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School Shows Testimonials - Here are just some of the glowing reviews we have received at Tony Bones Entertainment...Piangil Primary School, Piangil, VIC '”Fantastic, funny, engaging, captivating, enjoyable, entertaining and educational!!” These were both some of the comments mentioned by both staff and students who attended Adventurescope. This is the second Tony Bones performance that I have booked for our school, and I would definitely not hesitate to book another one. High standard, fast paced, superb performance!’ Arkana College, Kingsgrove, NSW 'Another great show, thank you. I've had feedback from the students, at all year levels, and they thought the show was educational, funny and entertaining. An excellent feature of the show was the interactive element. The show becomes part of the students own personal experience when given the opportunity to participate. Looking forward to your 4th visit to our school.' Manoora Primary School, Manoora, SA ‘The show was enjoyed by all. Very entertaining, and concepts were understood well in our follow up discussions in class…Great job and we’re hoping you can come back next year.’
Watervale Primary School, Watervale, SA ‘Fast paced, great characters and storylines, clever costumes, voices projected…and changed brilliantly with each character…entertaining and very funny…science concepts embedded cleverly into each scene….interest of all R – 7 children held continually…Thank you. We thoroughly enjoyed this show and the experience of live performance is beyond compare.’
Newstead Primary School, Newstead, VIC ‘Very appropriate to all year levels – a great show enjoyed by all the students…students were actively involved in the performance, and they related well to the characters you selected.’ Farrell Flat Primary School, Farrell Flat, SA 'The show was excellent. The humour was great...the costumes showed good use of recycling (great example for the children). Incorporating science and maths in a musical and showed the children how it could be done themselves.' Auburn Primary School, Auburn, SA 'What a wonderful way to learn about science! It's great that we can still promote books for finding information. A big thank you to the very enthusiastic actors. Thank you for entertaining us. I would recommend Tony Bones Entertainment.'
"Bully Bull Ring" 2007 - 2010St Anthony's Primary School, North Rockhampton, QLD "Excellent - easy strategies with great visual cues for the children to relate to. Children thoroughly enjoyed the show and could relate to the characters. They are already using the strategies at morning tea today...Very impressed with the quality in every aspect of this performance! Well Done!!!! Costumes were spectacular and the talents of performers were excellent. The message was reinforced the whole way through, and was relevant to the children. Both very entertaining and educational. Obviously a lot of effort was put into preparing this musical, and that shows in its presentation." St Michaels Primary School, Berwick, VIC 'Very lively...entertaining presentation....great message...wonderful...Fantatstic...Excellent!!! A terrific production that entertained the students while delivering a strong message - Great strategies to encourage and develop resilience. Thank you so much for visitig our school. Your show is wonderfiul.' John Paul College, Daisy Hill, QLD 'Just wanted to let you know how good the Tony Bones show was on Friday. It's the best one I've been to in a long time. He must have been a teacher once because he managed the children beautifully, and kept returning to the message. Great teaching! The show was fantastic, well worth the money.' Killara Public School, Killara, NSW 'Very entertaining and simple enough for the children to understand....Love the storyline and the way in which the ideas were presented. The actors were amazing and developed a repore with the children very qucikly.' St Peter Apostle Hoppers Crossing, VIC "Dear Tony and Laura, I am writing to convey the thoughts of my Grade 5 class and myself on the performance we viewed this morning. From my point of view I think you have handled the bullying situation very professionally. Even though the children see it as animals, this makes it easier for the children to identify with than other children. It was interesting to hear the children discussing the show afterwards and their own interpretations of it. I asked the children to write a narrative and include a scenario of what they heard this morning but using people instead of animals. They had to tell the story from either the point of view of the bullier or the bullee. The results have been very positive. Only last week I had a meeting with some parents of a child who is constantly being victimised on the playground and it seems has been for a few years. I have been trying to give him strategies to use to counteract the behaviour he has been experiencing and your show "fell into our laps" so to speak and has given him some more useful pointers. I will speak to him in a day or two and see if he has become "Organised" and has a plan of what he can say or do so when a scenario presents itself he is armed with knowledge of what to do. Thank you again for your very enjoyable and inspiring show. Keep up the good work. Lillian Jilbert... Fantastic performance as always. The children enjoyed the animal characters and clever costumes. Tony and his company did a splendid job of keeping the children entertained and the message was very clear. Superb singing, clever acting - a truly wonderful theatrical performance for our children to see. The children were thoroughly looking forward to the event - and it didn't disappoint. Thanks Tony and we will definitely see you again!... Thank you Tony for a very interactive performance. The children were extremely entertained and talked lots following the show. The costumes were really fantastic and memorable to all children. Thanks very much - it was spectacular!" Birchip P-12 School, VIC “Rarely do we have the calibre of performers as we did with Tony and Laura in “Bully Bull-Ring”. Their performance was entertaining, educational and professional.... A superb presentation – truly captivating and very meaningful, portrayed in a fun way... Excellent performance. Very engaging. Would highly recommend to others... Your performance was outstanding. The best we’ve had in years!! The quality of acting performance and character portrayal, combined with a variety of music genres contributed to this excellent show. The messages were clear to all from P – 6 and the humorous ‘asides’ engaged the senior primary students and staff. I would highly recommend this professional performance to others.. Both students and staff responded most enthusiastically to “Bully Bull-Ring”. The performance was very professional – excellent music and singing, tremendous costumes and a strong message which was clearly understood. This was most evident in the post performance discussion I had with my Grade 5/6 students!” Pagewood Public School, NSW "The actors/singers were brilliant! The concepts were presented effectively and in an entertaining way. Revising methods of avoiding bullying was useful in reinforcing the ideas... The students thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The actors enthusiasm made the students really get into the performance. The characters costumes were excellent! I have been reminding students about each of the animals suggestions as they come to me with bullying problems since the show, eg: ‘stand tall like a giraffe'". Mountain View Adventist College, NSW "It was great. Very informative and the students seemed to get a lot out of it... Fantastic presentation. Kids were enthusiastic. Great variety + catchy tunes... Really enjoyed the catchy songs. I loved the different characters. The students had a great time and learnt lots! Thanks! :) ... Absolutely fantastic - loved the corny one-liners... The catchy songs taught excellent strategies to stand up to bullying. Students loved the characters - they were funny and had good costumes... Excellent presentation especially with only 2 performers and so many different characters. The kids really enjoyed it... Wonderful! Great songs to teach an important message." Sacred Heart Primary School, Mt Druitt, NSW "Thank you for presenting such a great show... Relaxed presentation with great jokes. Great singing!! Audience participation was enjoyable. Good use of questioning students throughout the performance. Good costumes (variety of animals)... It was a great performance... It was great. The kids enjoyed it. Excellent... A great way to cover a tricky topic... Entertaining for the children and lots of fun... Bullying strategies were really helpful and clever." Maranatha Christian School, Officer, VIC "Awesome practical ideas to implement early on in schooling... The music was enjoyable and the interaction really caught them... Absolutely amazing, funny, sensitive, empowering (the BEST PD I have had on ways to beat bullying), enriching (the music styles and discussion afterwards were great!)