Dino Steps for Kids

Erth Director Scott Wright pitched the initial idea of CarriageWorks as an annual arts hub for festivals when he realised that every other state had a children’s festival. Producer Loretta Busby said the aim was to “create an artistic playground for the child and the child within us all.” CarriageWorks hosted the inaugural Sydney Children’s Festival from 27 September – 11 October. CarriageWorks at Eveleigh rail yards is a transformed space that once housed train carriages and machinery. The multi-venue centre was developed by the NSW State Government through Arts NSW and attracted almost 50,000 visitors last year. CarriageWorks’ misson is to create and present contemporary art and offer support for artists and industry partners. Erth have been based at CarriageWorks since the venue opened in January 2007. Established in 1990, Erth performers have toured Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Festivals, Hong Kong Fringe, Galway Arts Festival (Ireland), Stockton Riverside Festival (UK), Singapore Arts Festival and the Festival of Arts and Ideas (USA). Wright predicts Sydney Children’s Festival will expand in future years. “I like to think it’s only going to get bigger,” he said. He envisages collaboration with inter-state projects such as Western Australia’s Awesome festival and Queenland’s Out of the Box. Erth is also pushing for ongoing regular drama workshops at CarriageWorks and children performing on stage at future festivals. The Erth team is convinced that artists catering for children need to engage with their audience. They run focus groups with families in the Redfern-Waterloo area to gauge community needs and expectations. Wright suggests artists’ primary aim shouldn’t be making a profit. “People who get into it for the cash market are doing it for the wrong reasons,” he said. Sydney Children’s Festival intends to host future events at other venues so they can offer more shows and workshops. “Critics before the festival now want to get involved,” Wright said. Erth bridge the gap between cultural and theatrical institutions. They have had installations at the Powerhouse and Australian Museums in Sydney and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Erth combine character development and scientific facts to inform and entertain. Wright recently introduced a Petting Zoo dinosaur to CarriageWorks’ Facebook fans: “Delorus is a dryosaur that comes from New Zealand and lives at the Auckland Museum. She has a boyfriend called Basil and a little baby. She lived in sub-temperate rainforests about 100 million years ago.” Erth will launch a new show at Sydney Children’s Festival in 2009. The performance is inspired by Patricia Wrighton’s award winning 1973 book Nargun and the Stars. The plot revolves around the experience of a young boy who moves to rural Australia and encounters mythical creatures from Indigenous stories of the Dreamtime. Wright is excited: “It will be petrifying.” For more information visit www.sydneychildrensfestival.com or www.erth.com.au Contact: Vanessa Kewan (0417557989 or vkew4996@usyd.edu.au)