Arts Centre Melbourne to Showcase Australian Books and Unique Performances

In March, families will have the chance to participate in ColdVoice, a free outdoor installation of melting musical instruments made entirely of ice that reveal the sounds of glaciers. In April, a dark fairy tale will be brought to life in The Bookbinder followed by the exciting stage adaptation of Andy Griffith's book YOU & ME and The Land of Lost Things in June. Also included in the program is a beautiful tale of friendship, New Owner and the theatrical adaptation of much loved children's book Where is the Green Sheep?.

"We're serving up big fun for little people (and their grown-ups) in 2026 with everything from free outdoor music-making and theatre bursting with mischief and laughter. This season particularly celebrates families' love of stories – with iconic Australian books being recreated for stage and the imaginative words of fairy-tales being brought to life. We are excited to welcome you whether it is your first ever theatre outing, or a return visit to Arts Centre Melbourne," said Mary Harvey, Arts Centre Melbourne Creative Producer Families and Children.

From 3 – 9 March Playable Streets presents their newest work ColdVoice  - a sensory experience like no other; feel the chill on fingertips, hear crystalline tones, and watch as the instruments melt with every touch. As they melt, ColdVoice becomes a living reminder of how delicate and beautiful our planet can be.

This free outdoor activation on Arts Centre Melbourne's Forecourt turns ice into music, inviting the young and young at heart to connect with the natural world in a playful new way. Chill-seekers are transported to frozen landscapes, discovering how ice can be strong and delicate, solid and melting, sound and silence. ColdVoice is presented in partnership with Moomba Festival.

The Bookbinder, a dark fairy-tale brought to life through inventive puppetry, paper art, shadow play and atmospheric storytelling will be performed in The Show Room from 23 – 25 April. An old man sits down to read the tale of a bookbinding apprentice. As his words fill the room, the story slips off the page and into the workshop around him.

First performed in the back room of a second-hand bookshop, this award-winning production by Trick of the Light (NZ) has since travelled the world – from the attic of Aotearoa/New Zealand's oldest bookbindery to New York's Lincoln Center – touring Australia, South Africa, the UK, Canada, China and the USA. It has received numerous honours, including Best Theatre and Best in Fringe at NZ Fringe 2014, the International Excellence Award at Sydney Fringe 2014 and the Children's Theatre Award at Fringe World Perth in 2015.

From 13 – 14 June, the team behind the 13-, 26-, 52-, 78- and 91-Storey Treehouses will take Andy Griffiths, who was recently named the Australian Children's Laureate for 2026-2027, and Bill Hopes' brilliantly bonkers book YOU & ME and The Land of Lost Things to the stage.  Presented by CDP Theatre Producers, this hilarious new theatrical adventure is for children aged 6–12 and their adults. YOU and ME have lost something important. Well… actually, lots of things, a guinea pig, a lucky rabbit's foot and possibly the plot! They are off on a wild quest through the Land of Lost Things – a world of snapping turtles, flying socks, treasure-hungry pirates, and a very anxious bull. It's a dangerous adventure – but with a bathtub boat, a guinea pig detector and just a little bit of luck, they might just make it home. That's if they don't get eaten by sharks.

From the creators of international smash hits The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer and It's Dark Outside comes New Owner, performed at Arts Centre Melbourne from 17 – 18 July. The sensitive show about loss, friendship and new beginnings is presented by internationally renowned theatre company, The Last Great Hunt (WA). Knowing that puppies are the best medicine, Mabel adopts Bart from the animal shelter to help heal her widowed heart. But Mabel is old, and Bart is young, and not all love can last forever. Suddenly alone, Bart embarks on an urban odyssey of towering hot dog carts, menacing dog-nappers and junkyard camaraderie.

Then from 22 – 26 September the beloved Where is the Green Sheep?, an immersive visual theatre experience based on the beloved children's book by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek will be brought to the stage by acclaimed children's theatre company Monkey Baa during the Spring school holidays. We meet Blue Sheep who loves blue flowers and Red Sheep who loves to cartwheel in the fields, Bath Sheep who loves bubbles and Bed Sheep who loves to bounce... But where IS that Green Sheep?

Blending puppetry and animation, this beautiful production invites young audiences to join three farmers on their quest to find the elusive green sheep. Co-created with students from Bankstown West Public School, this production integrates their voices as narrators, ensuring the work resonates deeply with young audiences.

"It felt like a gift when Judy asked to meet to discuss her desire to turn this iconic children's book into a stage show.  I imagined the characters bouncing off the page to the stage and knew that these sheep needed the perfect partner to theatricalise them. MonkeyBaa, with their extensive experience of book adaptations for early years, was the right company to introduce to Judy,'' said Mary Harvey, recalling Arts Centre Melbourne's involvement and subsequent funding in the creative development of the work.

Where is the Green Sheep? is a co-production with QPAC's Out of the Box in association with Arts Centre Melbourne, The Sydney Opera House and The Art House, Wyong.

These works are presented as part of Arts Centre Melbourne's year-round Families and Children Program. Launched in August 2009, it has grown in reputation to become a highly respected program nationally and internationally. Featuring intimate and large-scale theatre from some of the world's most respected companies, the program is robust and growing in size, scale and scope.