KidzArts

The arts are for people of all ages and I love taking my family to shows. Keep up to date with kid-friendly events on this page.

REVIEW: Piano frivolity kicks off the Awesome Festival - What has 88 keys but no locks? A piano! There is no shortage of jokes and funny stories when Simon Tedeschi is around. The world class pianist arrived on stage at the Octagon theatre in pyjama pants and formal coattails and it was clear his aptly titled children’s show Pianist and Prankster show was going to […]
REVIEW: The Night Zoo - High in an apartment block a lonely girl sits gazing at the stars. On the streets below traffic buzzes by and a stray dog wanders past. The opening scene of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s latest children’s show is constructed from bits of wood, foam and fabric and the cars are being pushed along by two […]
September/October Kids Gig Guide - There are loads of arts events for kids kicking off as we head into spring and the term three school holidays. Make sure to book ahead as many of these shows sell out! Spare Parts Puppet Theatre will launch their school holiday season on the 22nd with The Night Zoo. This colourful large-scale puppetry show tells the […]
REVIEW: Aladdin - There’s a moment in Disney’s musical production of Aladdin which opened in Perth on the weekend where princess Jasmine takes Aladdin’s hand and steps from her palace window onto the magic carpet. They fly up into the stars singing the Alan Menken/Tim Rice classic A Whole New World and for a moment the whole theatre […]
REVIEW: The Farmer’s Daughter - It was a cold wintry day in Fremantle and holiday makers queuing for the Rottnest ferry were hunched again the wind. Across the park families were queuing inside Spare Parts Puppet Theatre for a journey to the wheatbelt via the magic of a darkened theatre. The Farmer’s Daughter was developed through a unique collaboration between the […]
July Kids Gig Guide - The school holidays are here and the Perth arts scene has exploded with family-friendly shows! George’s Marvellous Medicine bounds off the page in a live show direct from a sold-out season at the Sydney Opera House. From July 3-8th the Heath Ledger Theatre will be packed with Roald Dahl’s mischief, music, magic and mammoth laughs thanks […]
REVIEW: WASO Carnival of the Animals - A large tortoise plods across the stage while the WA Symphony Orchestra plays a mournful version of the Can-Can. On the tortoise’s back are two children reading books. Next to me my son cranes his neck: “How do they do that?” he wonders aloud, along with everyone else in the capacity audience at the Perth Concert […]
June Kids Gig Guide - It’s great to see some family arts events on again in Perth. The WA Symphony Orchestra present their Education Week which includes the EChO ensemble and the fabulous Paul Rissmann performing cushion concerts on the 1st/2nd. There are two concert options depending on the age of children, and they feature the books Giddy Goat and […]
May Giveaway – this one is for the parents! - Melbourne-based pianist and composer Nat Bartsch (Nat Bartsch Trio) was inspired by parenthood to compose a new set of works specifically for babies and their parents – particularly those who find repeats of Twinkle Twinkle on the baby monitor infuriating! Forever, and No Time At All, a gorgeous album of quiet, hypnotic, simple piano pieces was often written […]
Review: Tom Vickers and the Extraordinary Adventure of his Missing Sock - What do a boot, a seed, soup and mud all have in common? Well it beats me. But they were all part of the adventure we experienced at the WA Shipwrecks Museum. The old museum is an adventure in itself with its rabbit warren of rooms, moody lighting and hulking boat carcass. Spare Parts Puppet […]