Across five creative and collaborative days, participants will build an original performance world inspired by the spirit worlds, strange creatures and living landscapes of Studio Ghibli.

Working with UNDERARTS and Golden Scissor Puppets, the ensemble will explore puppetry, animation, sound design, character creation, improvisation and visual storytelling. Rather than recreating existing Ghibli stories, participants will use them as a starting point to invent something entirely their own — a new world filled with handmade creatures, hidden forces, unexpected transformations and strange connections between humans, nature and spirit.

The workshop will take place at Collarts Collingwood, where participants will work in the same creative spaces used by Collarts students. Over the week, they will devise, make, rehearse and refine an original performance, before sharing it with an audience in the professional theatre on campus as part of the Melbourne Festival of Puppetry.

Participants can contribute in whatever way they feel most at home — through performing, writing, drawing, puppet-making, animation, sound, design or production.

Expect to:

• Imagine and invent strange creatures, spirits and landscapes

• Create puppets, props and visual worlds

• Explore animation, projection and sound design

• Develop characters and scenes through improvisation and writing

• Collaborate with other young artists to build a shared world

• Rehearse and perform in a professional theatre

• Be part of a one-off public performance presented during the Melbourne Festival of Puppetry

Our days move between making, imagining, rehearsing and resting — giving participants time to focus, collaborate and recharge.

9–10am | Calm Start
A gentle beginning to the day with quiet creative activities available for participants who need early drop-off.

10am–12.30pm | Workshop Session One
Morning warm-ups, theatre games, creative development and world-building, with a short morning tea break.

12.30–1.15pm | Lunch Break
Supervised lunch and downtime at Collarts Collingwood.

1.15–4pm | Workshop Session Two
Afternoon devising and making — continuing scene work, puppetry, animation, sound, design and rehearsal, with an afternoon tea break.

4–5pm | Cool-Down & Reflection
A relaxed end to the day where participants can unwind, reflect on the day’s work and watch short selections from the Studio Ghibli catalogue to inspire the next day’s making.

This workshop is designed for young people aged 9–15 who are creative, curious, imaginative, or drawn to strange worlds, unusual characters and stories that don’t fit neatly inside the ordinary.

It’s for young people who enjoy drawing, acting, writing, crafting, making, imagining new worlds, inventing characters, or simply trying something different. Participants do not need to be confident performers — some may love being on stage, while others may feel more at home building puppets, creating sounds, designing characters, writing scenes or helping shape the world of the performance.

UNDERARTS welcomes young people of all abilities, identities and backgrounds. We are committed to creating a space where disabled and/or neurodivergent participants, LGBTQIA+ young people, and young people from culturally diverse communities feel safe, seen and supported.

Our facilitators are experienced in working with diverse ensembles and support each participant to contribute in their own way.

No prior theatre experience is required — just imagination, curiosity and a willingness to try something new.

Small Gods, Strange Creatures is facilitated by UNDERARTS in collaboration with Golden Scissor Puppets.

Across the week, participants will work with a team of artists experienced in performance-making, puppetry, visual storytelling, animation, sound, writing and collaborative devising.

The facilitation team includes Allison Wiltshire, Artistic Director of UNDERARTS, and Ahmarnya Price, a visual artist, performance maker, animator and facilitator whose work spans theatre, live drawing, animation, inclusive ensemble practice and youth arts.

Artists from Golden Scissor Puppets will bring their expertise in puppetry, creature creation, handmade visual worlds and object-based performance, supporting participants to bring strange beings, landscapes and stories to life on stage.

$450 per participant

• The workshop fee includes:

• Five days of creative workshops

• Optional supervision from 9am–5pm

• Professional artist facilitation

• Specialist puppetry support from Golden Scissor Puppets

• Animation, sound, puppetry and art-making materials

• Participation in the final public performance at Collarts Collingwood

We know every family’s situation is different, and we don’t want cost to stand in the way. We’ve worked to make the program as accessible as possible, but if price is still a barrier, please reach out at hello@underarts.com.au — we’ll do our best to find a solution together.

What age group is the workshop for?
The workshop is designed for young people aged 9–15.

The group will be capped at 16 participants so that each young person has space to contribute, be supported and take part in the creative process.

Do participants need any theatre experience?
Not at all. The workshop is designed for all experience levels.

Whether your child loves performing, drawing, writing, making, animation, sound, puppets, character creation, fantasy worlds or simply trying something different, there will be a way for them to take part.

