When the curtain went up on Quirky’s debut at QPAC last week, the 25 artists were joined on stage by some very special guests.
Patchwork dinosaurs Thumpy and Lumpy were made especially for the show – lovingly designed and hand-crafted by Lyndal, one of the cast of the Real and Diverse (RAD) Theatre ensemble, supported by Centacare.
Lyndal played a puppeteer among other roles in the production. Along with a fortune teller and a boxing tent, Lyndal’s puppet show is a sideshow attraction in the village square, designed to entertain and frighten the village children.
Centacare support worker and choreographer Brian Lucas said Lyndal inspired the development of her character and a key element in the plot when she brought a puppet-like toy to an early creative session.
“It gave us the idea for the puppet show and the puppeteer character,” said Mr Lucas.
Lyndal says her mum taught her how to sew and that she loves it.
“I was so excited when Brian asked me to make puppets for the Quirky show,” said Lyndal.
“My parents would have been so proud of me. We will be having a silent auction at the shows for yellow dinosaur and red dinosaur. I hope you love them as much as I do.”
Centacare support worker and head of the Digital and Media Group at HAND Social and Life Skills Hub, Taewoo, said his team were asked to produce a video as a means of introducing the auction items at the shows.
“Five people worked together each Wednesday across pre-production and production,” said Taewoo.
“We worked out that we’d only have a couple of hours for the filming so we pre-planned exactly what visuals and audio we would need. The team recorded Lyndal’s voice during the interview scene and captured various sounds that they thought might be needed in post-production, like the sound of the sewing machine and other ambient sounds.
“The team did an amazing job – it came up really well.”
Quirky showed at QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre over three performances – 14-16 July. Bids for Thumpy and Lumpy were invited via a silent auction over the three days. Funds raised from the auction will be shared by RAD and Lyndal, for sewing materials.