ZOOOM by Patch Theatre | Review

Review by Jo Parkinson

Patch Theatre presents ‘ZOOOM’, a story of a lost star, and the journey to help it find its way home.

ZOOOM provokes a sense of wonder, illuminates imaginations and awakens the inner child in all of us.

The Show

After 11 weeks touring sell-out shows in the USA and Canada, ZOOOM is now playing at the Space Theatre in Adelaide for a limited time, before embarking on a regional tour throughout the state.

The show is an artistic collaboration of music, storytelling, animation and most importantly, light. It uses a mix of spotlights, lasers, projectors and hand-held lights to present different ideas.

Synopsis

The story is centred around sole performer, Temeka. Set in her bedroom, Temeka is supposed to be sleeping. Instead, she stays up late and plays with her doll. As she shines her torch on her doll, she is surprised to see an unusual light enter her room and discovers it’s a lost star.

With a calming musical score (composed by Jason Sweeney) playing in the background, Temeka takes the audience on an almost dream-like journey. She befriends the star, inventing stories and playing games with it. The use of light-up, interactive animation by Luku projected on the screens is an innovative approach to storytelling.

Temeka enjoys meeting the star but soon learns of its wish to go home. With the help of the audience and their hand-held lights, Temeka must find a way to return the star.

What we thought:

The main theme of the performance is light. Before the show, audience members are invited to bring a ‘piece of light’ with them. This is to give to the ‘Keepers of the Dark’ who exchange it for a hand held light to hold during the show. A piece of dark can be anything you like, real or invisible. An example could be a drawing, or even emptying bags or pockets of their darkness.

It was beautiful to see and hear the children’s delight and wonder, as lights took them by surprise at certain intervals in the show.

Things to note:

• ZOOOM is recommended for children 3-10 years. Our 7-year-old thoroughly enjoyed it, and although our 10-year-old was one of the oldest children there, he was still impressed by the show.
• The seats are tiered for optimal viewing. We loved the way large mats were also placed at the front of the stage, so children could sit up close if they wanted to.
• The performance runs for 40 minutes, just the right amount of time to keep the attention of young audience members.
• The main character has no dialogue, but her brilliant expressions and large, clear movements are enough to keep the audience completely engaged.

ZOOOM is a captivating piece of theatre, that is well worth seeing. Its interesting concept of light and interactive animation is paving the way for the theatre of the future.

Photo Credit: Matt Byrne

ZOOOM is playing at the Space Theatre on 12 & 19 August 2023. 

FIND OUT MORE HERE

CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS 

For more information and all enquiries please visit the ZOOOM | Patch Theatre

What:   ZOOOM by Patch Theatre

When:   Saturday 5, 12 & 19 August 2023

Where:   Space Theatre

Who:   Children 3-10 years

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

Image Source: Jo Parkinson and Patch Theatre

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