... We will definitely be following up with the messages you have presented and look forward eagerly to seeing those songs recorded... Thank you so much for an inspiring afternoon. I look forward to next year!... I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. It was very entertaining, engaging and provided students with practical strategies for dealing with bullying... Performance was wonderful. Focus was on bringing out the best in the 'victim'. Thought this was brilliant. The "what can I do to improve my situation"... Loved the music and comedy. Fantastic!...I would recommend this production to all schools. Timbarra Primary School, VIC "... I think that the performance was very entertaining and offered the children some really good strategies to help them combat bullying. After having completed a follow-up reflection with my class, the main thing that came-up was the clever way that ‘catchy messages’ and songs were used to send across clear understandings. It was great to hear many of the children singing different parts of the songs throughout the afternoon.... The songs were ‘catchy’ and the children found attaching the ‘moral’ to an animal made it easier to remember... Loved the enthusiasm, music and actions in performance. The ‘You Can Do It’ message was presented in an original and thoughtful way. The after show discussion my 3/4s had was thoughtful as well and reflective. We had a great follow-on activity with our buddies... the post-show discussion Tony did with the kids... focused on ‘how the show was staged’ and not just on the message. Most excellent, I would recommend your performance to all schools... I found this production to be fun and exciting for the children and the concepts included in the show were easy to remember and great to do follow-on activities with. I thought by allocating a different animal to each concept helped the children to remember the strategies. Thanks for a great production!... Our students really enjoyed the performance and found the animal costumes and characters very engaging. It was terrific to be able to connect ideas to particular animals and we have used some of their advice in the classroom, particularly the giraffe. The link to ‘You Can do It’ was also very relevant to our school and program.... I found that the messages complemented our values and the ‘You Can Do It’ program. The students thoroughly enjoyed it and were engaged through the whole session.
Lakes Entrance Vacation Care, VIC “The children really enjoyed the way the message was put across. Very funny, excellent acting, great sound and great use of music and song. Thanks very much... Very profesionally presented with great acting, singing and interpersonal skills in dealing with a cross-section of children of varying degrees of attention span. Most valuable and enjoyable. Thank you for a job well done.... Thank you – love the way the message is put across with music as children often are more receptive. Loved the show.” Bullengarook Primary School, VIC “I appreciated the self-sufficiency of your presentation (especially as I am the only teacher in the school) – the “no-fuss” setting up, dismantling, etc. The show certainly passed all tests here at Bullengarook as the storm we had while the show was on was spectacular but the children were all engaged and mainly oblivious to the fact the room was almost flooded out (I discovered after you left that the little back room was flooded... Many thanks for a great performance.” Hesket Primary School, VIC “A really enjoyable and engaging performance. The kids were totally entranced and seemed to understand the messages. The humour was great. Well done!... Excellent way to get across concepts using animals. Great way to incorporate different music styles as well. Fantastic show!... A great show. Our whole school not only enjoyed the performance, they took something away. I will certainly be using your phrases when I discuss certain issues with my children.” St Peter’s Anglican College, NSW “The students were engaged and they were easily able to recall the key messages / strategies communicated to them through the play and the music. They loved it!.. It was great! Loved the music – kids were excited – loved the animals. Were able to talk about theme! You are welcome back if I have a say!... By far the best bullying show I have had the pleasure of experiencing. Please come back again. What a great show! Great music and concepts covered in such an entertaining way... Thanks for a wonderful performance. Great messages with a visual representation in each animal. I loved the way you tied in different musical styles into the drama to reflect each animals’ personality. I gained lots of practical ideas to incorporate into my drama sessions... A great approach to arming students against bullying. Thoroughly enjoyable.” San Remo Primary School, VIC "Hi Tony, I just wanted to let you know that the Bully Bull ring performance was fantastic and the teachers and students thoroughly enjoyed it. Some children even thought it would hit home to the 'bullies' in our school. So the message definately got across to them. We really appreciated Clint and Emma coming along, they were great performers and the students loved them. I hope they returned home safely after their long day, especially Clint having to drive all the way back to Ballarat. So please thank them again and perhaps we'll be seeing your guys again next year. Fingers crossed! Cheers, Lauren Mills" Mater Dei School, Camden, NSW "Hi Tony... We would also like to say a HUGE thank you to your team for the excellent performance 'Bully Bull Ring' we had at our school, Mater Dei last Thursday. The 'stars' of the show were very kind and flexible with our needs. Mater Dei is a school for students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. I have never seen all the students so captivated for a hole hour. From our kindergarten students, right up to year 12. It was absolutely brilliant! I have heard the students using several of the messages in the performance which is great! Once again, thank you to you and your staff for an entertaining and successful performance! Kind regards, Eryn Mitchell, Mater Dei" San Remo PS VIC “Your show appealed to children from Prep to Grade 6 and adults. Thank you. A great achievement.... A very entertaining show and a fantastic message! Very impressive... I thought it was brilliant. Very worthwhile. The kids have remembered what they have to do. Thanks”.
Leighland Christian School, Burnie, TAS “Great show, funny, clever and well put together. Brings out practical ideas and ways to deal with bullying... Wonderful message and had children captivated. Good repetition and reinforcement... Fantastic, exciting and good message. Children still talking about it and saying phrases... It was a fantastic show that gave practical strategies children can use. It was very funny and enjoyable to watch for both children and adults”.
Naranga School, Frankston, VIC “Held children’s attention. On Monday they could remember the animals messages. Well done!... Everyone enjoyed the show very much.... Entertaining, engaging and informative. Excellent delivery of strategies to counter bullying. Support material at a high standard... Children enjoyed the interaction. The messages were clearly conveyed. Class follow up to reinforce messages... Students were captivated by costumes and characters. They caught onto the important messages through the stimulating dance styles and lyrics of the songs. A big thanks from me on behalf of the students and staff of Naranga. We look forward to your return during Book Week 2009.”
Revesby South Public School, NSW “Both performers showed great enthusiasm. Price was very reasonable..... The little kids really liked the performance. Thank you!”
Moulamein Public School, NSW “Rap music relevant to students. Messages very good. Great costumes and songs. Messages well reinforced. Well paced to hold students attention”. Bute Primary School "Hi Tony, Following the great success of our students’ engagement with and their learning through your fantastic Bully Bull Ring performance about a month ago, we would love to experience your Adventurescope Maths and Science show, the next time you are touring SA. Please keep us on your mailing list and let us know when you are our way again".
