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

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