THE LOST BALLOON
A lonely character.
A big city.
A shiny yellow balloon.
The audience is invited into the world of a lonely, misunderstood character who, one day, discovers and quickly loses a shiny yellow balloon...and so begins an adventure through the city, by turns whimsical and madcap.
Along the way, our Hero meets hilariously quirky masked characters that reside in this world, greeted by The Maitre D's from a bygone era, helping a trio of Golden Oldies, to some seriously regimented Lollipop Ladies and sharp-tied Business People. World-class physical comedy and mesmerizing visual theatre combine for a heart-warming exploration of the joy of human interaction - and the incredible power of how a simple act of kindness and authentic connection can transform a person's life.
Underlined by an original musical score, this show transcends language and cultural barriers and connects directly to the heart. Its highly visual form is engaging, accessible, and inclusive of audience needs.
We seek partners to bring us to production and presentation for THE LOST BALLOON, a unique full-face, non-verbal, mask theatre production for young audiences (ages 5+), families, and the young at heart. This product is highly visual, emotive, non-language based, tourable & scalable to theatres from 250pax to 800pax. Mask theatre has an inherently broad demographic with universal appeal. Like great visual theatre or puppetry, for example:
• Mummerchanze (Sweden)
• Familie Floz (Germany)
• Slavas Snow Show (Russia)
• Cirque Du Soleil (Canada)
...the forms' rarity and accessibility propel this work towards a broad uptake from festival presenters, programmers, and audiences worldwide.
We will make a work that sits comfortably in this cohort, steeped in tradition with a unique Antipodean flavor!
In September 2020, we partnered with The Queensland Performing Arts Centre, funded by Arts Queensland, to deliver a successful four-week second-stage creative development. We presented a thoroughly rehearsed, detailed, and nuanced 20 minutes, except for the complete work for national stakeholders and potential festival presenters.
THE LOST BALLOON is accessible and universal to young audiences globally. Children and their families worldwide have shown enormous responses to non-verbal works. The opportunity to tour this production will help maintain the artists and artistry of this form (mask theatre) with an Australian flavor. We are confident that given the right amount of support, an imaginative, innovative, and enduring production will flourish, one that can only enrich the lives of audiences worldwide, connecting to their hearts - and creating shared experiences among diverse communities, which is more important than ever.
"I was quite enchanted. The best theatre transcends age and has a universal quality. l think for me as an older person; it transported me back to something l feel l have lost .....the innocence of childhood! It was lovely to reconnect with it again. It reminded me a little of Shaun Tan's book "The Lost Thing," which l recently shared with my grandson Jack, who is five. I know Jack would have been as captivated as I am by The Lost Balloon, and I look forward to one day taking him to see the finished product.
Great masks and beautiful music."
★★★★★
Arts Queensland, QLD
"It was gorgeous! Patrick (the five-year-old) was talking about the show the next day and thought the child chasing the balloon was hilarious. He told his kindergarten teacher about the child climbing a pole and the balloon that kept getting away. I thought it was lovely—how the child interacted with all the different characters and how the balloon seemed to have a personality. You've got a great team working on the show!"
★★★★★
ArTour, QLD
"Just wanted to say a HUGE congrats. What a lovely, beautiful piece of work you have created, particularly over this last four-week period. I thought it was gorgeous, and the performers' artistry was brilliant. We have nothing like this on our stages, so I sincerely hope this work keeps going and thousands and thousands of people and little people get to experience this show."
★★★★★
Indelability Arts, QLD
THE CREATIVE TEAM
The unique team for THE LOST BALLOON is an artistic powerhouse with a collective industry experience of over 100 years and close to 2500 international performance outcomes. Internationally recognized and critically acclaimed, they have developed an incredibly reliable and robust international network, amassing a live global audience in the millions. They stand on a career-long ethos: creating world-class theatre in Queensland by Queensland artists that can be joyfully toured worldwide, engaging and inspiring new audiences, and demonstrating resilience, bravery, vitality, and consistency of quality.
Our Creative Producer is Craig Harrison, who has worked in the arts sector for over 30 years. He's been a board member of youth arts company Cirkidz Inc. and South Australian Circus Centre for 12 years and is one of two Australians on the board of IPAY (International Association of Performing Arts for Youth) in Philadelphia, USA. He recently produced the Helpmann Award-winning show 'Out of Chaos' by Gravity & Other Myths.
Creator, Co-Writer, Trainer & Assistant Director: Clint Bolster
Co-Writer & Director: Bridget Boyle
Creative Producer: Craig Harrison
Mask Performers: Clint Bolster, Allie Wilde, Frans Vogels, Chae Lindeman and (Helen Cassidy Development Phase)
Puppeteer: Christopher Lane
Production Design, Build & Costume Design: Josh McIntosh
Costume Maker: Jim Iodiannes & Jo Fahan
Co-Composers & Musicians: David Megarrity and Samuel Vincent
Lighting Designer: Jason Glenwright
Sound Designer: Guy Webster
Photographers: Justin Ma and Barbara Lowing
Videography: Tnee Dyer
Education Advisor: Adrianne Jones
Grant Support: Ann Mclean
Access Consultants: Indelability Arts
Masks Designed and Made: Russell Dean from Strangeface Theatre Company
Knitting Instructor: Penny Everingham
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
Initial Creative Development (2019) was funded and supported by The Queensland Performing Arts Centre through Brett Howe.
Second Stage Creative Development (2020) was funded and supported by The Queensland Government through the Arts Queensland Showcase Program and The Queensland Performing Arts Centre through Brett Howe.
Final Phase: Rehearsal and Presentation (2024/2025), to be supported by The Queensland Performing Arts Centre and The Redland Performing Arts Centre through Brett Howe and Queensland Theatre.