“It is no easy feat to keep the attention of a very young audience. But from the opening strum of Jesse's guitar, he and puppeteer Sally had a group of one- to 10-year-olds at the Prince Rupert Public Library enraptured.”Thom Barker, Black Press Media, Canada
“The highlight of the show was the full moon dragon boogie. And our four-year-old expert reviewer says “I liked the gold dust the best” – which is special magic gold dust from the dancing dragon.Lucy Budzynski, KIDDO Magazine
Pico and the Golden Lagoon is a magical 45-minute puppet theatre adventure for Foundation–Year 4, combining handmade puppets, live music and storytelling.
With a mission to connect diverse audiences globally, these engaging performances combine the art of puppetry, live musical accompaniment, and compelling storytelling to foster unity.
Each show delves into the enchanting narratives from Pico's escapades, shedding light on environmental themes and innovative concepts.'Pico and the Golden Lagoon' chronicles Pico's courage, the importance of forging new relationships, and the wonders of the natural world.
Journey alongside Pico as she traverses the globe in her iconic yellow bi-plane, uncovering eco-conscious practices through her encounters with a host of unique characters. Stranded on an island after running out of fuel, Pico encounters David, a passionate naturalist, and Lou, a friendly dragon residing by the shimmering lagoon. Will Lou assist Pico in overcoming her fuel dilemma? Discover the answer in this enchanting production crafted from sustainable materials, seamlessly blending puppetry, live music, and storytelling in a mesmerizing spectacle
Created from recycled and repurposed materials, the performance explores courage, friendship, imagination, sustainability and our connection with nature.
The incursion brings professional live theatre directly to your school, creating an engaging shared experience that inspires children to wonder, imagine, create and connect.
Further School information and curriculum connections
🌿 SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is a central theme of Pico and the Golden Lagoon.
Through Pico's adventure, students can explore:
- The connections between animals, plants, people and waterways
- The importance of healthy habitats
- How human actions can affect natural environments
- Caring for animals and the places they live
The story encourages students to ask:
“What can we do to help protect the places where animals live?”
🐠 SCIENCE
The Sun as a source of energy
Light and heat from the Sun
How sunlight supports life and natural systems
Exploring different sources of energy
Observing and investigating how sunlight affects objects and environments
Easy follow-up activity
“Power Pico's Plane!”
If Pico's plane could run on the Sun, how might we make it work?
Students design and draw a solar-powered plane, then discuss:
- Where does its energy come from?
- What happens when the Sun isn't shining?
- How could solar energy help people and animals?
- What other renewable energy sources can we find?
🎭 THE ARTS
Puppetry is at the heart of Pico and the Golden Lagoon.
Students experience how artists communicate ideas through:
Drama • Puppetry • Character • Voice • Movement • Music • Visual storytelling • Sets • Props
A puppet-making activity can extend the experience, allowing students to design and create their own animal characters and use them to communicate an environmental message.
📚 ENGLISH
The performance provides a shared story that can be explored through oral language, literacy and creative writing.
Students can:
- Retell and sequence the story
- Identify characters and settings
- Discuss problems and solutions
- Make predictions
- Explore character perspectives
- Develop environmental vocabulary
- Discuss the themes and message of the story
- Write from the perspective of an animal
- Create their own environmental story
- Invent an alternative ending
🌏 HASS — PEOPLE, PLACES & ENVIRONMENTS
The story encourages students to consider the relationship between people and the places in which they live.
Students can investigate:
- Local places and environments
- How people use and care for places
- How environments change
- Why particular places are important
- How communities can protect natural environments
- Actions that can make a positive difference locally
Teachers can connect the story with a local environment familiar to their students.
💡 GENERAL CAPABILITIES
The experience can support:
Critical & Creative Thinking
Questioning, imagining possibilities and developing solutions.
Personal & Social Capability
Empathy, communication, cooperation and collaboration.
Ethical Understanding
Considering responsibility towards animals, living things and the environment.
Literacy
Listening, interpreting, discussing and communicating ideas through creative forms.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Pico’s Puppet Palace was established in 2016 by the talented duo of Sally Miller and Jesse Hamilton. Together, Sally and Jesse meticulously create a wonderful array of puppets and sets for Pico’s Puppet Palace, using various reclaimed, recycled, and repurposed materials sourced from their surroundings. Each performance unfolds as a captivating episode of Pico’s adventurous journey and introduces ecological and environmental issues, innovations, and ideas, making the utilization of these recycled materials not only practical but also perfectly aligned with the overarching ethos of the show. They employ these diverse mediums to produce both puppets and intricate sets, drawing upon their extensive experience in crafting with materials like glass, an assortment of repurposed fabrics from old toys or clothes, papier mâché, wood, plastic, metal, and numerous other found objects. Jesse’s extensive knowledge of mechanics and building techniques greatly informs their production of puppets featuring multiple moving parts, and Sally’s skill as an actor and physical performer enhances their ability to create vibrant and lifelike puppets that enthrall audiences, sparking curiosity and joy among both young children and adults alike. Their impressive range of puppets includes everything from full-body puppets and costumes to hand and rod puppets, sock puppets, and muppets, as well as mechanical sculptures that can be animated by the puppeteer, shadow puppetry, and even more forms of this enchanting art.
Pico’s Puppet Palace is designed to resonate perfectly with contemporary young audiences. The company tours not only nationally but also internationally, with the ambition of presenting their shows to diverse audiences all around the globe, connecting across generations through the artful combination of puppetry, live music, and storytelling.
In 2022, they were honored with the UNIMA Australia Lorrie Gardner Scholarship fund, enabling them to undertake a transformative residency in Indonesia with the esteemed Papermoon Puppet Theatre in Yogyakarta, where they also had the opportunity to perform at the renowned festival Pesta Boneka - ‘Seeds of Hope.’ They have toured extensively throughout Australia and Western Canada, performing at a variety of children’s festivals, schools, folk festivals, events, and libraries. Their creative projects have received significant financial support from both the BC Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, further enabling their mission to inspire and entertain through puppetry.
BOOKINGS
To make a booking or enquiry, simply press the GREEN Enquiry/Booking Request Button above right to directly contact the booking team. They will answer you promptly to discuss your booking including when payment will be required.
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