be at school during school holidays? Biggins, though, is confident that Miss Woolf possesses an enthusiasm and imagination that will quickly dash any reluctance.
The box from the show’s title becomes a treasure chest of magical possibility: it is the garden bed of Jack’s beanstalk, the Emperor’s wardrobe, and, with a few sprays of shaving cream, the gingerbread house from Hansel and Gretel.
Actor on a Box: The Tale Maker is not all playfulness and happy endings. It features one of Hans Christian Anderson’s lesser known and sadder stories: The Little Match Girl. Biggins included the story because he wants to show children that theatre can inspire a whole range of emotions.
The show is aimed at children aged four and older.

Apr 12-22, Richard Wherrett Studio, Sydney Theatre Company, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $15, 9250 1777, www.sydneytheatre.com.au