Albany’s Breaksea to stage new production The Magical Weedy Seadragon created with local school students

A new interactive children’s play by a local arts organisation will take concepts from the imaginations of local school students to the stage. The Magical Weedy Seadragon is Albany multi-arts group Breaksea’s latest offering and will be performed next week as part of the Maritime Festival. The show was developed with input from students at Mt Barker Community College, Kojonup District High School, Spencer Park Primary School, Denmark Primary School and Bethel Christian School. Breaksea’s artistic director Matt Ward and director of music Pia Harris visited the schools over four months and held workshops with students who helped develop the show’s characters, storyline and wrote dialogue and lyrics. Ward, who also serves as the production’s director, said he was impressed by the students’ dedication to developing the show and said it had resulted in some “crazy ideas”. “I’ve been really impressed and inspired by the focus of the children, how they have fully applied themselves to these tasks,” he said. “In Mt Barker we had a creative writing activity where 60 children spent half an hour in absolute silence. “The writing has just flowed out of their imaginations. “It is important to us that the children felt they were valued individuals and that their ideas warranted consideration. “We came away from each workshop with some pretty left of field and crazy ideas that we decided were 100 per cent in the show — there was no way we would have come up with some particular concepts without their involvement. “This speaks to the beauty of collaboration, and the authenticity of process and product that can result from community and professional artists working together.” The resulting production follows a young child who has forgotten how to be kind, when they find a Magical Weedy Seadragon washed ashore, who casts a spell on the child and turns them into a fish. The fish then goes on a journey of discovery through the Great Southern Reef, meeting sea creatures along the way, becoming part of an aquatic talent quest and battling raging ocean currents. During this journey, they learn the importance of kindness. The story is told with the use of puppets, costuming and original music and stars international soprano Pia Harris and NIDA-trained artist Tadgh Lawrence and Albany-raised performer Jarrad Inman. Inman is supported by Breaksea’s Youth Mentorship program and previously starred in Breaksea projects including Origins and Fairy Queen, as well as Noongar-language opera Koolbardi wer Wardongand, and said he was thrilled to be part of another of the organisation’s productions. “I’m so excited for the upcoming show and to play a part in what I am sure will be another fantastic experience for me with Breaksea and the Breaksea community,” he said. Performers from ALOTCo’s Let’s Shine group for people living with disability will also take to the stage. Production of The Magical Weedy Seadragon was supported with a $110,000 grant from the State Government’s Made in WA program and $20,000 from the City of Albany’s regional events sponsorship scheme. Following shows at the schools involved in the production’s development, the Magical Weedy Seadragon opens in the Kalyenup Studio at the Albany Entertainment Centre for three performances across June 30 and July 1. Tickets are available from: https://www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au/venues/albany-entertainment-centre/whats-on/the-magical-weedy-seadragon/