St Patrick’s Primary School, Latrobe, TAS “Interactive for students. Clear and articulate. Children interested... Entertaining with a message. Students engaged. Music great... Great fun and a wonderful way to deliver such an important message. Skilled performance. Thank you!!... entertaining and engaging... Clear and easy for kids to understand. Fun”. "Rudolph's Recruits" 2002-2003/ 2005-2010
Viewbank PS, Vic St Brendan's PS, Sommerville, Vic St Monica's Primary, Moonee Ponds, VIC St Michael's Primary, Heyfield, Vic "I thought the show was wonderful and so did the children. You entertained a vast age group from kindergarten to Year 6. The costumes and sound were top quality. I would recommend your Christmas show... Exciting & interesting. I was very impressed with the fact that the performers kept Kinder through to Year 6 entertained. I thought the question time was informative and especially valuable to upper grades... An enjoyable and interesting shop. You caught the children's interest and allowed them to be involved in the show. It was great to see all age groups informed and entertained. Thank you for coming... A fantastic show. I agree with all comments above 100%. The children were all very impressed as too were we. Questions at the end were excellent." Heartkids - Royal Children's Hospital, Vic "It was a wonderful show that catered for all, well structured, very entertaining, great songs, jokes, at times you wanted to get up and dance. Fantastic!! It is obvious that your crew enjoy what they do, they drew you in. I will be honest in saying that I couldn't believe that all the kids were captivated, even us big kids. In all the other entertainment I have seen there are always kids playing up or losing interest, but not with you. It must be such a hard job to cater for at least 300 people and keep them happy and entertained. Tony, you and your crew deserve a big thank you. A fantastic show!! I wish you all the best. Regards, Kathy Petras." Taralye Kinder, Blackburn, Vic "Hi Tony, Can you please thank Laura and the team for a great job on Sunday... Thanks again for your professionalism and assistance, Nadine" Jo Casey, Glen Eira Libraries, Vic "Hi Tony, I have had great reports on Saturday's show - the staff said it was fantastic. We had an excellent response from the audience. Hope all goes well for the show in Sydney. regards Jo" Piangil PS, VIC “This was a fantastic show that appealed to all our students from Prep to Grade 6. It was multi-levelled and multi-layered. Many of our mums were disappointed their husbands could not make the performance because they felt that it would have appealed to them...It was a musical feast that offered lots of subtle messages. Excellent.”
Bendigo PS, VIC “Excellent (Fantastic, very entertaining)…Children’s attention was maintained the entire show. Polished performances. Colourful, talented, very entertaining. High quality performers…Excellent – fun – children were able to interact and were kept in control. Very professional performers. Not only the kids enjoyed it – I did as well!”
Ivanhoe Grammar School, VIC “I thought ‘Rudolph’s Recruits’ was fantastic! It was perfectly suited to the level of the children, fun and energetic. There was some involvement for the children, which was great. They all loved the performance and spoke highly of the characters. The other staff who attended the performance were also very impressed. We have used Tony Bones before and most certainly will be again. Thank you for a great morning!”
Cranbourne West PS, VIC “Lots of energy, great choreography, songs, convincing characters. Very enjoyable…Very funny… Wonderful”. Normanhurst West PS, NSW “We really enjoyed the show. It was bright and lively and kept the children’s interest. The humour was great as even the teachers got a laugh out of it!! It was great to see the children’s reactions to live theatre – it really showed how unused to it they are and that we should make more effort to expose them to it!... The show was fantastic – the characters were fun and cleverly done. I think the teachers enjoyed it as much as the children. Hilarious!... It was wonderful! The children had an amazing time. It was great fun. The teachers especially enjoyed all the interaction and jokes. Great way to finish the year.... Great! The children enjoyed the interactions and the fact it had an Australian theme. It was great for the children to also have been given extra information on the “workings” of a play.” St Roberts PS, VIC “Fantastic! The kids were really focused and enjoyed the show. The music was upbeat and focused at the students’ level... Very enjoyable experience for both children and teachers. Full of energy and great costumes... An excellent production for the kids, and teachers loved it as well. The kids were totally immersed in the show. Brilliant!... Great! Most Appropriate for age-group. Good mixture of drama / comedy and singing and dance routines throughout!” Mirabel Foundation “Thank you so much for your support with the Mirabel children’s Christmas Party held in Melbourne last week. For many of the children this annual event is the highlight of their year – for others it was the first time they have experienced Christmas festivities and received presents. We had families travel from all over Victoria to be part of the day and the carers enjoy it as much as the children as it gives them time to catch up with one another and relax while their children are entertained. We have been inundated with messages of thanks from the families who have asked that their messages be passed on to each and every one of you. As the number of children referred to Mirabel increases, our services and events are only made possible due to the incredible goodwill of the community. Your generosity is deeply appreciated and on behalf of everyone at the Foundation and all the Mirabel children, our heartfelt thanks.” Melrose Park Primary School, NSW “Really fabulous! Very entertaining. Great costumes – gave children ideas for own performances. Theme appealed to all the children. Thank you!!!”
Eltham North Primary School, VIC “Fantastic – children were really engaged throughout the performance!! Great effort – last hour of the day in the last week of school!!! Excellent show – great characters – will absolutely rebook for next year. Thanks heaps”
Araluen Primary School, VIC “Lots of audience interaction, kids enthralled whole session. Sort of suits the silly season!”
Beaconsfield Upper Primary School, VIC “We would have considered re-booking for 2009 for the junior grades if there had been a different show on offer. Great show – good catchy songs and fantastic audience participation:.
Rolling Hills Primary School, VIC “Engaged children quickly and maintained their interest. Lots of laughs, action and excitement... students enjoyed and had fun. Amusing for teachers as well.... Children were very engaged. Humour at the right level. Great characters”.
St Peter the Apostle Primary School, VIC “The children thoroughly enjoyed the performance. They were captured from the onset and eagerly anticipated the rest of Rudolph’s Recruits. The songs were appropriate and the children enjoyed singing them.... Question time at end was great! Thank you for an enjoyable performance! Look forward to your next one”.
Syndal South Primary School, VIC “The kids really enjoyed it. Loud, energetic, great for the kids”.
Boronia West Primary School, VIC “It was really good. Had a great time myself”.
St Margaret’s Primary School, Maribyrnong, VIC “We all enjoyed your show very much. The performers were animated and lots of fun. Children enjoyed the interaction which is so lost in today’s entertainment. It catered for all children very well and we look forward (to) booking you for “book Week” activities”.
Grasmere Primary School, VIC “Absolutely wonderful performance appropriate to all year levels. Very entertaining and totally amusing. Loved the costumes and characters”.
Holy Name School, Reservoir, VIC “Performance was excellent. Perfect for end of year. Fantastic and funny!.. Great – simple but effective. Kids loved it... Very well done. Fabulous. Children really enjoyed being involved... Full of enthusiasm and at child’s level of fun... Very amusing and entertaining!! Over the top, great!... Entertaining... Very energetic. Fun... Performance was fantastic, children enjoyed it. A nice way to finish the year with... I thought the show was very enjoyable and entertaining. I saw both sessions and from hearing the children’s comments they all seemed to enjoy it”.
