IMAGINE LIVE

Alison Lester

BASED ON THE BOOK BY

“Imagine completely captivated me as a new parent. It taught me that narwhals are real, that your bed is a boat but most of all that your imagination can sustain and hold you long after your phone has run out of charge”

Jolyon James
Writer / Director / Designer

Where it all began…

OLIVE: “It’s probably one of the most important books ever written!”

Imagine holds an important message for us all but is particularly powerful for young people navigating the complexities of life in the 2020s. Recent studies point to an alarming escalation of anxiety and mental health issues in young people and placed against the backdrop of unfettered technology, social media, global politics and tired, anxious parents, it is easy to see why.

Imagine is a beautiful reminder that connection, creativity and play are powerful ingredients for health and positivity and aligned with Alison’s strong connection to the environment allows us to look beyond our backyards into a shared and richly beautiful world.

BACKGROUND

IMAGINE LIVE is a 55 minute live performance for children and families.

Combining live action and animation, the work is a large-scale multi screen performance, powered by cutting edge body-mapping digital puppetry and incorporating augmented and mixed reality.

Underscored by original live music, characters objects will travel seamlessly between real and animated worlds, responding and transforming in real time to the input of the audience. Three performers and one musician sing, dance and play their way through the pages, revealing there is way more to this book than first meets the eye.

WHAT IS IMAGINE LIVE?

The show is driven by an ambitious design and technical engine leveraging important lessons from the success of the team's previous show Robot Song. Adobe Character Animator brings Alison Lester’s illustrations to life with the ability to react and respond to story elements and the audience in real-time.

Multiple video screens will synchronize with large rear projections to make the transition between a live space into an animated world seamless.

DESIGN/TECHNICAL

PROOF OF CONCEPT

HIGHLIGHT REEL

Creative Team

Creative Team

Jolyon James

Nate Gilkes

Eliza Hull headshot

Eliza Hull

Nate Gilkes headshot
Jolyon James headshot
Phillip McInnes headshot

Phillip McInnes

Ashlea Pyke

Imagine is a cherished Australian classic that demands a meticulous approach by an experienced team. This project will reunite the Helpmann award winning creative team from Robot Song with strong technical support by commercial photographic and video production house About Bob.

With the addition of consultant Eliza Hull, Imagine will embed best access and inclusion practices into the creative process from the ground up. NCM will provide expert management and production services for the development period.

Supporting Images

Other work by Jolyon James