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.

Our History

Polyglot was founded in 1978, and our rich history has shaped the company we are today.

A Come Back Home production photo. A child wearing a white dress throws squares of green paper in front of them. The paper is in the air and is falling towards the ground. Photo: Studio Znke, courtesy of Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore

2023

A Seven-Year Audience High

Polyglot co-CEO Cat smiles while standing in front of a tree. Cat wears a green collared shirt. Her long hair is draped over her left shoulder. Photo: Theresa Harrison

2022

Artistic Director leadership change announced

A Paper Planet production photo. A child wears a paper crown and armour made from cardboard. They hold a branch made from paper. They are surrounded by paper decorations, branches and vines made from paper. They are illuminated by soft pink light. Photo: Sarah Walker.

2021

Return to Public Performances

A Parked development photo. An adult and a child interact with one another in a well-lit theatre space with wooden floors under a hanging gum tree branch. Photo: Carla Gottjens.

2020

COVID-19 hits

A Manguri Wiltja production photo. A person with short hair smiles and holds a doll made from purple woven string. The doll has woven purple arms, a purple head, a blue body and pink hair.

2019

Sue Giles appointed AM

A Tangle production photo. A child smiles amongst elastic string surrounding them in different colours. Photo: Theresa Harrison.

2018

Polyglot’s 40th birthday

A Cerita Anak production photo. A performer shields themselves from falling blue balls with a blue umbrella. Photo: Theresa Harrison.

2017

Cerita Anak premieres

A Separation Street production photo. Children sit in a circle, their bodies illuminated by a red light. They throw paper petals into the air. Photo by Greta Costello.

2016

Awards & residencies

A How High The Sky production photo. An infant peers through a circular hole. Light is shining through the hole. The infant's face is illuminated. Photo: Pia Johnson.

2015

Macau & Indonesia

A Drawbridge production photo. Children crowd in front of an adult who holds a sign shaped like a speech bubble. The sign has

2014

Polyglot on tour

A Voice Lab production photo. A child sits on their legs in an softly lit dome. They are wearing headphones. Photo: Sarah Walker.

2013

Beginnings & endings

An Ants production photo. A performer dressed as an ant holds a large white crumb with other children who help to carry the crumb. Photo: Gavin D Andrew.

2012

Funding, premieres, awards

A Paper Planet Production photo. A child walks amongst cardboard trees decorated with steamers and paper and tape. Photo: Martin Reddy.

2011

New friendships

A 'We Built This City' production photo. Two children and a performer wearing blue overalls and a red t-shirt jump on cardboard boxes underneath a sunny sky.

2010

International Touring

A Tangle production photo. Children stand on elastic string that is tangled in all directions. The string is coloured green, black and white. Photo; Aaron Walker.

2009

Tangle premieres

A 'The Big Game' production photo. Three performers stand in front of a pile of large dice blocks. They wear tall purple caps, purple capes and silver eye masks. The performer in the middle of the three holds a large red dice. Photographer: Gavin D Andrew.

2008

The Big Game & funding news

A Check Out! production photo. Two performers wear red aprons and pose sideways, facing an audience of children. Behind them are photo walls of shopping centres. Photo: Peter Marshall.

2007

Regional Touring

A Johnny Grimm production photo. Two performers smile and look behind their shoulders with their thumbs up. In front of the performers is an illuminated stage, where two shadow figures pose. Photo: Peter Marshall and Photo Montage by BAT Design.

2006

Workshops begin

A Headhunter production photo. Two performers stand behind a makeshift car on stage. The car is decorated with warning tape. On top of the car are cardboard cutouts of the facade of a church, a car and a pointing man.

2005

Drama Victoria award

A Baggy Pants production photo. Two performers stand in front of a black background, covered in rags and clothes. They stand amongst a pile of clothes and rags.

2004

Stop That House!

A Muckheap production photo. Two performers are performing on a stage in front of a wooden shed. The shed has a red roof and a green box placed in front of the shed. One performer is playing a ukelele and the other performer stands with puppets in the form of babies attached to a headpiece.

2003

A new GM

A 'The Mighty How' production photo. Two performers wearing white shirts and aprons look focused, crossing their fingers.

2002

The Wild Things…

A We Built This City Production photo. A young person walks on a pile of cardboard boxes behind two performers. Performers lie on the cardboard boxes, and wear hard hats that cover their eyes.

2001

We Built This City premieres

A Sunflowers Production photo. A child stands in front of a black wall. Three giant eyes hanging down in front of the wall look down at the child.

2000

Sue Giles appointed AD

A 'Sunflowers' production photo. A child sits on a red couch and looks up at a puppet standing on the couch.

1999

Funding news

A Granny and the Sea Monster production photo. A person with white facial makeup and red cheeks holds a penguin shaped puppet. The puppet is wearing a yellow bag and a hat.

1998

Granny & The Sea Monster

An 'Almost A Dinosaur' production photo. A woman poses between two dinosaur puppets. She is seated behind another large dinosaur puppet, which stands between two men. Behind the large dinosaur stands another man who is smiling.

1997

Naomi Tippett receives Kenneth Myer Medallion for the Performing Arts

A 'Little Moments' production photo. Two people wearing black are tied in a rope. Behind them is a puppet with red curly hair and wears a red shirt.

1996

A Writer’s Guild Award Nomination

An Almost a Dinosaur production photo. Two performers wear black masks look at a dinosaur puppet that has its mouth wide open, facing sideways.

1995

Touring to Taiwan

A 'Not the End of the World' production photo. A Tasmanian Tiger puppet interacts with a hamburger puppet. Behind them is a picture of a floating hamburger with a flag pitched on top.

1994

Not the End of the World

A 'Tadpole' production image. A man wearing a backwards red cap and a red shirt holds a puppet of a platypus against a blue background.

1993

The Nimbin

An 'Oddsocks and Snores' production photo. Three puppets are pictured against a black background. The puppet on the left is small and fluffy, and is smiling. There is a worm puppet and a dragon's head puppet.

1992

Stars, Oddsocks and Snores

A 'Digger's Rest' production photo. A brown dog puppet holds a basketball.

1991

Digger’s Mate

A 'Not The End of The World' production photo. A puppet made from wood and cloth with big, black pupils is seated and holds a rose with white petals in their hands.

1990

Widartji

A 'Waste of Space' production photo. Two men hold two life-size puppets who have large eyes and ears. The man on the right is standing in front of a larger, furry puppet twice his size.

1989

Onwards and Upwards

A Tadpole production photo. A tadpole puppet with two large eyes on the top of its head poses in between grass rushes.

1988

Ten Years Old

A screengrab from the 'Our Street' production video in 1987. A man in a blue shirt plays a guitar and sings to a dog puppet who rests on top of a barrier painted as a metal rod fence, with painted flowers underneath to resemble a park fence. Behind the fence and the dog is a painted row of wooden houses.

1986-1987

A Clown for the Circus

An image of 'Circus Star' by Dorothy Rickards. A puppet with a large nose and frilled sleeves poses on a striped counter.

1980-1985

New shows

A Polyglot Puppet Theatre production image of 'The Good Friends'. Three puppets, two with brown hair, one with blonde hair, are pictured. They all have smiles and button eyes.

1978

The beginning

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