Children’s Theatre Company Patch Theatre Brings Show to Arts Centre Melbourne This Summer

Enchanting intergalactic illumination will light up Arts Centre Melbourne this summer as Patch Theatre’s award-winning immersive show ZOOOM tours to Melbourne for the very first time. Combining state-of-the-art technology and old-school whimsy, the captivating performance for young people aged 4 – 8 years-old will play at the Fairfax Studio from 6 – 11 January 2026.

In ZOOOM, a child – who is unable to sleep – goes on an imaginary adventure throughout the universe to help a lost star find its way home. Using original music, lasers and projections, the Ruby and Independent Arts Foundation Award-winning production takes audience members on a transformational journey with light, where audiences discover that the dark is a magical place.

Inspired by Crockett Johnson’s Harold and the Purple Crayon, ZOOOM channels the philosophy from the much-loved 1955 children’s picture book – a child making sense of their world through art. Premiering in 2019, ZOOOM has since been performed over 250 times to over 50,000 people in cities and towns across Australia, the Americas and most recently in Singapore, Shanghai and Taiwan.

Unlike typical theatre shows where children are advised to stay seated and quiet, ZOOOM encourages audience members to move around, dance and control different elements of the show. Audience members are also invited to ‘bring a piece of dark’ to the show, which is then exchanged for their own personal ‘light’ which keeps them safe and guides them through the interactive performance.

“While performing around the world, it’s been amazing to see all the different ‘pieces of dark’ that children have brought to the theatre. The request is purposefully ambiguous, we love seeing the delight on the children’s faces as they explore their imaginative realms,” said ZOOOM co-creator and performer Temeka Lawlor.

“They arrive with artwork, stories and songs they’ve made up – one child told us they’d brought the dark that sits behind their eyelids! The dark can be a scary concept for young children, but ZOOOM demonstrates how the dark can be a magical and exciting place to play with light,” Lawlor continued.

ZOOOM has become an iconic Patch Theatre show which captivates the audience by placing them in the centre of the performance, says Geoff Cobham Artistic Director of Patch Theatre.

“Its immersive style breaks the fourth wall that typically separates the performer from the audience and transports them to a place of wonder. Over the past four years, feedback from children, parents and educators has been that ZOOOM opened their eyes to the creative possibilities of theatre and light,” Cobham said.

Founded in South Australia in 1972, Patch Theatre has produced over 100 unique works for which they have won numerous awards. They create visually captivating and interactive smaller scale theatre for 4–8 year olds, that explore how children see the world. Each year, Patch Theatre provides inspirational, design-rich theatre experiences to over 50,000 children worldwide.

Photo by Matt Byrne