Participants do not need to be confident performers. Some may love being on stage, while others may feel more at home building puppets, creating sounds, designing characters, writing scenes or helping shape the world of the performance.

What kind of performance will they make?
Participants will create an original performance inspired by the spirit worlds, strange creatures and living landscapes of Studio Ghibli.

Rather than recreating existing Ghibli stories, the group will use this inspiration to build a new world of their own — filled with handmade creatures, unexpected characters, strange transformations, soundscapes, scenes and visual storytelling.

The final performance will be devised entirely by the young ensemble and shared with an audience at Collarts Collingwood.

Will participants be making puppets?
Yes. Puppetry and creature creation will be a major part of the workshop.

Working with UNDERARTS and Golden Scissor Puppets, participants will explore how materials, objects and handmade creatures can come to life on stage. They may create puppets, props, visual worlds, characters, animations or performance moments as part of the final work.

Will participants watch Studio Ghibli films?
Yes. Participants will watch selected scenes and short excerpts from the Studio Ghibli catalogue to support inspiration, discussion and creative development.

We’ll look at elements such as atmosphere, character, transformation, landscape, spirit worlds, sound and visual storytelling, then use these as starting points to create something original.

What do participants need to bring?

From Monday to Thursday, participants should bring:

• A packed lunch

• Snacks

• A water bottle

• Comfortable clothes they can move and make in

• Clothes that can get a little messy

• Any medications they may need, with clear instructions

Friday is a shorter performance day, beginning at 3pm, so participants will not need to bring lunch.

More detailed information about what to bring, including anything needed for the final performance, will be sent to families before the workshop begins.

What do you provide?
We provide all core workshop materials, including puppetry materials, craft supplies, art-making materials, basic prop-making resources and performance-making equipment.

The workshop fee also includes professional artist facilitation, specialist puppetry support from Golden Scissor Puppets, supervision from 9am–5pm Monday to Thursday, and participation in the final public performance.

What are the facilities like?
The workshop will take place at Collarts Collingwood, where participants will work in the same creative spaces used by Collarts students.

The final performance will take place in the theatre on campus, giving participants the opportunity to share their work in a dedicated performance environment as part of the Melbourne Festival of Puppetry.

Is lunch provided?
Participants should bring their own lunch, snacks and water bottle from Monday to Thursday. UNDERARTS will provide an afternoon snack during the workshop days.

There will be supervised breaks across the day, including time to rest, eat and recharge.

On Friday, participants begin at 3pm for the final rehearsal and performance and will not need to bring lunch.

What happens on the final day?
Friday 25 September is our performance day and follows a different schedule from the rest of the week.

Participants will arrive at 3pm for a technical and dress rehearsal at Collarts Collingwood. The rehearsal will run from 3–6pm, followed by the public performance at 6pm.

Please note that the usual 9am–5pm supervision hours do not apply on Friday. Participants are required at Collarts from 3pm.

Families will receive more detailed information about the performance day before the workshop begins.

Can I come to the final performance?
Yes. The final performance will take place at 6pm on Friday 25 September at Collarts Collingwood.

Families, friends and members of the public are warmly invited to attend. Ticketing information will be released separately.

Do audience members need tickets?
Yes. The final performance will be a public ticketed event presented as part of the Melbourne Festival of Puppetry.

Ticketing information will be released separately.

How big is the group?
The workshop is capped at 16 participants.

This allows for a supportive ensemble environment, plenty of individual attention and enough space for participants to create, rehearse, make and be seen.

My child has access needs — can they take part?
UNDERARTS is committed to accessibility and inclusion, and we warmly welcome enquiries from families of young people with disability, neurodivergence and/or specific access needs.

Because every young person is different, we ask families to get in touch with us before booking if their child has particular support needs. This helps us understand what your child may need, talk through what is possible within the workshop setting, and prepare the right level of support wherever we can.

Please contact us at hello@underarts.com.au before registering so we can have a conversation about how best to support your child’s participation.

What is your approach to child safety?
UNDERARTS is a Child Safe Organisation, committed to providing a secure, respectful and inclusive environment.

All facilitators hold current Working With Children Checks and follow child-safety and duty-of-care procedures, including risk management, supervision and consent protocols.

What if we need to cancel?
Full refunds are available up to two weeks before the workshop start date.

After that, partial refunds may be possible depending on the circumstances.