Show
We Built This City
A wonderland of a construction site that brings whole communities together to think big and build the city shapes of their dreams.
Faced with thousands and thousands of cardboard boxes in a big, open space, children and families follow their impulses and create unique structures inspired by their relationship to their city. Polyglot artists roam the site as the Builders, engaging with kids constructing towering skyscrapers, winding tunnels and sprawling estates.
We Built This City sees children as the experts and adults enthusiastically following their lead. The whole experience is accompanied by a DJ spinning funky music, and at the very end of the season, the city is shaken and stomped to the ground, in a shared moment of glorious destruction.
“It was a joint effort and brought people together like a community should be.” Child
Accessibility
- We Built This City is an energetic, high intensity experience. The performance space contains only empty cardboard boxes.
- Children and families choose how they engage with the artists and the space, moving around as they like.
- A DJ plays music for the duration of the show.
Original Creative Team
- Conceived and directed: Sue Giles
- Design: Darryl Cordell
- Composer and sound design: David Franzke, Enio Pozzebon
- Original cast: Megan Cameron, Sue Giles, Rinske Ginsberg
We Built This City was conceived by Sue Giles in her first year as Polyglot’s Artistic Director. It premiered in 2001 at the City of Melbourne Children’s Week celebrations.
Selected Touring History
2022
- BLEACH* Festival, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
2021
- Melbourne Fringe and Metro Tunnel Creative Program, University Square, VIC, Australia
2017
- EQT Children’s Theatre Festival, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Shanghai Interactive Festival of Theatre in Jiading, Shanghai, China
2016
- The Straz Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Australia Now Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Midland Center for the Arts, Michigan, USA
- The Unconformity Festival, Queenstown, TAS, Australia
2015
- New York University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- April Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
2013
- Centenary of Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Tulsa Performing Arts Centre, Oklahoma, USA
- Without Walls Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, California, USA
2012
- Hi Seoul Festival, South Korea
- The Edge, Auckland, New Zealand
- Out of the Box Festival, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Theatre Royal, Hobart, TAS, Australia
2011
- Kijimuna Festival, Japan
- Segerstrom Center for the Arts, California, USA
- Taipei Arts Festival, Taiwan
2010
- Pittsburgh Children’s Theatre, USA
- London International Festival of Theatre, United Kingdom
2009
- John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, USA
2008
- Sydney Opera House, NSW, Australia
- Midsumma Arts Festival, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2007
- Brisbane Powerhouse, QLD, Australia
2006
- Melbourne International Arts Festival, VIC, Australia
2005
- Awesome Arts Festival, Perth, WA, Australia
2004
- Act3 Kidsfest, Singapore
2002
- Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
2001
- Premiere: Melbourne City Square, VIC, Australia
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