Paper Planet at Fed Square

Venue

• The Edge, Fed Square
  Corner of Swanston St & Flinders St
  Melbourne VIC 3000
• Google Maps link HERE.

Dates & Times

• Monday 28 September – Thursday 1 October: 10am-12pm; 1.30pm-3.30pm
• Friday 2 October: 10am-12pm
• These are FREE drop-in sessions with no bookings required.

Auslan interpreter Nicole McRae will be at both the 10am-12pm and 1.30pm-3.30pm performances on Wednesday 30 September.

• Paper Planet will take place in The Edge at Fed Square.
• Auslan interpreter Nicole McRae will be at both the 10am-12pm and 1.30pm-3.30pm performances on Wednesday 30 September.
• The Edge has lift access and is wheelchair accessible. Arrangements can also be made to enter from the Fed Square Car Park.
• Accessible toilets are in The Atrium, located next to The Edge.
• A registered Changing Places bathroom is available in The Atrium. This provides suitable facilities for people who cannot use standard accessible toilets. It is located off the same corridor as the other Atrium toilets. This corridor is open 7 days a week, 6am-11.30pm. Access to the Changing Places bathroom is via MLAK key or by calling security on the intercom at the end of the corridor.
• An All-Gender Toilet with open urinals can be found in The Atrium, down the hallway by the stairs.
• The Edge is wheelchair accessible with a step-free entrance. The pathway towards the venue is made up of sandstone cobblestones, but it has a marked access path.
• For more information and a map, please visit fedsquare.com/accessibility
• If you have any questions about venue accessibility, please contact Fed Square on 03 9655 1900 or info@fedsquare.com.
• A Visual Story to help your family prepare for Paper Planet is available for download/viewing HERE.

Paper Planet

• Paper Planet is a universally accessible experience. There is no English language barrier, and it can be entirely non-verbal.
• You choose how you interact with the performers and the space. You can move around as you like.
• These are free, drop-in sessions. You can come and go from Paper Planet at any time, and no bookings are required. However, there may be a short wait to enter the performance space if the session is full.
• Some families might like to stay for 10 mins, others the full two hours.
• Some children find themselves absorbed in quiet making; others prefer to play and explore.
• No bright or flashing lights used. There will be live music, and a soundscape played through speakers embedded in the set.

How to prepare

• When you come to a Polyglot performance, we recommend you wear comfortable clothing that allows you to enjoy moving. Remember that you have come for an adventure and there are many ways to begin finding your play. You are curious and this space is yours. Just as you might at the beach, do you take your time and dip your toe in to warm up, or do you run and jump right in? The worlds we set up welcome you to take your time and find your own way to your imaginative play; and our performers are there to join you, or play alongside you, and look after these worlds and their inhabitants. See you soon!

• There are baby change facilities located in The Atrium next to MESS, and in the Main Square, next to Time Out Café. These are accessible by parents and carers of any gender.
• Water, infants’ bottles and breastfeeding/chestfeeding are welcome, however we do ask that there is no eating (where possible) in the Paper Planet performance spaces.
• Refreshments can be purchased from multiple cafes, bars and shops at Fed Square. For more information, please visit fedsquare.com/eat-drink
• Fed Square has multiple water refill stations: Atrium entrance in front of Good Nature Hotel; rear of the Square next to the Birrarung Building; top of the stairs on Swanston Street Forecourt; along Birrarung Marr Walk.
• The closest playground is located next to the ArtPlay building in Birrarung Marr, along the Yarra River.

Parking

• The multi-level Fed Square Car Park is accessible from Russell Street or Batman Ave (Exhibition Street extension – City Link). It is open 24hrs and has accessible spaces located next to the lift on each level.
• The height restriction for vehicles is 2.1 metres. Should your vehicle exceed this accessible height car park then please contact Fed Square on (03) 9655 1900 and they will assist in providing an alternative arrangement.
• Casual pricing from $18.
• Learn more and book: wilsonparking.com.au

Public Transport

• The nearest train station is Flinders Street (Stop ID 11212, Zone 1), which is approximately 52m from Fed Square. Facilities include: Accessible telephone and pay phone; indoor and sheltered waiting areas; accessible toilets; tactile ground surface indicator; escalators, lifts and stairs; lighting; kiosk; CCTV.
• The nearest tram stop is Federation Square/Swanston St #13 (Stop ID 19499). It is a level access stop, but not all routes that use this stop are currently serviced by low-floor trams. Facilities include: Pay phone; accessible ramp; tactile ground surface indicator; lighting.

Bicycle

• Bike racks are located: between Transport Bar and Princes Bridge on Swanston Street Forecourt; at the rear of the Square along Birrarung Marr Walk.

In 2011, Paper Planet by Polyglot Theatre was first commissioned and premiered at Fed Square, and 15 years later, remains one of the company’s most beloved touring productions. It has reached more than 102,000 people in 10 countries, with 86% of audiences able to access it for free.

The inherent accessibility of Paper Planet is part of its evergreen quality. Language isn’t a barrier – it can be entirely non-verbal. The participatory performance has been presented in China, Germany, Japan, Norway, Singapore and South Korea, as well as Canada and the USA, and extensively at home in Australia.

For thousands of years, the land around Birrarung (the Yarra River) has been Melbourne’s meeting place – an area of cultural significance for First Peoples and a place of creative expression. Today the site is home to the Melbourne Arts Precinct; a vibrant creative community and the artistic heart of our city.

Fed Square is the gateway to the art precinct – and as Melbourne’s public square it is the civic, cultural and community heart of the city. It’s also home to four of Victoria’s major cultural institutions: ACMI – Australia’s Museum of Screen Culture, the Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT), The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, and MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio).

fedsquare.com