Bungendore Public School, NSW Great engagement of audience. Choreography great. Audience participation well controlled and age appropriate – singing of Rudolph. Costumes and stage – well done... Captured audience’s attention even before the show started as they had a puppet popping up from behind the screen and that prevented any restlessness. Great story line too!... Loved the way the children’s attention was captured right from the beginning. Excellent story and songs. Very captivating. Children all loved it!... Children were engaged and enjoyed the show... Very captivating for all. Children loved it from the start. Engaged and excited. Good story as well... Very appealing to a diverse range of children, including special needs. Fantastic use of minimal costumes.... The children are engaged – so are the teachers! Great idea for end of year treat! Great costumes and interactive songs... Engaging for special needs, kept their attention. One of the better shows we’ve seen... Excellent show. The children loved it. Good songs, great costumes and excellent audience engagement. The show was clever and funny”.
Wakehurst Public School, Belrose, NSW “Introduction – great. Kookaburra got everyone’s attention and kept it! Rudolph – fabulous job. On stage all the time and kept show moving. Dingo – great fun. Engaged all children. Blue tongue Lizard – children loved the magic trick. Tiger Snake – children enjoyed this segment. Wedge Tailed Eagle – Fantastic. Children loved this segment – I’ve been everywhere. Emu – very appealing. Platypus – great appeal. Red Kangaroo – fabulous rapport with Rudolph. Costumes were fantastic. Audience participation encouraged – good control. Singing and dancing – appropriate and well received by this age group. A fantastic production – Well done!! Santa was a great surprise.”
Gray’s Point Public School, NSW An excellent show. 9 characters. Great costumes, presentation and dialogue! Aussie animals woven into a Christmas tale – great! Well structured and well paced. The children really loved the show. Congratulations!”
Omeo Primary School, VIC “Very entertaining. Very energetic. Kept kids interest. Appealed to a wide audience – both children and adults. The message of seeking assistance was well received. Good mixture of song / dance and audience participation. Friendly and engaging delivery. Clear and easily understood. Enthusiasm was infectious. Fantastic costumes – very innovative yet quite simple (easy for me to say)”.
Parkdale Primary School, VIC Gorgeous, vibrant production. The children really enjoyed singing along and were totally engaged throughout the performance. The performers were fabulous. Very professional. Terrific performance – perfect for end of year treat. Thank you”.
St Joachims Primary School, Carrum Downs, VIC We all really enjoyed your entertaining, colourful show. The children were intrigued by the whole show! There was lots of variety, songs, actions and movement which really engaged the students and the teachers!”
Northern Support School, Newstead, TAS “A great show that was enjoyed by all the children. Our students with multiple disabilities were engaged throughout the show... Very energetic. The characters / cast adapted well to our students and were very relaxed with them. ... Loved it. Being in the crowd was good. Great costumes.... Jess loved it, especially the beginning and the end when Santa came”.
St Patrick’s School, Latrobe, TAS “An engaging introduction, humorous characters and great singing... Very confident and entertaining! Keeps children engaged and good variety of characters and songs... Excellent – great songs and lyrics. Good involvement of audience. Fabulous fun... Humour which all ages engaged in. Great pace, which allowed children to enjoy without becoming interfering. FANTASTIC!... Fabulous entertainment. Suitable for all ages. Energetic performance... Great songs, students enjoyed being involved... Fantastic. Students were engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the performance”.
St Anne’s Primary School, Sunbury, VIC Loved it. It was a fantastic twist on the Christmas story. The music and interactive nature of the performance kept the children engaged all the way... Very entertaining. We all laughed and enjoyed it the entire time. Clever storyline... Excellent costumes, lighting and props. Very professional setup. Highly entertaining for the children and also very funny. Great story line and fantastic songs and singing. Kept the children entertained the whole performance. Fantastic and highly recommended”.
Bannockburn Primary School, VIC Sound excellent. Children were very engaged. Interesting story. Great costumes. Entertaining. Performers gave their all. Very talented – good voices! Very versatile performers. Good to see different music styles. Polished performance. Good control of students”.
Birmingham Primary School, Lilydale, VIC “Very entertaining. Great costumes. Children were very engaged. A great show for the end of year! Great idea to get children moving – they loved being involved in the show”. "Nobody Owns the Moon" 2009/2010 Tasman District School, Nubeena, TAS "Hi Tony, Thanks for sending these (lesson plans) to me as we'll use them for follow up activities. The performance was great. The children and staff really enjoyed it and you could see that the variety of entertainment really engaged the children and they were all eager to participate and interact with the excellent performers." Berwick Lodge Primary School, Berwick, VIC "Hi Tony. Many Thanks for the great day. The kids loved it!.... Both performers were excellent and enthusiastic... Good to see the performers got the children and teachers involved out of the audience." St Mary's School, Alexandra, VIC "The actors retold the story accurately, as well as adding extra elements to add interest. The actors also engaged the audience by asking for volunteers from the audience." Lightning Ridge School, NSW “Fantastic, Fantastic, Fantastic. It was so good to see the students, some for the first time, experience live theatre. Thank you so much for including us in your program. We will be booking with you again… Performers were easy to deal with – set up, etc... and friendly nice people” Araluen Primary School, Sale, VIC Blighty Public School, ACT "We thoroughly enjoyed the show. I'm sure the tour will be a great success." Sassafras Primary School, Mt Dandenong, VIC “The performance was very good. It engaged the children and gave them the sense of fun that the performers were trying to convey. Thank you.” The Patch Primary School, The Patch, VIC "The children really enjoyed the humour and the puppets in particular. As a teacher I liked that you choose a story with a particular message and that you incorporated the actual book into the play. I also liked the audience participation and how you kept the children engaged before and after the show." Narre Warren North Primary School, Narre Warren North, VIC "Fantastic performance. Thoroughly enjoyed by all children. Story well captured and understood. Very entertaining. Very suitable for grade 3-5... A worthwhile experience of live theatre for the children." Good Shepherd Primary School, Amaroo, ACT "What a wonderful play! Both Jackie and Andrew were wonderful with the children. They held their attention and involved them with their actions and facial expressions. The staff loved the show and enjoyed the adult humour which was included. The children are still talking about the play and the ‘best bits’ whenever they see me (10 days later). Congratulations on a wonderful adaption of the book!" St James Catholic School, Yamba, NSW "An excellent show that was enjoyed by ALL students and adults. The play captured the moral of the story very well and the variety of props and characters added to the performance. The performers were excellent and were enthusiastic and highly capable; interacted wonderfully with the students and were very entertaining. Yet again this was a wonderful performance by 'Tony Bones' and I’m sure we will book again next year... Good value for money, very entertaining and well suited to primary students. Interaction great! Great show. Well done!... Excellent – great discussion afterwards... very entertaining – a lot of variety... Great lead in to the performance. Very entertaining. Wonderful use of simple props. Humour just LOVED by children. Tremendous crowd