This is theatre made by people who clearly love their subject and believe in the imaginative capacities of their audience. For children, especially those in the peak dinosaur years, it’s an invitation to explore, dream, and create. For adults, it’s a reminder of how powerful that kind of curiosity can be.
Fiona Hallenan-Barker
★★★★☆
(4.5 squeals of delight out of five)
The Playhouse, Sydney Opera House
Presented by Erth Visual and Physical Inc
Sydney
Dates
For more than three decades, Erth have cultivated a singular niche in children’s theatre, blending puppetry, science, and spectacle into experiences that spark genuine curiosity. Erth’s Dinosaurs, now playing under the sails of the Sydney Opera House, feels both like a greatest-hits compilation and a quietly radical piece of educational theatre that trusts its young audience to be curious, capable, and creatively engaged.
Hosted with warmth and humour by performer Jackson, the show begins with disarming simplicity: a GoPro camera, a handheld “dino-rama” diorama, and a set of plastic dinosaurs not unlike those found in any toy box. The camera’s live feed is projected onto the stage curtains, immediately revealing the mechanics of theatrical illusion. Rather than conceal the magic, Erth foreground it. Children are shown how worlds are built; through light, scale, and imagination, and invited to participate at every turn.
This DIY aesthetic is deceptively modest. Beneath it lies meticulous craft. The diorama becomes a portal into deep time, accompanied by a brisk, engaging primer on dinosaur history, complete with a delightfully low-tech meteor strike (an apple and a chorus of audience-generated sound effects). The message is clear: you don’t need elaborate tools to create something wondrous. You just need curiosity and a willingness to play.
That spirit of play extends throughout the performance. The opening, featuring inflatable prehistoric flora blooming across the stage, is both visually delightful and thematically apt. The emphasis on Australian palaeontology grounds the show in a local context, while the recurring motif of care for dinosaurs and birds, our modern-day dinosaurs, adds a gentle environmental throughline. The production opens and closes with the familiar presence of a magpie, subtly reinforcing the connection between prehistoric life and the ecosystems children encounter every day.
Audience interaction is constant and thoughtfully handled. Children are encouraged to shout answers, make sounds, and even join the action onstage. Crucially, participation isn’t limited to the front rows; volunteers are drawn from across the theatre, and each interaction is managed with care. What could be overwhelming moments for young children are instead shaped into affirming experiences, thanks to the sensitivity of the exceptional puppeteers: Albert, Kayla, Natalia, and Tom, who balance exuberance with reassurance.
Their puppetry is, as expected, exceptional. From skittering insects to looming dinosaur heads, the creatures feel immediate and alive. There’s a palpable tension in immersive puppetry, how to invite touch and proximity without losing control or tipping into fear, and Erth navigate it with confidence. The result is thrilling without being distressing, interactive without becoming chaotic.
Not every element lands as smoothly. A brief shadow puppetry sequence feels stylistically out of step with the rest of the show’s bright, tactile energy. But it’s a minor detour at the end of an otherwise cohesive experience.
What elevates Erth’s Dinosaurs beyond mere entertainment is its underlying respect for children’s intelligence. The show doesn’t talk down; it shares. Snippets of scientific information are woven lightly through the action, available to be absorbed or simply enjoyed in passing. There’s an implicit understanding here, supported by research, that intense childhood interests (dinosaurs chief among them) can foster deep learning, focus, and persistence.
The performance culminates in a gentle call to action: care for the descendants of dinosaurs in our own backyards by protecting native birdlife and environments. It’s a small but meaningful gesture, tying wonder to responsibility. Ultimately, Erth’s Dinosaurs succeeds because it is driven by genuine passion. This is theatre made by people who clearly love their subject and believe in the imaginative capacities of their audience. For children, especially those in the peak dinosaur years, it’s an invitation to explore, dream, and create. For adults, it’s a reminder of how powerful that kind of curiosity can be.
Stomp on down while you can and catch these magical creatures.
Fiona Hallenan-Barker, Theatre Now
Photo Credit: Daniel-Boud
