Where Is The Green Sheep? On Stage At The Concourse

As a parent, chances are you have read Where is the Green Sheep? out loud more times than you would care to admit. It is an absolute classic from Mem Fox and Judy Horacek, and somewhere around the one millionth reading something strange starts to happen. You know exactly where the green sheep is. You have always known. And yet, when you reach that last page and ask, “but where is the green sheep?”, it somehow comes out louder and more animated every single time. Cue the shock. Cue the laughter. Every time.

That little book was always a favourite in our house, so the news that Monkey Baa Theatre Company has turned it into a live show is the kind of thing that makes a tired parent sit up. Monkey Baa is known for its gorgeous productions for young audiences. We saw its Possum Magic show many years ago and have been fans ever since.

A staged version of Where is the Green Sheep? feels like a school holiday win, and it is coming to The Concourse in Chatswood these July school holidays.

Based on the much-loved book by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek, the production is an immersive visual theatre experience for children aged 1 to 6 and their families. Audiences meet Blue Sheep who loves blue flowers and Red Sheep who cartwheels in the fields, Bath Sheep who loves bubbles and Bed Sheep who loves to bounce.

But where is that green sheep?

Written for the stage and directed by Monkey Baa Artistic Director Eva Di Cesare, the show blends puppetry and animation to send three farmers on a playful and surprising quest to find the elusive green sheep. It was co-created with students from Bankstown West Public School, whose voices feature as narrators so the world young audiences know is reflected back to them on stage.

Mem Fox herself called the stage version “the crowning glory of its long and glorious career.”

At a time when many families are thinking more carefully about screen time, there is something pretty special about taking young children to a live show where characters appear in front of them, voices fill the theatre and everyone gets to respond in the moment. It is the kind of shared experience that cannot be replicated on a screen.

There is also a local connection for Lower North Shore families. North Sydney performer Ebony Tucker joins Michael Ho and Paul Grabovac on stage. A NIDA graduate, Tucker recently toured nationally in Monkey Baa’s Possum Magic and originated the title role in the one-woman show Abigail Williams. She is also a vocal advocate for accessible arts, especially for young people.

It runs for 45 minutes, with no interval, and is pitched perfectly at little theatre-goers aged 1 to 6. Honestly, if you are going to sit through that final page one more time, it may as well be with puppets, animation and someone else doing the funny voice.

This is a sponsored article produced by In the Cove in partnership with Monkey Baa Theatre Company. Sponsored content helps fund our independent local journalism.