participation. Great singing and acting. Thank you". Woodburn Public School, Woodburn, NSW "A very good performance that was well received by both staff and students. It is good for our students to be exposed to singing, dancing, puppets and the variety of props... and that we were able to relate it to Book Week activities was a real bonus... Great performance. Comedy relevant to both teachers and students. Well presented with great props and music. Actors gad clear voices and are great singers.... A great show. My class is still talking about it today. I’d like to commend the actors on their performance... A wonderful experience – entertaining for both students and staff. A great release of endorphins. The kids are looking forward to next year". St Joseph's Primary School, Wonthaggi, VIC "Excellent performance – very engaging and entertaining... Lots of laughs from the children and plenty of audience participation... Great effort! Very talented performers and entertaining. Well done!" Nulkaba Public School, Nulkaba, NSW "Thank you for a great show! The book was brought to life in a fun and entertaining way and the children really enjoyed it... Excellent show! Presenters were fantastic. Very enthusiastic. Students really enjoyed the show... Totally engaged the students and made a real connection to the story line... Absolutely fabulous! Feel that your additions re songs, etc actually made the story easier to understand!” MacArtan's Primary School, Mornington, VIC "Nobody Owns the Moon performance was a great success with Year 3 and 4 students. They loved the silliness of mixed-up words, the ninja turtles and hats thrown in the air.... (the children) thought the music, songs and interactive bits made the story more enjoyable". Wattle Park Primary School, Burwood, VIC "A fantastic show which was an excellent, very entertaining celebration of the story. All audience fully engaged - teacher and students alike. Major theme and message of the story clearly explained! Fantastic!!!... A great interpretation of this book. I wondered what this play would be about for 50 minutes. It was fun, entertaining and really passed on the message of this book beautifully. A great celebration of Book Week. Thanks!” Caulfield Grammar School, Wheelers Hill, VIC "Outstanding introduction! The kids love the hats! Great little ‘celebration’ song and book intro. Fun, catchy songs and actions. Very humorous script. Great characters, costumes and special effects. The involvement of the students on stage was excellent. It made the whole experience more real and lots more fun. The perfect way to kick off our Book Week experience! Thank you." St Catherine's School, Barbreck Junior Campus, Toorak, VIC "Bringing to life the book "Nobody Owns the Moon", was done in a very creative way. The girls loved the different mediums of puppets and voice overs to enrich the story. I was teaching Year 3 that day and they were very excited that the children became part of the production. A very clear production. Well done... The student involvement was excellent. It was engaging and funny. Provides the students with another avenue on how to enjoy books. The acting and singing was super!" Andrew Wright, Public Show, VIC "Hi Tony, I am writing to convey my appreciation and the enjoyment we received, on the weekend. My wife Fiona and I together with our children James 9, Lily 7, Anna 3, went to see the Friendly Fox on Saturday morning at Halls Gap... Michael (Fox) and Naomi (Humphrey) put on a great show.... It was a great show and a highlight of our Holidays, I just wanted to convey our appreciation to Michael and Naomi they are both very talented, and we will be watching the Melbourne Child for forthcoming plays." Mary Geracitano, Public Show, NSW "Hi There, I was fortunate enough to stumble across a write-up on Kidspot.com.au about the above production and took my three children aged 5 - 9 yo on Wednesday. To ensure they knew the storyline, I borrowed the book from our local library and they have read it (several times over). As a lover of live theatre since high school I thought it would be a nice introduction to live theatre for my children - and I was not disappointed! All three, but especially my 5 yo son were totally and utterly enthralled and haven't stopped speaking about the show. I am sure it has been the highlight of the school holidays for them. Tohby Riddle, Author & illustrator of "Nobody Owns the Moon" “I enjoyed it! Congratulations to you and your actors. I thought the actors were really good - funny and lively and kid-friendly - and I was impressed with your various solutions for staging: loved the dancing bear, the lights, the dress-circle seating for Humphrey and Clive during the 'play', and the factory scene. I also appreciated that you picked up on things like the Latin phrase and Walt Whitman's poetry - nice touches.... Hi Tony, I heard many good reports from people I know who made it to the Nobody Owns the Moon school holiday shows (in Penrith, Ryde, Bondi Junction and more). Congratulations to you and your actors…. Cheers, Tohby.” Tohby Riddle, Author & illustrator, “Nobody Owns the Moon”.
Leanne Micallef, Teacher, NSW "Hi Tony, I am a teacher / respite coordinator for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Wollongong NSW. On the 3rd of October this year i sent a small group of these children to a play which was organised by your company and put on at Oak Flats neighbourhood centre. I would like to thank your staff for an excellent show and how our children were included in audience participation activities they all had a great time. I would like to be informed of any other local performances which you may have planned for this area as these opportunities are not often available for our access. Is it possible to be included for email contact for any future activities which will tour in the Illawarra region… We were so pleased that we took the chance to turn up to see if tickets were available at the door as the experience was great for our children and we look forward to attending future activities in our region. Regards, Leanne Micallef" Brooklyn Primary School, Burnie, TAS “The show brought the book to life and gave depth to our understanding of the story”. St Mary’s School, Cohuna, VIC “Kids loved the participation... loved the songs – great music and meaning... Great presentation... Our children don’t get to experience many shows and they love this sort of presentation”. Caroline Chisholm School, ACT “Excellent performance kids really engaged... Great show... Enjoyed it very much”. Duffy Primary School, ACT “We thought the deep message of the book was a bit beyond the understanding of our kinders when we read it to them. However the play helped convey things more obviously. The children enjoyed the performance... I thought the performance was very entertaining and the kids loved it..... It was great to see the kids get into reading with a book coming alive. The kids loved it... funny, clever, enjoyed by students. They would love to see “Audrey of the Outback’ their next production... The children loved it and said they would like to see more of their productions. Very enjoyable. Kalinda Primary School, Ringwood Having the children work in the factory was fantastic. Beautiful backing music. Children engaged by variety of presentation. E.g. singing, dancing bear, involvement in factory, conqueror statue. Loved the vocals and music changes. Very Broadway!!! Great costumes / props very true to text. Really helped children understand Humphrey’s feelings as it was acted out.... Fluent providing a great variety of change in order to maintain engagement and focus of children e.g. sitting, marching, factory scene, individual involvement”. Mater Dei Catholic Primary School “Introduction – Celebrate very fun. Captivating. Great way to get children to read. Costumes appropriate. Puppets excellent. Great how picture book is displayed. Music / dance very entertaining. Shadow puppetry – sensational. Props fit in with the story. Thank you for doing a wonderful performance and for letting the children have times to interact with the performance. You must be teachers!! Great mime. Thank you for an entertaining performance”. Our Lady Queen of Peace, Greystanes, NSW “An energetic show that involved all the students. It was an incredible learning experience. The actors incorporated original