City of Riddles

City of Riddles is a 360-degree interactive theatre experience requiring hands-on participation from its audience, who are surrounded by puzzles they must solve and instructions they must follow. Unlike anything you’ve seen before, City of Riddles is above, below and all around you.

Upon entry, the audience explores a mysterious and atmospheric landscape of little buildings, peering inside each one like giants in a miniature world. From there, the landscape changes and changes again, until you are drawn into the story of a girl whose voice is stolen from her and buried deep under the City of Riddles. Deeply involving and heaps of fun, City of Riddles explores the preoccupation with our own space, the concepts of freedom and control and the joyous power of children.

City of Riddles premiered in April 2011.

Download the City of Riddles School Tour Pre and Post Production Teachers' Kit.

The Creative Process

In 2009, students from Whittington, Healesville and Badger Creek Primary Schools created their own little houses through a process of imagining, design, construction and decorating, working alongside professional artists, with  results that were seen by their local communities.  In particular, the community in Healesville were able to witness a walkthrough installation created by the children in a shopfront in a project we called Wish Street.

This process also contributed to the creative development of City of Riddles, which included a series of feedback sessions with children to gain their insights into the work.  The designs of the characters, puppets and sets have been drawn from children's drawings and then animated or made into three-dimensional objects by Polyglot's artists. 

Throughout 2010, we worked with children from Dinjerra Primary School in Braybrook on character and story structures, and their artwork features in the final piece, including an animation piece featuring their drawings.  Our artists then developed the piece through a series of creative developments, which have included consulting with children from all the contributing schools alongside local partners Stonnington Primary School, Malvern Central Primary School and our own Kids Creative Committee.

View the City of Riddles Schools Tour Evaluation Report by Dr Ricci-Jane Adams.

For  enquiries, please contact:
Simon Abrahams
Executive Producer
simon@polyglottheatre.com
+61 3 9827 9667

City of Riddles was created with the support of Australian Children’s Theatre Foundation, Bendigo Bank Windsor Community Bank, Jack Brockhoff Foundation, The Ian Potter Foundation, Lucas Dental Care, Matana Foundation for Youth, Frankston Arts Centre, Glenelg Shire Arts Program and Yarra Ranges Council.