GRAEME BASE
THE STORY BEHIND THE WATERHOLE
Graeme Base is an internationally acclaimed author and illustrator and a New York Times bestselling author, celebrated for books including Animalia, The Eleventh Hour and The Waterhole. His richly detailed illustrations and imaginative storytelling invite readers of all ages to explore extraordinary worlds.
His award-winning picture book The Waterhole is the inspiration for our production. As animals gather around a dwindling waterhole, the story reveals the beauty and fragility of the natural world—and the water that connects all life. We bring that wonder to the stage through puppetry, music and immersive visual theatre.
Discover more about Graeme’s books and illustrations at graemebase.com.au.
THE STAGE EXPERIENCE
The Waterhole is a large-scale theatrical spectacle of puppetry, music, dance and illusion—a transforming world inhabited by creatures both intimate and immense.
Travelling across five continents, we encounter the Rhinoceros, Tiger, Giant Pandas, Galápagos Tortoise, Kangaroo, Orang Utan and many more, each revealing the beauty of their world and the challenges they face.
Puppetry lies at the heart of the production. Drawing on diverse traditions, including Bunraku-inspired techniques, tiny creatures share the stage with magnificent beasts operated by teams of visible puppeteers.
An original score and songs carry us through forests, mountains, islands and disappearing waterways, into a world of endangered species and creatures already lost.
At its heart is the Waterhole—the lifeblood connecting every creature and continent. As its waters disappear, their stories become one shared journey of survival, resilience, renewal and hope.
