Acknowledgment of country

Polyglot acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live and create, and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. For more than 65,000 years, children and families have created and played here, and we are grateful to make our art on this country too.

9 Apr 2026 Sector & Advocacy

Nature Play Week 2026

Forest production photo: Sarah Walker. A child in a green hat and blue jumper holds a leaf up to the camera.

At Polyglot, nature is connected into all that we do.

Catch the Light production photo: Laura May Grogan. Two small children, one wearing handmade paper wings, engages with a Polyglot artist who also wears handmade paper wings. They are in a darkened space, illuminated by small lights in the background, and a glowing paper sphere held by the artist.
Forest production photo: Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore. A Polyglot artist, a child and the child's parents, lie on a mat, closely examining and engaging with twigs and leaves in the grass.

Left: Catch the Light, a collaboration between Flow Festival Australia & Polyglot Theatre. Abbotsford Convent, 2025. Right: Forest creative development, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, 2024. Photo: Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore.

It inspires and informs our artistic explorations.

Ants production photo: Matheus Jose Maria. A Polyglot artist in an intricate black Ant costume looks down at the camera. They are in front of a large brick building, with children visible in the background.
Bees production photo: Theresa Harrison. Three Polyglot artists in intricate yellow, black and white Bee costumes create a stylised tableau. They are in a heritage room, next to a leadlight window.

Left: Ants, Brazil 2016. Photo: Matheus Jose Maria. Right: Bees creative development, Abbotsford Convent, 2021. Photo: Theresa Harrison.

It provides places and spaces we perform in.

Tangle production photo: Wendy Kimpton. Under a canopy of trees, hundreds of strands of colourful elastic are woven in and around tall golden poles. Children and families create and play among the installation.
Forest production photo: Laura May Grogan. Polyglot artists dance in a bushland clearing. Children and families around them watch, or join in.

Left: Tangle, Sydney Festival, 2012. Photo: Wendy Kimpton. Right: Forest creative development, Bundoora, 2025. Photo: Laura May Grogan.

We’re conscious of the materials we use, and re-use (and re-use and re-use and…)

Whirlwind production photo: Laura May Grogan. A small child in a red jumper and a Polyglot artist laugh at a billowing cloud of colourful paper confetti.
Art Tree production photo: Instant Crush, Moomba Festival (ArtPlay). Wooden trees wrapped in brown paper grow in a large, naturally lit room. Creations made from natural materials hang from the trees with colourful yarn. Children, families and Polyglot artists are gathered on the floor, creating and playing.

Left: Whirlwind, Immigration Museum, Melbourne Fringe 2025. Photo: Laura May Grogan. Right: Art Tree, ArtPlay, Moomba Festival 2026. Photo: Instant Crush.

Nature sparks the play, creations and adventures that unfold in our shows.

A Paper Planet production photo. Children and families are gathered closely. They are in a darkened space, illuminated with deep blue theatrical 'nighttime' light. A child reaches up to touch the moon, which illuminates them and the Polyglot artist next to them. Photo: Katje Ford, courtesy of Sydney Opera House
A When the World Turns production photo. A child holds up a cardboard tube, using it to make sounds. An adult leans towards the tube, listening. They sit at a small table in a darkened space, surrounded by plants. They are illuminated by a lamp on the table. Photographer: Theresa Harrison

Left: Paper Planet, Sydney Opera House 2023. Photo: Katje Ford. Right: When the World Turns, Arts Centre Melbourne 2022. Photo: Theresa Harrison.

It offers open-ended ripples of opportunity.

Boats production photo: Jason Lau, Arts Centre Melbourne. Three small children hold a colourful vessel around themselves, engaging with two Polyglot artists in colourful shark fins. They are on a green lawn, with other children and adults looking on.
FLOAT production photo: William Hamilton-Coates, MPavilion. An overhead shot of three children leaning out over a reflecting pool, sailing small handmade boats made of leaves and twigs. The water ripples around their creations.

Left: Boats, Arts Centre Melbourne, 2021. Photo: Jason Lau. Right: FLOAT, MPavilion 2024. Photo: William Hamilton Coates.

Decorative shape: light orange wave.

Nature Play Week takes place 11-22 April. Developed by the Kids in Nature Network, it was first celebrated in 2014.

“It is a joy to celebrate Nature Play Week 2026, bringing together two things I love and have deep belief in: nature and play. 

At Polyglot, nature inspires us in many ways. It is not separate, it is intrinsic. We are all, of course, a part of nature; part of this complex ecosystem on a beautiful planet. We have a lot to learn from First Peoples, whose leadership shows how to care for and be cared for by nature.

At Polyglot, we gain creative and artistic inspiration from nature in the themes and stories it elicits. We use natural materials for delightful sensory, open-ended play; we consider what we use and how we consume across the company to minimise harm to the environment. And nature provides us with many of the spaces we perform in, both indoors and outdoors. 

Nature is for all – for our company, our artists and our audiences, for children and their communities. As adults, we often hold the power to provide children access to nature and natural spaces. At Polyglot, we celebrate that access and that connection. 

When we play in and with nature, we breathe a little lighter, we gather energy and create with joy.” 

Cat Sewell, Artistic Director & Co-CEO

Decorative shape: light orange wave.

Nature Play Week 2026 illustration: Nick Barlow. Three children create and play in an autumnal red and yellow forest. One in grey sails leaf boats in a pool of water. One in yellow looks up into the trees with binoculars. One in blue, with wings, dances in the water.

“Here’s what each character represents:
Yellow with binoculars = observing / respecting nature
Grey with leaf boats = creating with nature
Blue with wings = being part of nature”

Nick Barlow, Generator artist

Happy Nature Play Week!

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