BlueBoat
Theatre

Blueboat Theatre produces action-packed performances for children and families. Working from original scripts, Blueboat’s hallmark is ‘animated storytelling’ where the narrative is vividly enacted through the imaginative use of puppets, masks, mime, sets and animated props. Since it’s founding in 1999, Blueboat has created seven original productions and has gathered rave reviews throughout Australia and internationally. This year Mark will be performing Monsters in My Wardrobe at the Bosco Theatre as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Mark Pençak - Director/writer/performer:

Mark is a graduate of the Theatre/Media Course at Sturt University in Bathurst, with a Master of Design in Visual Communication from Edinburgh College of the Arts. As a scriptwriter, Mark has written for radio, TV and film, although the majority of his work has been for the stage. As a performer, Mark has worked extensively both in Australia and the UK creating innovative performances for both adults and children.

Eliza-Jane Gilchrist - Designer/builder:

Eliza is a Fine Art graduate from Kent Institute of Arts and Design in the UK. In addition to her independent work as a sculptor, she creates and designs the sets, puppets and props for Blueboat. This work has included magical wardrobes, ocean going wheelbarrows, strange miniature worlds and special effects for both stage and video.

Monsters In My Wardrobe

Written and performed by Mark Pençak. Puppets and props Eliza-Jane Gilchrist.

Mark’s afraid of the dark. At night he hides under his doona and peeks out at the mysterious shadows and dark corners, but the scariest place of all is his wardrobe. He’s sure monsters are inside! And then one day it happens…. monsters come out and take away his favourite toys! Determined to get them back, Mark climbs into the wardrobe and is zapped into fantastic worlds, flung into outer space, propelled under the water and stranded in mysterious forests. There he prepares to battle the monsters, until he discovers that when you imagine yourself in the place of others, the ‘monsters’ you fear aren’t really monsters at all. Monsters In My Wardrobe is a story about things not always being as they seem, facing fears and looking at things from another’s perspective. Mark Pençak’s approach to children’s theatre is imaginative, evocative and beautiful. His ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary is inspiring. In Monsters In My Wardrobe something as everyday as a wardrobe becomes his set, bursting with secret doors, pop-up monsters and magical effects.

What schools have said

A very energetic performance that engaged the audience for the whole act. Great props and staging. We all loved the emphasis on imagination.

It was a great show - very dynamic in the presentation. The "fears" were ones children could quickly identify with. The question time afterwards identified how we can deal with our fears - by ourselves. Great discussion happened.

All students and teachers totally enjoyed the performance. It provided a great platform from which to initiate all sorts of discussions.

All of the students in my class loved it. They laughed so much and were very interested in the 'monsters' and the way Mark walked on the spot and how all the lights and smoke worked. It was great for their imagination. Fantastic job! The best play we have had this year.

What the Press have said

‘Good family show, charming enough for four-year olds, intriguing and adventurous enough for ten-year olds and wryly amusing for adults.’

2010 Melbourne Comedy Festival Information Venue:The Bosco City Square Cnr of Collins and Swanston Sts