Shanghai audiences go gaga for South Australian production of Grug

Windmill Theatre’s international award-winning production Grug has opened to rave reviews in Shanghai as part of a seven-week, 70-performance tour in the region, representing the South Australian company’s first foray into Mainland China. 

The work opened last week as part of a new Arts Festival for Young Audiences at Art Space for Kids, a newly constructed theatre for family audiences in Shanghai. Following four weeks in Shanghai, it will then transfer to Beijing’s Jingdu Wenhua Investment Company Performing Arts Centre for three weeks, before heading back to South Australia for a two-week regional tour in early 2016. 

This follows a successful season of the early childhood work in Hong Kong in April and a critically acclaimed sell-­out season of Windmill’s family musical, Pinocchio, a co-production with State Theatre of SA, in New York in March. 

Windmill’s General Manager and Producer Sandy Verschoor is currently at the Performing Arts Market (PAMS) in neighbouring Korea as part of the Australia Council’s official delegation, to showcase the company’s work to venues and presenters in the greater Asian region. 

“Our attendance at PAMS has provided a time-­critical and invaluable opportunity to leverage our current tour activity in Beijing and Shanghai to help establish our presence in the Korean market alongside the growing enthusiasm in our work from Asian presenters,” Ms Verschoor said from Korea last night.

Early childhood work Grug has played to over 50,000 young people worldwide since its Adelaide premiere in 2012, representing Windmill’s most successful export to date. The play is based on the much-­loved picture book character created by Ted Prior and features an all-­South Australian team led by director Sam Haren and features performances by Ellen Steele, Hamish Fletcher and Matthew Crook, with music by DJ TR!P. 

Featuring simple storytelling, elegant design and exquisite puppetry, it has won the prestigious International Performing Arts for Youth Victor Award for Best Show in Tampa Florida, two Business SA Export Awards, a Helpmann Award nomination for Best Presentation for Children and a Ruby Award nomination for Best Work. 

Grug has already made its mark in North America, with 157 performances in 13 cities during a five-month tour of the US and Canada in 2013. Negotiations are under way for two new works – Big Bad Wolf and Grug the Rainbow – to follow in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The second installation of the popular franchise, Grug and the Rainbow, premiered to a sell out season in Adelaide last year and most recently, at the Arts Centre Melbourne in July. 

Grug plays at Art Space for Kids in Shanghai from 1 to 25 October 2015 and Beijing Jingdu Wenhua Investment Company Performing Arts Centre from 31 October to 15 November 2015. Details for the South Australian regional tour will be released shortly. 

Windmill Theatre is a Brand South Australia member.