songs, poetry, dance, puppetry, mime, voice overs and jokes with the actual story. From the beginning children were engaged in the story through clever use of props, music and excellent presentation. History and culture were well portrayed through costumes, voices and incredible attention to detail. Tony Bones took the original story and extended it into a terrific stage show.” Iona Public School, Woodville, NSW “Both shows! Wonderful! Very professional. You certainly made the books come to life. The children were so engaged and mesmerised by your performance. Thank you”. North Rocks Public School, NSW ‘Lots of fun and very entertaining. Longest we’ve seen the Principal stay still (as the statue on stage). Fabulous voices! Great singing and acting. Very talented folk”. Dobroyd Point Public School, NSW “The children at our school very much enjoyed the performances on Monday.... Once again the children looked for funny bits and silliness when they talked about it. They loved the characters and got a lot out of it. I think the teachers all appreciated the effort that your company had gone to in the show. The actors were excellent. So all in all a great experience and I look forward to hearing about next year’s performances”. St Therese’s Primary School, Mascot, NSW “Great use of voices and accents. Children seemed to enjoy props and costumes... Performers got all children involved by asking questions and asking for special helpers... Great involvement of students during the show... Interesting use of a variety of puppets to tell the story... Children certainly enjoyed the performance. Interaction with audience worked well... The performers brought the book alive through their ability, singing and story telling. The children were involved and participated very well. I’m sure they’ll want to read the book again and see the illustrations come alive... The performance was very entertaining. It certainly made the book come alive for the children. The children enjoyed all the signing, dancing and acting. It was amazing how many characters from the book were brought alive. Certainly a great experience!... A fabulous way of bringing the picture book to life for students. We will definitely read the story again. The students enjoyed all the different elements of story telling that were used throughout the performance... A very engaging performance especially for very young students. The songs and singing enhanced the familiar story. It was great to see student and teacher participation throughout the performance.... Great use of song and dance. Good balance of humour and seriousness. Excellent performers. They really brought the book alive!... Thank you for a well prepared version of the book. Props and costumes were simple yet effective. Children seemed to really enjoy it and it was very engaging….” Ariah Park Central School, NSW “The performance suited K to 6 students – It displayed different types of puppets ; shadow, hand and stick. It told the story of Nobody Owns the Moon through dance, singing and drama so all the styles of the creative arts were covered. The actors showed the students that costumes do not have to be complicated, by using simple items you can tell your story and show your character. Well done! My students thoroughly enjoyed your show... Performance was lively and entertaining. Students thoroughly enjoyed themselves... As above. Excellent! All students loved it... All students thoroughly enjoyed the performance... As above. The students listened and liked it. I enjoyed it as well (acting and humour)... Students all appeared to enjoy the show. Great suggestion to read the book beforehand. We will work through the suggested worksheets. Thank you.” Flinders Community College, Tyabb, VIC ‘All teachers were very happy with the performance and thought the children were engaged. I particularly liked how the picture book was read along with / during the performance, as although we had read the book before some kids had forgotten. All teachers indicated they would probably like to have the performance again next year”. "Audrey of the Outback " 2009/2010 Cambridge Primary School, Cambridge, TAS "Entertaining. Lovely singing. Children enjoyed the different characters and costume changes.... puppet idea was good." The Patch Primary School, The Patch, VIC "The children LOVED the show! They were engrossed the whole time. No behaviour issues and no lack in concentration at all (and there were a lot of them in the hall!) The female actor was terrific – she had a huge role and great enthusiasm, etc. Lots of factual info contained in the play as well. Well done!... The Grade 6’s were very impressed with the professionalism of the show. They stated that both the actors were brilliant and the music and singing “sounded like a CD” High praise from Grade 6! From a teacher's perspective the show tied in perfectly with our Australian History Integrated Unit and there was plenty of discussion afterwards about swaggies and the colloquial language of the day. Many thanks for a fantastic show". St Marys School, Alexandra, VIC "The kids and I were half way through the book when we saw the play. It was fantastic to see it come to life by people who enjoyed the text so much. It was a professional, entertaining and engaging play. All the kids agreed that Audrey was fantastic and a talented performer. Thank you!" Kalinda Primary School, Ringwood, VIC "Very animated. Female lead clear voice, engaging, effective... Great story! We’ll be reading this in class.. Great characters and look at our past history. Good reflection and relating the characters to stereotypes in Australian history / male / female roles. Dramatic play using the junior book awards is an excellent way to bring literature to life." Nulkaba Public School, Nulkaba, NSW "Tony Bones was an excellent performance and students were engaged the whole time... Entertaining, engaging performance. Very professional presentation... Wonderful performance!! Energetic and fun. Children really enjoyed the show... Great show! Even though I have read the book I couldn’t tell where events had been left out. The action and flow were seamless from one story section to the next!" Wattle Park Primary School, Burwood, VIC "A very entertaining presentation. Thoroughly enjoyed by children and teachers! A great addition to our Book Week celebrations." Caulfield Grammar School, Wheelers Hill, VIC "The two actors had fantastic energy and enthusiasm. Clear line delivery and a great rapport with the kids. Great characterisation and use of simple props/puppets/sounds effects. Love the 2 songs... An interesting text - great to touch upon Australian history / roots... The discussion at the end was very valuable in linking both play to book and to make it relevant for Book Week activities." St Therese’s Primary School, Mascot, NSW “An entertaining adaption of the book. Fun, enthusiastic actors held kids attention from beginning to end.... A simple but highly effective adaption of the book. The children clearly enjoyed the production... Use of lighting and sound for the ‘mothers’ character was different and effective. Enthusiasm of actors was great. Students were interested throughout... A great adaption of the book. The main characters were energetic and enthusiastic. The children were entertained... Good characterisation and involvement / interaction with the students. Very entertaining!... Actors did a great job to keep students entertained. Students clearly enjoyed themselves. Thank you... Held the audience’s attention throughout performance! Simple yet effective use of ‘props’ and stage. Thanks for an entertaining performance!... Very entertaining – many laughs from the children throughout! Good use of different props and ways of presenting. Well done... the children really enjoyed the show. The performers versatility – acting, singing, characters kept their interest throughout. Good fun play and great props too”. Christine Harris, Author of "Audrey of the Outback" "Hi Tony, We went to Auburn today to see Michael and Jacqui's performance, as you probably know. Both David and I thought they worked really hard and they cleverly managed to portray varied characters and be their own roadies! Jacqui was Audrey. She was magnificent, and has such a strong singing voice. My only regret is that 'Mr Akbar' was on stage - channelled by Michael - for such a short time. Thank