Families are spoilt for choice with DreamBIG Festival today announcing an exciting line-up of performances and events, from May 19 to 29.

Five productions will make their world debut, more than 300 artists will present hundreds of performances and families are invited to explore 14 shows, four online experiences and more than 20 free activities.

South Australia’s Restless Dance Theatre has collaborated with Canadian company Danse Carpe Diem for the first Australian performances of Ecoute Pour Voir: Listen to See. The show pairs a dancer and an audience member who, with headphones on, will share a few minutes of intimate choreographic exchange in the Festival Theatre’s foyer.

Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus. Photo: Damien Bredberg

Another South Australian favourite, Patch Theatre Company, will present new show ZOOOM, a feat of modern technology and storytelling of the kind for which artistic director Geoff Cobham is renowned. Being presented at Adelaide College of the Arts on Currie Street, it will fuse old-school whimsy and a state-of-the art light show to tell the story of a child in her bedroom, unable to sleep and curious to understand.

For little music buffs, Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus at the Dunstan Playhouse animates the mischievous composer’s vibrant compositions with physical comedy and acrobatics in a show that features dexterous daredevils, a live accordionist and notes physically being lifted off a page.

Our Corka Bubs. Photo: Chris Herzfeld

For the under-threes, Our Corka Bubs, grounded in Aboriginal culture, offers a performance circle for interactive play, guided by Ngarrindjeri sisters Taree and Caleena. Traditional music by Uncle Owen Love will encourage a whole lot of dancing to the didgeridoo.

You can’t go past a stack of dancing, singing wooden boxes, providing a 1930s soundtrack. Crate Expectations will be found wandering around outside the Adelaide Festival Centre, along with The Hybrid Society, a pair of social media influencers so obsessed with their phones they’ve begun to morph into household appliances.

Kids can also get interactive with Hidden Creature Gallery and discover what their favourite tree in the park is thinking, or perhaps what their toaster thinks about their choice of breakfast spread. Part laboratory, part performance, the experience is for school-aged children and encourages interaction that flows between the digital and natural worlds.

The Hybrid Society and Crate Expectations.

DreamBIG’s creative producer, Susannah Sweeney, says school bookings are already up from 2019 for the biennial festival, which is an  indicator for how well the family shows will be received.

“In this strange new world that 2020 has delivered, we’re hoping to help young people navigate their way through by fostering a shared sense of humanity and curiosity,” she says.

“This year’s theme of Be Curious is all about encouraging kids to observe their surroundings and come up with new ideas and ways of thinking.

“DreamBIG Children’s Festival 2021 is full of shows and experiences that will stretch children’s minds, fill them with wonder and help them find their inner explorer.”

Always a highlight of the festival, the Big Family Weekend is on May 23 and 23 at the Adelaide Festival Centre, including performances by Teeny Tiny Stevies and Tutti Choir.

The festivities stretch across the city and beyond to the Adelaide College of the Arts, Adelaide Rowing Club, Torrens Parade Ground, State Library, South Australian Museum, Art Galley of South Australia, Adelaide Botanic Garden and Marion Cultural Centre.

Coinciding with the festival, food truck event Fork on the Road will converge on Elder Park.

Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and artistic director Douglas Gautier says the festival is woven into the fabric of South Australians’ collective history.

“Whether you are continuing a family tradition or starting a new one, you are all very welcome. DreamBIG is the perfect introduction to the infinite world of the arts and live performance.

“I look forward to seeing you at Adelaide Festival Centre as we unleash the curiosity of a new generation, all ready to dream big.”

See the full DreamBIG program online.