The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy
5 stars ‘So achingly magical and charming, so full of whimsicality and merry eccentricity that when the reality of Cheeseboy’s situation begins to strike home… those with iron self-control will just swallow very hard. The rest of us will try to forage quietly for a hankie… A marvel of exquisite theatre-craft’
The Herald, Scotland
Rolling from one town to the next, a Dickensian storyteller shares a timeless tale. When Cheeseboy’s cheese planet is hit by a passing meteor and reduced to a fondue, the boat he is in floats to earth – and he, in his sleep, floats down with it. Awaking in a foreign land, the boy searches for what he loves, riding with gypsies, stopping the tides, and making a deal with the moon.
awards
2009 Australian Writers’ Guild (AWGIE) Award: Best Australian Children’s Play
2008 Best Children’s Playwright Oscart
cast size
This is a story told – this may be by one, by some, or by many
Previous seasons: 2 performers, one narrating and one a silent sidekick
audience size
For ages seven and up, all the way to adult
LENGTH
55 minutes
seasons
(Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UK and US)
2020
Theatre du Pommier, Neuchatel, Switzerland
2018
Adelaide Fringe Festival, South Australia
2014
Mini Midi Maxi Festival, Bergen, Norway
Dublin Theatre Festival, Ireland
Babaro International Arts Festival, Galway, Ireland
Bualadh Bos Children’s Festival, Limerick, Ireland
Roola Boola Children’s Arts Festival, Castlebar, Ireland
Mad Hatter’s Children’s Theatre Festival, Sligo, Ireland
Irish national tour
2013
Theater Ingolstadt, Germany (produced by Theater Ingolstadt)
2012
Brisbane Powerhouse, Australia
Just Add Water Festival, Goolwa, Australia
Australian national tour
2011
Calgary International Children’s Festival, AB Canada
St Albert International Children’s Festival, AB Canada
Saskatchewan Int. Children’s Festival, SK Canada
Canadian national tour
New Victory Theater, 42nd St, New York NY, USA
Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus OH, USA
2010
New Zealand Arts Festival, national tour, New Zealand
Perth International Arts Festival, Australia
Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, Australia
2009
IPAY Showcase, Cleveland OH, USA
Children First! International Festival, Singapore
Festival Teatralia, Madrid, Spain
Imaginate Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland
Bath Theatre, England
Sydney Arts Festival, Australia
Sydney Opera House, Australia
2008
ASSITEJ International Children’s Theatre Festival and Congress
South Australian statewide tour
2007
South Australian statewide tour
Cie de Facto production 2020, starring Frank Michaux
Slingsby production 2008, starring Stephen Sheehan and Sam McMahon
first produced
- Commissioned/first produced by Slingsby, 2008
- First directed and conceived by Andy Packer
- German season licensed by Rowohlt, translated by Thomas Kruckemeyer
- Note: as this work is still under license with the commissioning company, future productions would require discussion with all parties