you very much. ....I think what was included was perfect. It related to the theme and the being a man thing fitted psychologically with the missing Dad and the swaggie. Would have done the same myself. Thanks again, Christine." Christine Harris, Author of "Audrey of the Outback" Flinders Christian Community College, Tyabb, VIC "A thoroughly enjoyable show. I loved the portrayal of all the characters. Amelia was very strong as Audrey and came across as a little girl starting to grow up and ask the difficult questions. Matt was great in all the parts. I enjoyed the costumes and the use of the silhouette puppet and the doll. The music was catchy and the words appropriate. Our children seemed to be engaged in and enjoy the performance. The Grade 4’s seemed most involved and asked most of the questions at the end. Thank you” Iona Public School, Woodville, NSW “Both shows! Wonderful! Very professional. You certainly made the books come to life. The children were so engaged and mesmerised by your performance. Thank you”. Dobroyd Point Public School, NSW “The children at our school very much enjoyed the performances on Monday.... It was very entertaining. The children loved the dunny being blown up and they loved the characters, particularly Mr Akbar, I think. I thought Dougie was done very well and I liked the way you did the mother. It held their attention right through.... I think the teachers all appreciated the effort that your company had gone to in the show. The actors were excellent. So all in all a great experience and I look forward to hearing about next year’s performances”. Mater Dei Catholic Primary School, Kooringal, NSW “Excellent, storyline matched the acting. Great how you discuss the story at the end as a narrative – problems, etc. Excellent exposure for the children to see puppetry, shadow puppetry, etc as drama forms. Great singing. Humorous (we all love to laugh). Entertaining. Clear voices / sound. Able to relate to the age group. Great connection with the children. Use of Australian slang. The play fits in with lots of HSIE units on early Australians”. Araluen Primary School, Sale, VIC “A great show. A great book... a true representation of how I interpreted the book. The voices harmonised beautifully”. St Joseph’s Primary School, Wonthaggi, VIC “Believable, well characterised. Carried the storylines through very well. Singing was fabulous. Used the stage really well. Creative and inspiring”. Our Lady Queen of Peace, Greystanes, NSW “The presentation by the 2 actors was well constructed... the singing was the highlight, particularly the harmonies. The story was faithful to the book”. "The Night Garden" 2008/2009St Mary's Primary School, Hastings, VIC "We were very pleased with the whole experience of our show. The team were on time and well prepared for the show. They adapted really well to our area that the performance was done in. The children, staff and parents were engaged all the time. The amount of participation was perfect and perfect children chosen.... We were extremely pleased and would have no problems recommending this company to any other groups. The adaption of the story "The Night Garden" was quite amazing as I had no idea how you would interpret it. Great job and on behalf of St Mary's thank you very much". Kendall Public School, NSW "Great energy. Kids loved participation opportunities (so did teachers)... Real singing and dancing!!! Not technology based (fantastic). I liked the idea of clapping the book... Fantastic show." St Joseph's School, Benalla, VIC "Thanks guys for an absolutely enthralling & thoroughly entertaining rendition of "The Night Garden". It's definitely going to stay with the children as an inspiration to them of what creativity and fun can be had through books. We loved the entertainment for the "grown ups" as well. What a fun & lovely way to finish a school day. Thank you - fun, powerful, professional & inspiring." Highfields Preparatory & Kindergarten School, Lindfield, NSW "Energetic, bright, good props / costumes. Clear for children to hear / understand. Children enjoyed participation.... Very good. Thank you. Dancing was great for children to join in with. Thank you very much." Blighty Public School, ACT "It was fantastic... Singing and dancing was really good.... Very professional. Great lesson in drama." Caroline Chisholm School, Chisholm, ACT "Love your props! Great performance - our kids were really engaged... Staff enjoyed it also. Fabulous! Definitely again! Younger students mesmerised by the singing." Parkes Shire Library, NSW "The show brought flat pages to life". "The show included an educational aspect, that covered Book Week and theatre - not just a simple show". Lake Cargellico Central School, NSW "Excellent props. Simple and effective. Performance flowed well, students were engaged all show. Songs were well written and performed. As with last year, students and teachers alike enjoyed the show - see you next year!" Elise Hurst, Author of "The Night Garden" "Thank you so much for the dvd of the show - fantastic!! What a talented bunch you have there. Good luck for this year's show. I hope they're all a sell out"
Trinity Catholic Primary School, Kemps Creek, NSW "Puppets as part of backdrop were a great idea - Children were engaged from the first minute when they walked into the room. Great interpretation of story, humour and deconstruction session. Children enjoyed "the Knight" garden". "Children enjoyed wolf howling and judges" . Tempo was good, great range of jokes appealed because of increased maturity of children". Barnsley Public School, NSW "Scene setting had all children connected from start. Props very effective. Visual demonstration of drawing on window a good impression. Musical/singing parts clearly telling story - added to total presentation - messages sung were catchy and repetitive. Costumes and puppets were great. Very funny for all ages, even teachers! Very professional. Loved Sonya Kruger!" Somersby Public School, NSW "Wonderful motivation and audience rapport. Excellent acting. Clear diction. Great observation of details in the illustrations in "the Night Garden". A lot of audience participation. Many elements of theatre used throughout the performance. Amazed that you were able to use so much comedy with a book like "The Night Garden". Fantastic show enjoyed by teachers and students". St Francis Xavier Primary School, Frankston, VIC "The performance had the children entertained from the beginning. Fantastic! Vibrant! Full of energy! A great show! Children totally engaged in performance. Great Songs and adaptation of story with clever props and costumes. Very enjoyable for teachers as well! My preps didn't stop smiling! A perfect balance of narrative, humour, music and dance. A wonderful performance - a great adaptation of the book! We were all entertained." Wattle Park Primary School, Burwood, Vic "This performance of "The Night Garden" was thoroughly entertaining for both children and adults. I have never laughed so much at a performance and enjoyed the level of adult humour. The costumes and set were engaging and the performance overall held the children's attention at all times. Student participation ensured engagement from the students as well. Also really enjoyed the innovation of the text ie. the talent show part of the performance. Well done Tony Bones team!" "An absolutely fantastic show, which brought the book to life. The children and staff had a great time and were totally engaged throughout the performance. Wonderful characters and great balance of singing and action!! The children loved Sally and the amazing, unstoppable, Strange!! Loved the bush - eat your heart out Priscilla! Enthusiastic, comical, engaging with students and staff, great costumes....Explanation about the book and knowledge about the top list/running of book was simplistic and perfect for kids" Watsonia Heights Primary School, Vic "Fantastic. It was great with the different characters and voices. Having opportunities for the children to join in was great also, especially the Preps. Thankyou! Great... Good interaction with the children. They really enjoyed it. Really enjoyable. Children thoroughly entertained and loved the interaction!" Liebler Yavneh College, Elsternwick, Vic "Very entertaining show that kept the audiences attention throughout. Moved from one scene to another smoothly - Varied