AustLit

'A moving tale of self-discovery for all the family

'“Cicada tell story. Story good. Story simple. Story even human can understand. Tok! Tok! Tok!”

'Cicada spends his days dutifully working away in a grey office. Overlooked by his superiors and overworked by his colleagues, he is getting very close to the end of his tether. But one day, looking out over the city from the rooftop of his office building, Cicada has an epiphany.

'Winner of the Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book in 2019, this new adaptation brings master-storyteller Shaun Tan’s much-loved CICADA to life in a stunning puppet show, presented by Sydney Theatre Company and created by one of Australia’s premier children’s theatre companies – Barking Gecko Theatre.

'A small story of epic proportions, Cicada is an allegory of difference, resilience and the light we all have inside ourselves. Children and adults will love this enchanting tale about finding one’s place in the world.' (Production summary)

'In this world premiere, Reinhardt Jung’s internationally lauded novel is bought to life as a thrillingly inventive and remarkable production for adults and children alike.

'This is the story of Bambert – an impossibly small man with an enormous love for writing. Tucked away in his quiet attic, his only companions are the characters he has created in his stories. And then one day, Bambert decides to set his stories free, to send them out into the world on little balloons, in the hope that they will find a home. The stories contain instructions: whoever finds them is to return them to Bambert with a stamp from wherever they landed, so he knows where they should be set. But as each day passes, and no stories return, Bambert’s hope begins to fade. Will his stories ever find a home?

'Bambert’s Book of Lost Stories brings together Australia’s most extraordinary creative minds to realise this exquisite production. At times amusing, other times melancholy, this new production reminds us how stories connect us to the world and ultimately, the power of kindness.'