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.

Scroll down

Workshop

Shadow Tricks

Shadow play is explored with everyday materials and objects and, of course, light!

A Shadow Tricks workshop photo. Two students stand on one side of a screen in a classroom, their arms raised. Their shadows are visible on the other side of the screen.

Polyglot artists facilitate instinctive choice and a natural desire to make shape, narrative and connection in this playful, popular workshop.

Using everything from the human form to cardboard cut-outs, students play with scale and colour to investigate the limitless possibilities of the worlds we can create on a screen. They delve into performance styles, shadow puppet design and manipulation, transformation of objects and storytelling.

This workshop requires minimal tech and materials, and the activities can be re-created and examined in the classroom or at home. Polyglot has been delivering Shadow Tricks for over a decade, with many schools booking repeat sessions.

To maximise our impact and exchange with school communities, Polyglot is moving away from single session workshop bookings. A two-day minimum booking requirement is now in place. To allow us to engage across year levels or with the entire school community, artistic residencies of at least a week are preferred.

View the gallery

Year level

Early learning – 6 (ages 3-12)

Duration

45-60 mins

Crew

2 x artists

Setup

60 minutes prior to first session

Venue

A room that can be darkened, with clear floor space and electricity (hall or drama room)

Capacity

1 class per session

Booking enquiry

Got a question about Shadow Tricks?

Name(Required)

School/Organisation(Required)

Role(Required)

Country(Required)

Phone number(Required)

Email address(Required)

Message(Required)

Event/festival name

Ideal dates

How did you hear about Polyglot Theatre?(Required)

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Other workshops

Find a Polyglot workshop to suit your school or event.

Explore workshops

Paper and Tape Escape! (online)

Polyglot artists take children through a range of fun techniques for bringing paper and tape creations to life.

1 - 6 (ages 6-12)

A Feast production photo. A group of children stand in a line at a long table, busily making paper food creations.

Feast

Feast is a meal like no other, inviting children to make gastronomical delights from a pile of most unusual ingredients.

Prep - 6 (ages 5-12)

A Paper and Tape workshop photo. Two students stand at a table in a classroom, manipulating a paper and tape creation. A Polyglot artist in a black t-shirt stands behind them, smiling.

Paper and Tape

This workshop uses paper and construction techniques to explore theatrical worlds through play.

Prep – 6 (ages 5-12)