Catbird Theatre delights Cooktown audiences with creative school holiday experience

Professional puppetry, storytelling and hands-on creativity captivated local families during Catbird Theatre’s two-day visit to Cooktown, with 63 people taking part across live performances and interactive workshops.

Held on Wednesday 8 July and Thursday 9 July as part of the school holiday program, the visit offered four unique experiences tailored to different age groups, giving children and young people the opportunity to experience live theatre while stepping behind the scenes to explore the creative process.

Wednesday’s program delighted younger audiences with The Party, a whimsical theatre performance following Sweetie the Swap Wallaby and her forest friends as they prepared for a very special surprise. Filled with playful storytelling, beautifully crafted puppets and plenty of laughs, the performance encouraged children to immerse themselves in a world of imagination.

The creativity continued in the afternoon during a Puppetry Workshop, where children discovered how puppets are brought to life through movement and expression before creating and performing with their own unique characters.

On Thursday, older audiences were treated to Stark Raven Mad, a funny and delightfully absurd performance that reimagined gothic poetry through puppets, costumes, movement and music. Blending humour with theatrical storytelling, the performance introduced young people to poetry in an engaging and unexpected way.

Participants then had the opportunity to put their own creative skills into practice during the Poetry Performance Workshop, experimenting with movement, voice and storytelling techniques to transform poems from the page into live performance.

Rather than simply watching theatre, participants became part of it. Across both days, children built confidence, explored their creativity and discovered new ways to tell stories through performance, while families enjoyed memorable shared experiences during the school holidays.

The successful visit was made possible through the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF), a partnership between the Queensland Government and Cook Shire Council that supports local arts and cultural initiatives across Queensland.

By bringing professional artists and high-quality performances directly to Cooktown, programs like Catbird Theatre help ensure regional communities have opportunities to experience, learn from and participate in the arts close to home.

With strong attendance, enthusiastic participation and overwhelmingly positive feedback, Catbird Theatre’s visit demonstrated the value of investing in creative opportunities that inspire curiosity, build confidence and bring communities together.