When the World Turns North American premiere

February Company Update

In April 2025, When the World Turns will be presented by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City as part of their Big Umbrella Festival. Launched in 2018, the festival welcomes kids, teens, adults, and their families for a dynamic series of programming, designed with and for neurodiverse audiences.

When the World Turns is a collaboration between Polyglot Theatre (AUS) and Oily Cart (UK), originally commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne for major arts and disability festival, Alter State 2022. Specifically created for and with children with complex disability who face the most barriers to access, this fantastical, immersive theatre experience takes place in a landscape of thousands of living plants. Led by a skilled team of performing artists, participating audiences become part of a wild place of the senses.

The Lincoln Center season marks the production’s North American premiere. It is also a 2025 highlight for Polyglot Theatre, which has successfully returned to a strong international touring program in recent years. Proudly Melbourne/Naarm based since it was founded in 1978, Polyglot’s transformative, playful experiences for children and families are created at home in Victoria and shared with audiences globally.

Polyglot’s Executive Director and co-CEO Kath Fyffe writes, “When the World Turns is a production that is very close to our hearts. We are delighted to be working with Lincoln Center again to share its sensory magic in New York City. Creating and touring this unique performance, with its thousands of living plants and powerful audience impact, takes many champions to achieve. We are grateful to our funders and partners, who offer the stability for our artists to dream and develop sophisticated, participatory theatre for children and families, and ensure we reach the broadest audience while keeping our touring footprint light. Returning to Lincoln Center for the internationally recognised, accessible Big Umbrella Festival with When the World Turns is a special moment of celebration we are thrilled to share with all our supporters.”

Locally, Polyglot Theatre and Arts Centre Melbourne are working together to tour When the World Turns into Victorian specialist and special development schools. This is made possible with many generous supporters, including the Victorian Department of Education Strategic Partnerships Program. The partnership between Polyglot and Arts Centre Melbourne achieves new levels of accessibility by taking the production directly to the young people with and for whom it was made; those who often face the greatest access barriers. It was nationally recognised last August with a PAC Australia IMPACT Award.

In 2025, Oily Cart will tour When the World Turns in the United Kingdom.

In 2024, Polyglot reached more than 41,000 people in Australia, Hong Kong, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with 50% in Victoria. 85% of the company’s total audience was able to access its work for free.

This season has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body. Polyglot Theatre is also supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

When the World Turns, a collaboration between Polyglot Theatre (AUS) and Oily Cart (UK), was originally commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne for major arts and disability festival Alter State 2022. The development and premiere was supported by the UK/Australia Season Patrons Board, the British Council and the Australian Government as part of the UK/Australia Season, with further support from the Cassandra Gantner Foundation, State Trustees Australia Foundation, the Jennifer Prescott Family Foundation, the Marian and E.H. Flack Trust, ArtPlay, Arts Council England and ecoDynamics.