Tales from the Wild Bush
Fun. Playful. Engaging.
Children's theatre for the digital age.
Co-produced with NIDA, the NSW Public Schools Drama Company's 2021 performance Tales from the Wild Bush is now available to enjoy, explore and bring into your classroom.
About this project
Devised by directors Robert Jago and Emma Palmer and the show's cast, this play is designed for stage one and two students, although suitable for any age. Performed by students from Years 7 to 12 from public schools NSW, this project has students at its centre - as cast and audience.
'Tales From The Wild Bush' was a project designed for our youngest students to engage in theatre and drama bringing ideas such as friendship, inclusion, change, growth, resilience, and kindness to life in positive and enjoyable scenarios. Set in the Australian bush and landscape, this play echoes the Australian voice and people, giving it relevance to our students, classrooms and environment.
The expertise of the directors, devising process and writing for a specific purpose and audience means that the script and performance is a useful tool for teachers to use in a myriad of ways: to use for your own performance, to introduce your students to drama, to explore the themes for many different curriculum areas or to create an entire unit of work based around the play. You can extend and reshape the the play in any way that suits your class and your school. The play is freely available to be performed and the original production can be viewed on-demand. We encourage you to develop a program of work around it. To assist with this, we have developed activities for you to use as a companion to the performance.
Be inspired by what you see, read and hear and use in a way that suits you best. We'd love for you to share with us whatever you create if you can.
Watch the full performance of 'Tales from the Wild'.
The production was performed and recorded at NIDA in May 2021.
Explore additional production resources.
- The full script to download, including notes from the directors.
- Interviews with the Drama Company 2021 cast.
- Interviews with the creative and production team.
- Image gallery from the production.
Learn and develop your students drama skills further through the 'Tales from the Wild Bush' creative digital resource and the many other complementary drama resources we have developed for students and teachers.
The Drama Company 2021
The production team
Producer - Jane Simmons, The Arts Unit, NSW Department of Education
Co-director - Robert Jago
Co-director - Emma Palmer
Set designer - Tom Bannerman
Costume designer - Suzanne Louk
Lighting designer - Ethan Hamill
Sound designer - McLane Catterall
Production stage manager - Alex Makaronopoulos
Stage manager - Alexis Worthing
Head electrician - Pip Morey
Poster and program design - Lliam Amor