NSM Kids Show Guide for Winter 2018

With the Winter school holidays quickly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about some indoor options to entertain the kids. Why not take them to a show? Whether it’s the theatre, a pantomime, music festival or a magical ice skating show, there’s something for kids (and adults!) of all ages. 

Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark

Sydney Theatre Company brings you a blast of Shakespeare for kids. Plus zombies! The Listies, maestros of children’s entertainment, have pulled apart Shakespeare’s classic and glued it back together with hilarious costumes, loads of silliness and plenty of interactivity. Hamlet is already full of things kids love in a good story: ghosts, castles, sword fights, bodily fluids and spooky stuff. Add to the mix some supersonic gags and expertly timed stage magic unlike anything kids have seen before and you have a brilliantly disguised Shakespearean tragedy for everyone aged five and over.

• When: 4 July to 22 July
• Where: Seymour Centre, Chippendale
• Suitable for: 5+ years
• Cost: Preview tickets $32, other performances $35, Groups 10+ $29
• Purchase tickets

Pearlie in the Park

Magical Children’s Theatre right on your doorstep. The popular children’s book by Wendy Harmer comes alive on stage and is the perfect way to introduce your children to the magic of theatre. With audience participation, songs and a relaxed atmosphere, this is a quintessential Marian St Theatre for Young People production. Pearlie is the fairy who looks after Jubilee Park. But one day Pearlie wakes up to find everything topsy-turvy. Hurly-burly Pearlie! What can have gone wrong! Want more drama? Why not combine a drama workshop with the show! See more about the ‘Ultimate Drama Day’ online.

• When: 7-21 July, shows at 10.30am and 1pm
• Where: Knox Cultural Centre, Wahroonga
• Suited for: 3+ years
• Cost: $19-$27 (discounts for families and groups 8+)
• Book: www.mstyp.org.au (no booking fees online) or call 1800 068 849

Wilde Creatures

Step into a fairytale with this new production based on Oscar Wilde’s most loved stories including the Happy Prince and The Nightingale and the Rose.

• When: 7-14 July
• Where: Sydney Opera House
• Suited for: 5+
• Cost: From $25 plus booking fee
• Purchase tickets: Online

Peppa Pig’s Surprise

Surprise! Peppa Pig, George and friends are back featuring life size puppets in a brand new live stage show. It’s a lovely day and Peppa is playing outside with her friends. Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig have got a surprise for her and George – they cannot guess what it is, can you? Enjoy fun, loads of songs and surprises in this charming, colourful, new show. PEPPA PIG’S SURPRISE promises to be the perfect theatre show for all pre-schoolers!

• When: 10-13 July
• Where: The Concourse, Chatswood
• Cost: Child/Adult $45.65
• Purchase tickets: Online or call 8075 8111

Disney on Ice – 100 year of Magic

Celebrate the legacy of Disney in this ice skating spectacular as Mouse-ter of Ceremonies Mickey Mouse leads a parade of characters including Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and an ensemble of Disney Princesses. Be dazzled by the magic of Disney’s Frozen with Anna, Elsa and the hilarious Olaf. Sing-a-long to over 30 of your favourite Disney songs including “Let It Go!,” “You’ve Got A Friend in Me,” and “Hakuna Matata.” Exciting moments from Disney Pixar’s Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Disney’s The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and more will leave the whole family with memories that will last a lifetime.

• When: 18-23 July
• Where: Quodos Bank Arena
• Cost: From $22
• Purchase tickets: Online

Lah Lah’s 10th Birthday Party

Come and party with Lah-Lah’s Big Live Band as they celebrate their 10th birthday. It’s an hour of singing and dancing fun full of Lah-Lah hits and laughs. And don’t forget everyone gets to meet the band, and the instruments, after the show. It’s going to be a great party, and you’re invited!

• When: 12 July (Castle Hill), 19 July (Cammeray), 22 July (Ryde)
• Cost: $26.50
• Purchase tickets: Online

Mister Maker Returns!

Get ready for your favourite arty party man. Joining Mister Maker on stage will be his famous side kicks The Shalpes as well as the Mister Maker dancers.

• When: 30 June – 1 July
• Where: Big Top Luna Park, Sydney
• Cost: $40.60
• Purchase tickets: Online

Sleeping Beauty – A Knight Avenger’s Tale

A fun-for-all-the family fairy tale panto adventure. The maleficent Fairy Carabosse curses Princess Aurora to 100 years’ slumber, by a single prick of her finger on her 18th birthday. Doomed by fate, only a Prince’s sweet kiss can break the spell and awaken the sleeping beauty. Can Princess Aurora’s hilarious best friend Silly Billy and faithful Nanny Tickle help save the day and who will outwit the evil Carabosse and foil her wicked plans?

