Dinosaurs roam children's festival

When was the last time you visited a dinosaur petting zoo, stroking reptiles with scaly skin, steely claws, razor-sharp teeth and ferocious appetites? Never?

Then enter the hypnotic jungle of Australia’s Erth Physical and Visual Theatre where three masterful puppeteers control five life-size reptiles manufactured from fabric, foam, aluminum, glass and string.

“It is like a live animal presentation that you would receive if you went to a zoo or a wildlife park,” explains company co-founder Scott Wright.

“The dinosaurs are well made and we invite children on stage to touch them and learn about animal husbandry. The dinosaurs can be temperamental and things don’t always go according to plan. But we do it in a down-to-earth way. It’s very educational and fun. We speak live to our audience and we give them what they want – thrills, excitement and little bit of terror.”

The company actually started about 22 years ago in Ballarat, about 100 kilometres from Melbourne. For three years it was very issue driven, voicing environmental and political concerns.

“A key moment came at a protest rally. A little girl said everything we were doing made her want to die. We were pointing our finger at everyone telling them how wrong they were doing things.”

The group realized they needed to lighten up and set about channelling their artistic energies in different directions. They moved to Sidney and started performing at small outdoor festivals.

A close friend of Wright prompted the shift towards creatures. Steve Howarth, a fine arts sculptor, was creating smooth, science fiction-like sculptures that lent themselves to special effects.

“I wanted to climb inside his sculptures and bring them to life,” says Wright who was influenced by puppetry in his youth.

A crucial moment in the troupe’s development occurred when the Melbourne Museum opened 12 years ago and they were invited to perform as gargoyles dressed in elaborate costumes perched on the building.

The director encouraged them to attempt creating dinosaurs, a new concept in Australia.

“Three months later we delivered two dinosaurs and they were an instant hit. The critics weren’t just silenced. They were won over.”

Howarth, Wright and his wife Sharon Karr started making shows that were ambitious in scope and exotic to mount, such as Gondwana, the name of an early supercontinent that was once composed of Australia, South America, Africa and India.

“We were trying to create natural history on stage.”

“I’m really pleased to bring this show to St. Albert and introduce people to dinosaurs that existed in Australia. As palaeontologists continue to explore science, I would like people to learn more about the dinosaurs, from where they come from.”