December E-News

“It’s about doing and being all at once… confidence in motion.”

As the year draws to a close, we’re reflecting on the exciting work and meaningful connections that have shaped the past 12 months. It’s been an honour to share so much with you – from creative development workshops in the bushland of Gresswell Reserve, to an award-winning premiere season of Whirlwind at the Immigration Museum, to touring to the prestigious Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts in New York.

“It’s about doing and being all at once. It is confidence in motion. Expression to be who you are or want to be.” Parent, on the importance of creative experiences.

Next week, we farewell our Executive Director and Co-CEO, Kath Fyffe, as she moves to Adelaide to take up her new role as Executive Director at State Theatre Company South Australia. After eight years at Polyglot Theatre – five of those as Executive Director & Co-CEO – we wish her every success in this next chapter and look forward to seeing all the brilliant things she will achieve.

L: When the World Turns. Sachyn Mital. R: Forest. Laura May Grogan 

A huge thank you to everyone who has sparked Polyglot’s magic with their ideas and imaginations this year: children, families, schools, presenting and collaborating partners, government and philanthropic funders, sponsors, donors, and all our supporters. We hope that you and your loved ones enjoy a restful summer, and we can’t wait for our 2026 adventures together.

“The kids laughed, got curious about the sounds and reflections in the forest, got to move, experiment with light, touch, movement. It was a sensory delight!” Parent, on their experience at the Forest workshops.

The Polyglot team is also taking a break. Our last day for the year will be Friday 19 December, and we return on Monday 5 January.

2025 Reflections

It is a great privilege for the whole Polyglot team to share our transformational, playful arts experiences with children and families everywhere. So far this year we have reached 43,017 people, with 90% accessing our work for free.

At home, we have created and played with audiences across Naarm/Melbourne. From the premiere of Art Tree in Moorabbin, to seasons of Paper Planet at ArtPlay for Moomba, Brighton Town Hall and Glenroy Community Hub, to Cubbyhood at Abbotsford Convent and Catch the Light at Flow Festival. Voice Lab spoke to children in Brisbane at QPAC’s Out of the Box Festival, and both Paper Planet and Bees toured to Hobart.

“That was a captivating, interactive experience. A beautiful example of open play.” Parent, on their experience at Paper Planet in Glenroy.

L: Art Tree. Sarah Walker. R: Catch the Light. Laura May Grogan

Internationally, we toured to Aotearoa/New Zealand, Norway, Japan, the United States and Singapore. Pram People and the first iteration of a new work, Pass It On, were presented by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore. April saw the North American premiere of When the World Turns at Lincoln Center’s Big Umbrella Festival. Paper Planet was part of the inaugural We the Young festival in Auckland, and Paper Planet workshops took place at the Australia Pavilion for World Expo Osaka 2025.

We connected with a number of schools for our residency programs. Wish Street, our collaboration with Satellite Foundation, took place at Abbotsford Primary, a Chinese-English bilingual school, and Campbells Creek Primary School. Sound Shadows was at Warringa Park School across Term 3, supported through Creative Learning Partnerships – a Victorian Government initiative. When the World Turns, our collaboration with Oily Cart, commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne, toured to seven special development schools across Victoria.

“The buzz that came from other classes and kids travelling through the space was so wonderful! They were so excited about what they were doing.” Artist workshop report from Wish Street at Abbotsford Primary.

L: Paper Planet. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. R: Pass it On. Alvin Ho

2025 marked the ninth year of our Kids Collaboration with Rumbalara Football Netball Club, on Yorta Yorta Country/Shepparton. A standout moment was our final Game Day workshop together. Children, families, community members, Elders, and Polyglot artists and staff came together for a joyful Rumba Café Grand Opening. We’re looking forward to a special milestone next year – our 10th anniversary.

“Voice Lab: What makes you feel powerful?
Child: My culture, my confidence, and me.”

Rumba Café. Keneisha Howell

We also embarked on a new partnership with the Centre for Community Child Health. Together, we are exploring new ways to support children to share their voices through creativity and play. So far, our artists and the researchers have worked with children in healthcare and early childhood education and care settings using Voice Lab, as well as playful making with paper, tape and drawing. These activities create space, often unexpectedly, for imagination, expression, and joy.

“A number of children remarked that their favourite thing about the hospital was being in Voice Lab.” Artist workshop report.

Creative Exchanges. Emily Tomlins

We are very proud of our new three-year project to strengthen the Victorian Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) sector through creative exchange, shared training and employment pathways. Generously supported by The Ian Potter Foundation, Polyglot is engaging with other Victorian companies and independent artists to champion a healthy, state-wide arts ecosystem in which artists thrive under best practice, new voices are platformed, knowledge is shared for collective benefit, and the quality of arts experiences for children enriched.

Across 2025, the first year of the project, it has been a pleasure to connect with Arena Theatre Company, Flow Festival, Rawcus, St Martins Youth Arts Centre, Threshold, Victorian College of the Arts, Western Edge, and independent artists.

Emily Tomlins, Polyglot’s Associate Director, reflected on our creative exchange with St Martins: “Each time we’re privileged to hold one of these exchanges, we understand more clearly just how needed this kind of dedicated time is. We spend so much of our energy creating for young people and their families, and creating with young people as artists in their own right, but taking a moment to remember who we are as artists – and to support each other in that endeavour – is truly invaluable.”

Support Polyglot Theatre

Play is at the heart of Polyglot’s work, sparking imagination, wellbeing, and connection, and giving children the agency to create and express themselves. So far in 2025, we’ve delivered 268 performances, 179 workshops, 241 school sessions, and 57 Kids Collaboration sessions, offering thousands of children meaningful opportunities for creativity and discovery.

Polyglot exists to empower children to make their mark on the world – a mission made possible by your generosity. Every gift helps us continue making and sharing our art and is warmly welcomed.

Whirlwind. Laura May Grogan

Thank You

Whirlwind was developed with support from Melbourne Fringe and The Robert Salzer Foundation. The premiere season has been Fringe Funded, as part of XS, with thanks to Daniel Besen, and Rupert Myer AO and Annabel Myer, and supported by Museums Victoria. It has been made more accessible with support from Access Fringe.

Polyglot’s Auckland tour, When the World Turns USA tour, and Singapore tour has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

When the World Turns: disability inclusive theatre in schools is a collaboration between Polyglot Theatre (AUS) and Oily Cart (UK), commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne and generously supported by the Cassandra Gantner Foundation. The 2025 schools tour is further supported by Arts Centre Melbourne and the Victorian Department of Education Strategic Partnerships Program, Mr Mark Robertson OAM and Mrs Anne Robertson, Maureen and Tony Wheeler, Gandel Foundation, Bec Wilkinson, Wendy Kozica. Polyglot thanks our ongoing plant sponsor ecoDynamics, and SÜK Workwear.

Polyglot was supported by the Australian Government as part of Australia’s participation in World Expo 2025 Osaka.

Polyglot Theatre’s project, Creative Kids Thrive! is supported by VicHealth. This includes our 2025 Kids Collaboration with Rumbalara, and our participation in research at community healthcare settings.

Polyglot’s project, ‘Creative exchange, training and pathways to strengthen the Victorian Theatre for Young Audiences sector’ is supported by the Ian Potter Foundation.