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| The Wandering Hall of Possibility |
Part one; The CHILDHOOD OF THE
WORLD written by Jennifer Mills. Based on Hansel and Gretel by Jacob and Wilhelm
Grimm
Part Two: THE GIANT’S GARDEN
written by Ursula Dubosarsky Based on The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde.
Part Three: THE TREE OF LIGHT
written by Ceridween Dovey. Based on The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian
Andersen
CREDITS: Co-created by: Director
Andy Packer Performers Elizabeth Hay, Nathan O’Keefe, Ren Williams Development
Collaborator Kate Cheel Composer Quincy Grant Set and Costume Design Ailsa
Paterson Environment Design Wendy Todd Lighting Design Chris Petridis
Projection Design Mark Oakley Production Manager David McLean Technical
Manager/Operator Darian Tregenza Stage Manager Jess Wolfendale Sound Engineer
Patrick Pages-Oliver Venue and Site Technician Alex Hatchard Technician Reece
Vidler Original recorded music The Horizon Orchestra Piano Michael Ierace
Clarinet Mitch Berick Horn Emma Gregan Guitar Dylan Woolcock Harp Suzanne
Handel Percussion Sami Butler Violin Alison Heike Violin Alison Rayner Violin
Zoe Freisberg Viola Mikey Robertson Cello Tom Marlin Bass Harley Gray
Vocals: Suzanne Wilson, Brooke
Zabrowarny, Kim Worley, Jonathan Bligh Voiceover Poppy Berick (The Childhood of
the World)
Clara Gillam Grant, Hannah Gray
(The Giant’s Garden). Miranda Gillam Grant (The Tree of Light).
The Wandering Hall of Possibility in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Adelaide Festival. February 18- March 15 2026
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
The credits alone are enough to suggest what an ambitious undertaking Slingsby Theatre’s tryptych A Concise Compendium of Wonder is. Director Andy Packer and his cast and creatives have worked for three years to bring all three parts of A Concise Compendium of Wonder to fruition at the Adelaide Festival. I have seen all three in workshop over the past years of development. Unfortunately because of a change of scheduling, I was unable to see The Giant’s Garden this year. But The Childhood of the World and The Tree of Light offered sufficient indication of Packer’s vision for what is to be Slingsby’s final Adelaide ,production. The three parts of Slingsby’s compendium, written by three different writers, based on three classic fairy tales and performed by the same three actors are linked by themes that young people will be facing throughout their lives, which is why the production is aimed at young people from Years 4 to 12 and adult audiences. They will not be threatened by oppression and hunger as are brother and sister Re (Elizabeth Hay) and Crann (Nathan O’Keefe) in The Childhood of the World or barred from enjoying Nature’s playground by a bullying ogre in The Giant’s Garden or being cast from Earth to live on the Moon because of pollution and over population in The Tree of Light. Three cautionary tales remind us of the dangers that we face if we ignore the abuse of power, the threat of displacement and the dangerous consequences of environmental damage by the people of our planet. In the world of fairy tales there are happy endings but the warning is never far away for us to learn.
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| Ren Williams, Elizabeth Hay and Natan O'Keefe in The Childhood of the World |
Myth, fable and nostalgia are the tools of Slingsby’s storytellers. They teach us how we should confront opposition and emerge triumphant and wiser. In The Childhood of the World Re understands that if we are to change circumstances for the better it is necessary to return home from the safety of the community that protected her in the forest. In The Giant’s Garden it is the kindness of the snail Quill and her young owner Ida that is necessary to thaw the hardest heart. Grandmother Tree is the last surviving link with the Earthworld and it is the Little Match Girl, Ida, who has the courage and the curiosity to breathe in and breathe out and take the time to listen. Then it will be possible for Earthkind and Moonfolk to make the world a better place.
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| The Giant's Garden |
To stage three separate but connected works in a wooden structure set amongst Nature’s beautiful environment in the Botanic Gardens is not without its challenges. Unlike the workshops versions that I have seen over the years, Packer’s direction assumes a technical sophistication to express the mythical adventure of The Childhood of the World, the fabled imagination of The Giant’s Garden and the Sci Fi sophistication of The Tree of Light. Chris Petridis’ lighting designs on Ailsa Paterson’s set designs create an effective design partnership, highlighting the different moods of each piece, or at least the two that I saw. The mood of each piece is evocatively selective and distinctly unique in Quincy Grant’s composition.
The writing varies considerably
as each writer approaches the brief given them by Packer. I found Jennifer
Lewis’s story and writing engaging with a hint of danger and the excitement
that a journey in search of safety and survival can create. Ceredwin Dovey’s
sci fi piece is less engaging and effective. Based as it is on a Hans Christian
Andersen story it lacks the charm of Andersen’s story, set as it is in a very
different and more nostalgic time. I found the plot too didactic and lacking in
the dramatic conflict necessary to evoke empathy and excitement.
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| The Giant's Garden |
Packer’s actors give solid performances in the confines of the Wandering Hall of Possibility but it is a space that can restrict the sense of escape, exploration and danger. It is by its nature intimate, and at times I felt limiting for the actors. Hay, O’Keefe and Williams are well cast in the various roles. O’Keefe, although appearing much older than Re’s brother is an experienced enough actor to maintain believability while also having to double as the father.
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| The Tree of Light |
Packer’s dream has come to an innovative and successful conclusion. His vision of a world that can be changed through awareness, courage and the will to make a difference finds hope and purpose in each of the works. Having followed and applauded Slingsby’s work over many years I left the Wandering Hall of Possibility, somewhat saddened by the realization that one of Adelaide’s most significant companies should be now bidding its final farewell when there is still so much to address and create. If A Concise Compendium of Wonder has instilled wonder in its audiences and inspired them to wonder how they can build a better world free of the Hunger, surrounded by the joy of Nature and living in an environment that does not have to find refuge on the moon, then A Childhood of the World, The Giant’s Garden and The Tree of Light will be an important legacy to leave behind.
Photos by Eyehood