• When: 13-22 July
• Where: State Theatre, Sydney
• Cost: From $79
• Purchase tickets: Online

Tribunal

Welcome to the Australian Truth and Reconciliation Tribunal we’ve never had. Artists, lawyers, leaders and activists put Australia’s colonial past and murky refugee policies on trial in this powerful piece of political theatre. Each performance is different, with guests airing their experiences and the issues directly affecting their communities. Tribunal is a space where the truth can be told, connections can be made, and intimacies shared.

• When: 6-7 July
• Where: Sydney Opera House
• Suitable for: 12+
• Cost: from $36 plus booking fee
• Purchase tickets: Online

Jeral Puppets at Puppeteria

The Jeral Puppets presents a program of stories, songs and rhymes to delight preschool and primary aged children. Showing these school holidays will be Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Old MacDonald Had a Farm and Wind in the Willows + The Reluctant Dragon.

• When: 1-23 July
• Where: 12H Denawen Ave, Castle Cove
• Cost: Children $12, Adults $15
• Website: puppeteria.com
• Purchase tickets: Call 9371 7328

Scotland the Brave

Children are invited on a magical journey through Scotland in this special family concert for all ages. Chief Conductor and Artistic Director, Dr Nicholas Milton AM will engage and entertain as he leads the Willoughby Symphony in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony. The concert will be followed by free art and craft activities, as well as an opportunity to explore the instruments of an orchestra. Dress-ups encouraged!

• When: Saturday 28 July, 2pm
• Where: The Concourse, Chatswood
• Cost: $26
• Purchase tickets: Online or call 8075 8111

Kinderling House Party 

Enjoy a family funhouse for the day with amazing music and thrilling activities for the whole family to enjoy. On the mainstage, the biggest names in kids’ entertainment will have you jumping and jiving throughout the day. Legends Benny Time, The Beanies and, everyone’s favourite, Jay Laga’aia,  The Vegetable Plot, Bunny Racket, and Teeny Tiny Stevies will all be there. Plus kids and grown-ups are encouraged to join in on the interactive workshops and arts and crafts projects including creative play, face-painting, sing-a-longs, storytelling and so much more.

• When: Saturday 7 July, 9.30am – 2pm
• Where: City Recital Hall
• Cost: All-Day Standard Ticket $35, All-Day Group Ticket (4+) $30, Babies Under Two Free
• Website: cityrecitalhall.com/events/kinderling-house-party
• Purchase tickets: Online

The 104 Storey Treehouse

Join Andy and Terry in their stupendous 104-storey treehouse! They’ve added 13 new levels including a stupid-hat level, a refrigerator-throwing level, a bun-fighting level, a tangled-up level and a deep-thoughts thinking room. Climb the never-ending staircase, visit Mount Everest, shop at the Two-Dollar Shop and the Two-Million-Dollar Shop, save your burps in the burp bank, make money or honey in the money-making machine, barricade yourself in the mighty fortress, relax in the peaceful sunny meadow full of buttercups, butterflies and bluebirds and help Andy find a cure for his aching toothache…

• When: Saturday 14 July, 10am
• Where: Enmore Theatre, 118-132 Enmore Rd, Newtown
• Cost: $28.95
• Purchase tickets: Online

Hunting of the Snark

Enter the imaginative world of Alice in Wonderland creator, Lewis Carroll, in this brand new adaptation inspired by his much loved classic poem. Fresh from London’s West End, this show features five high-energy actors, life-like puppets, fantastical characters, and lashings of daft humour.

• When: 17-22 July
• Where: Sydney Opera House
• Suitable for: 6+
• Cost: from $27 plus booking fee
• Purchase tickets: Online

The Great Illusionist

Jump into this enchanting tale of a young boy who longs to be an illusionist. A tale of daring and willpower, the importance of a good assistant, and of course, a white rabbit! Packed with cleverly executed illusions and tantalising tricks, it proves there’s more to magic than meets the eye! This rich, multilayered production from the Netherlands’ acclaimed Het Filiaal theatre makers is sure to captivate the whole family with live music, impressive illusions, magical puppetry and marvellous tricks.

• When: 21-29 July
• Where: Sydney Opera House
• Suitable for: 8+
• Cost: from $29 plus booking fee
• Purchase tickets: Online

The 78 Storey Treehouse

Andy and Terry’s treehouse just keeps on growing. With yet another 13 levels, it’s now got a Scribbletorium, a high-security potato chip storage facility (guarded by one very angry duck!) and even an open-air movie theatre. Speaking of movies, our friends are going to be famous! The legendary Mr Big Shot has arrived to make a Hollywood blockbuster! But when his first step is to fire Andy and replace him with a monkey – well, a gibbon named Mel Gibbon – the battle is on. Will the Treehouse Blockbuster ever get made? Who will win the battle of Andy and Terry? And why are those mysterious spy cows turning up everywhere?

• When: 27-29 July
• Where: The Concourse, Chatswood
• Cost: $36
• Purchase tickets: Online or call 8075 8111

For more holiday inspiration, check out our Essential Guide to Winter School Holidays.