Cirrus@Austlit

'A moving tale of self-discovery for all the family

'“Cicada tell story. Story good. Story simple. Story even human can understand. Tok! Tok! Tok!”

'Cicada spends his days dutifully working away in a grey office. Overlooked by his superiors and overworked by his colleagues, he is getting very close to the end of his tether. But one day, looking out over the city from the rooftop of his office building, Cicada has an epiphany.

'Winner of the Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book in 2019, this new adaptation brings master-storyteller Shaun Tan’s much-loved CICADA to life in a stunning puppet show, presented by Sydney Theatre Company and created by one of Australia’s premier children’s theatre companies – Barking Gecko Theatre.

'A small story of epic proportions, Cicada is an allegory of difference, resilience and the light we all have inside ourselves. Children and adults will love this enchanting tale about finding one’s place in the world.' (Production summary)

'Let’s begin with two people.

'Deep in the gloom a phone rings. They take the call. The voice on the line slips beneath her skin and curls its fingers around his stomach.

'You can’t see it, you can’t touch it, you can barely feel it. You can’t hold on tight enough.

'These people, these sisters and lovers and pilots and brothers are joined deep beneath the surface, below knowledge, down where desire and depravity lie. The line goes dead and these two people catch a glimpse of what’s to come, as it retreats back into the fog.

'A new work from Side Pony Productions (The Confidence Man, The Pride) and The Last Great Hunt (Falling through Clouds, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer), The Irresistible is a reckless, intoxicating love letter to the subconscious.'

Source: Side Pony Productions.