AFRICA

Broken toys, tying the knot under the African sun, and children who somehow look like crooks.

“A combination of two things were the stimulus for the show,” says Michelle Anderson, a puppeteer who plays feisty, pink-loving eight-year-old Courtney in Africa, an upcoming Sydney Theatre Company Next Stage production.

“The first was looking into a very Australian landscape of children that had been neglected. In particular there were two cases in Canberra and Adelaide, with the media covered with images of the children being carried out of their houses under blankets, looking almost like criminals. There was detritus everywhere, and the houses were full of rubbish. Then at the same time a story came along of these two kids that had wanted to elope to Africa together. They got all packed, got their snorkels and swimmers in their bags, and got all the way to the airport before a security guard alerted the police and they got shoved back home.”

The thread winding between the two, of course, are the children. “The stories really complemented each other, in terms of the optimism of children to see beyond their circumstances.”

Developed by My Darling Patricia, a theatre company known for their highly original and immersive productions incorporating puppetry, spectacle, dance, and comprising four key members (Halcyon Macleod, Clare Britton, Bridget Dolan and Katrina Gill) the show was developed the in residency with Malthouse Theatre in 2009. In preparation for Africa’s tour of Australia, the puppets have been brought out of their hard-shelled suitcase, in which had all been snuggling in a deep sleep.

“Puppets are really good for dealing with dark subject matter because there’s not that two-step removal where you go, oh, I am wondering about the actor,” says Anderson, who informally trained in puppetry with a company in Western Australia. “There are also some things you just couldn’t have children do. There’s also a beautiful space with puppetry where the audience and the performer have to invest in making it alive. What is essentially a dead object, the magic of it is that for a few seconds or half an hour, you have to believe it’s alive.”

Sep 1-17, Wharf 2, Sydney Theatre Company, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $25-35, 1300 087 348, sydneytheatre.com.au