"The show was nothing short of AMAZING. Production quality was out of this world. I was thoroughly impressed what one man could do to engage the audience!... I loved how you engaged the students through puppetry and song and dance."Kilberry Valley PS, Hampton Park, VIC for 2024's show
"We definitely want to book next year!... It was just a wonderful show. So many people have commented on how it appealed to all the kids, got them involved, was easy to follow and (had) wonderful theatre devices."Redeemer Lutheran College, Rochedale, QLD for 2024's show
CBCA Notable-listed 2025 Picture Book of the Year
Live on stage for Book Week
Based on the CBCA 2025 Notable-listed Picture Book of the Year...
"GENERAL WASTE" by Michel Streich, published by Scholastic Australia
- Adapted for the live stage & performed by "Tony Bones" Appleby B.Ed
- Music by Tony & Matt Brown Dip.Ed
- Technical Design by Tony & Zac Krause
- Props, Costumes & Sets by Tony & Marni Appleby
This brand new 40-minute LIVE stage performance will bring another award-nominated new Australian picture book TO LIFE!!
It is created & performed by "Tony Bones" Appleby B.Ed, a qualified & practising drama, dance & English teacher with over 25 years of professional school teaching & performing experience in children's theatre & theatre in education.
Tony has been adapting & performing CBCA short-listed & notable-listed books across Australia for Book Week since the year 2000 & this is his 40th Australian book adapted to the stage.
Curriculum Areas:
- The Arts (Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music, Visual Arts);
- Critical & Creative Thinking;
- Ethical Capability;
- Personal and Social Capability;
- English;
- Technologies (Design & Technologies + Digital Technologies)
Capabilities:
- Literacy;
- Critical & Creative Thinking.
- Ethical;
- Intercultural;
- Personal and Social.
Topics & Themes:
Reduce - Reuse - Recyle, environment, consumerism, pollution, waste disposal, donating, environmental action, throw away society, preserving food, reducing your carbon footprint, fast fashion, repairing clothes, packaging, cooking food you grow, creating art from rubbish, growing vegetables, composting, creating a garden for wildlife, nature, enjoying the simple life.
About the book:
General Waste loves stuff! Wasting lots of stuff! He tosses away apples after one bite, he has hour-long showers, he must have the latest uniform fashion, and he rides around in a monster truck! He shares a house with Gram-Gram. She always saves her leftovers, does her own repairs and cycles everywhere! One day, when General Waste finds himself trapped under a mountain of his own stuff, Gram-Gram comes to the rescue ... General Waste is a hilarious tale about how to find joy in the simple things in life.
About the show:
The live show will bring the book to life!!!
It includes:
- Drama: a variety of performance styles within the show: Melodrama, Pantomime, Musical Theatre, Physical Theatre, Mime, Puppetry, Game show, Improvisation, Slow-mo, etc.
- Dance: a variety of dance styles within the show: Jazz, contemporary, Hip Hop, etc.
- Music: a variety of music styles in the show: Reggae, Rock, various Latin Music styles, Lounge Music, Music Theatre, Rap, Hip Hop, etc;
- Puppetry: a variety of puppetry styles in the show: Shadow puppetry, Hand puppetry, Board puppetry;
- Mask: Whole face masks, headpieces, etc;
- Painted sets & props: Painted on fabric, plywood, cardboard & paper.
- Digital projections: 2 x 16:9 digital projectors cast images of the book, digital images of sets, animations, explosions & lighting displays onto large freestanding 100" rear projection screens on either side of the stage creating an incredible viewing experience for the students. They are also used for shadow puppetry in the show.
- Raised staging: 45cm high staging 2m wide x 1m deep ensure everyone, even in very large groups can see all of the action;
- DMX coloured stage lighting: the very latest DMX coloured stage lighting is used throughout the show to create intense & dynamic atmosphere throughout the performance.
- Professional sound system & headset microphones: powered EV pro speakers, the DPA D-fine radio headset microphone & the Shure GLX bodypack are used to ensure crystal clear sound for even the very largest halls;
- Audience participation: Students are used throughout the show to both participate in the audience (responding, singing or dancing along, creating scenes in the audience) & also join in on stage to operate puppets, dress in costume to become characters, create sets & props during the show, be part of improvised scenes or be contestants in a game show;
- Full Q&A session after the show: a full Question & Answer session takes place led by "Tony Bones" Appleby B.Ed, a qualified teacher with over 20 years of experience running these sessions. Tony discusses in depth why he made certain decisions when creating the show (e.g. adding scenes or slightly changing them from the book, sets used, etc), and shows students how the props, sets, puppets, costumes, projections & sound were created for the show, as well as discussing the writing of the script & composing of the songs & music. A 20-minute FAQ video is also available to all staff & students after the show if more questions arise;
- Lesson plans for teachers: Custom-created follow-up activities, discussion points & lesson plans are provided for all year levels.
- Public Liability Cover of $30,000,000 & Professional Indemnity Insurance of $10,000,000.
"We had a lot great feedback about how engaging it was for all the year levels, and they enjoyed the multimedia elements in your show, and the fact that it was interactive for the kids. Lots of positive feedback so well done!"Prospect North PS, SA for 2024's show
“Tony uses all aspects of the Creative Arts Syllabus such as music, dance, drama and visual arts when he creates and performs his amazing show. We thank him for bringing books to life at TPS!”Toronto PS, NSW for 2024's show
"The staff and myself thought the performance was great. They were really happy with how you engaged the children... The actual show content was excellent & brought the book to life." The lighting and music really brought the performance to another level"Glowrey Catholic PS, Woolert, VIC for 2024's show
“A great way of experiencing a written text… every child was entertained. What a fabulous way to learn!… Great jokes and suited for all age groups... Awesome... It was great to see different media used as well such as the screen, the stage, puppets."Catherine McAuley Catholic PS, Orange, NSW for 2024's show
BOOKINGS
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