format to keep audience captivated. Subtle use of humour - suited to the year level. Both presenters were dynamic and the audience was wanting to see what was going to happen next. Had some very strong "messages" within the dialogue about values and relationships". Donvale Primary School, Vic "Absolutely fabulous! So much fun and a wonderful interpretation of the story. The actors were great. Puppets coincidentally, fitted right into our present unit of work and gave children good ideas". Fantastic! Very funny! Lots of humor for the adults. Fantastic, so funny... I was the one at the back crying with laughter!... Super show again 'Tony Bones". Sets a high standard each year, and always delivers a well put together and well rehearsed show. Great at getting the kids involved, too. 10/10 Congrats! An excellent production. Great use of music, dance and puppets. Appreciated the duel text and use of humour too.... "A really great show! Really brought the story to life through the actions, personality and humour of the central characters. Fabulous interpretation, the kids adored it, so did the adults! Great music and humour balance." Nulkaba Public School, NSW "Brilliant work. Thoroughly enjoyed by all! Loved the cat! Students totally engrossed throughout performance. They talked about it enthusiastically after the performance. Exceptional delivery - greatly enjoyed by ESI. Would appreciate its inclusion in 2009. Excellent show, children really enjoyed the interaction throughout the performance." St John Vianney's School, Mulgrave, VIC "Fantastic! The kids enjoyed the whole show - well done! The kids laughed their heads off and had a great time! The children thoroughly enjoyed the performance." St Michael's Lutheran School, Hahndorf, SA "Talking to teachers and students around the school, the performance was greatly enjoyed by all. Costumes great, performers very skilled and professional, props, lighting, sound all very professional. Good job." Marantha Christian School, Doveton Campus, Vic "The children enjoyed the performance which kept them interested from beginning to end. The humour captured us as the book was brought to life in an exciting and commendable way!! Well Done - Andy & Emma. The children enjoyed the performance - much excited giggling at many points through the time of the performance. The kids wrote about Tony Bones before they came. It was all very positive in writing and they enjoyed it more when they performed. Great performance. Thanks for adapting it for our special needs. The kids loved it and it certainly held their attention." "Amelia Dee & the Peacock Lamp" 2008/2009 Wattle Park Primary School, Burwood, Vic "Most enjoyable; great characters; simple and effective props... We all thoroughly enjoyed it - (as we have in the past!). I viewed both shows today. They were both fantastic and enjoyed by us all. Both books brought to life by two very talented presenters! They were very entertaining - we are already looking forward to next year! I love that we can hear the author's voice through the characters. The masks and great use of props (such as rubbish bins) was inspiring in creating our own mini productions. The follow up discussion added extra insight... We all loved it!" Watsonia Heights Primary School, Vic "I thoroughly enjoyed the show, as did the students. It was very funny and we loved the individual characters. The masks and mannerisms were very entertaining as well as the singing. Great Show! This was a fantastic performance. The delivery was spot-on and the character traits were incredibly funny! So refreshing to see that all age groups (young and old) were catered for. A sensational show. I thoroughly enjoyed the change of characters and the simple set. Andrew, you have a tremendous voice, and are a real talent. I enjoyed Emma's performance too. I appreciated the humour that was woven into the show." Donvale Primary School, Vic "Enjoyable, entertaining, good variation in production techniques demonstrated. Children's response was positive....positive experience. Thank you. Fantastic adaptation, thought it was great to incorporate humour to maintain student interest. The characters were well developed and the props assisted fantastically in understanding a characters history. The students gave great feedback and seemed to understand the main concepts. Thanks...Thank you, I thought the show was very entertaining. My class haven't read the book yet, but it was very easy to follow. The kids could relate to the humour used and all enjoyed the performance. Excellent show We really enjoyed the show, even though we hadn't read the book. The students now want to read it! Both actors were very clever.". Nulkaba Public School, NSW "Absolutely Fabulous! Very entertaining! To have year 5 boys stop me in the playground after seeing "Amelia Dee" wanting to know if Tony Bones is coming next year with looks of great anticipation and remarks of "That was awesome!" says it all!! It was fantastic! The kids thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very amusing, the kids were involved as part of the performance. A great way to involve the children in the book!! Students engaged and thoroughly enjoyed show. I received very positive feedback from my students. They appreciated the humour and quality of performance." St John Vianney's School, Vic "I only saw a small part of the performance but stayed longer than I had to because I was enjoying the performance so much. I was very impressed by the way you set up and packed up and the way you went about your job with little or no assistance. A very professional approach! St Michael's Lutheran School, Hahndorf, SA "The response from teachers and students was very positive. Production was very professional. Comments were made on the excellent singing voices of the actors! Most enjoyable." Maribyrnong College, VIC "Students enjoyed the play. They laughed & were engaged. The story was well acted and the play followed the storyline of the book closely". Trinity Catholic Primary School, Kemps Creek, NSW "I liked that it was true to the story and used many of the same words and Odo Hirsch's style. Stage, lighting, music was very good. Children like the puppets. Children enjoyed - elevator, singing, music, Star Wars, accent, sound effects, acted convincingly, made them laugh!" Maranatha Christian College, Endeavour Hills, Vic "Excellent show. The acting was outstanding. Followed the book very closely with attention to details. Held the students' attention the whole time. Humour was great; I laughed as much as the children. Accents were very clever too. This was my first "Tony Bones" experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters were portrayed with humour, the props were simple yet effective, the children's attention was held throughout. My students particularly enjoyed it when the characters involved the audience. The props used above the curtain were a hit (the Rulers and Star Wars characters). The accents were mimicked for the next day by many Grade 4's! Great show, fantastic acting. Movement backstage, amazing. Loved the way you used the space - top, left, right! Students enjoyed the teacher and one of their own incorporated in the dialogue as well as using the bell and announcements - Fantastic ad lib." St MacArtan’s Primary School, Mornington, VIC “Amelia Dee was a really enjoyable play to watch. We liked the relationship between Amelia and the best friend Eugenie. Eugenie was very nosy and the opposite to Amelia but in the end she proved to be a good friend. The play has a happy ending which shows how people can change”. From the author Jan Omerod " Dear Tony,... thank you for the DVD of your delightful performance of Water Witcher. I enjoyed it a lot, thought you expanded it cleverly and thoughfully, and I LOVE your long legged silly walks! Well done, and thanks again. Very best, Jan" Flemington Primary School, VIC “Performance was fantastic! Children were engaged throughout the show...Both my class and I loved the performance. I liked how you pointed out to the students that it is okay for a boy to act the part of a girl and vice-versa. Great story, acting and songs to match. 10/10 for a great performance.” Westmeadows Primary School, VIC “Kids loved the show. Getting them moving kept them all interested in story...Great show – lots of interest for the children. Terrific incorporation of the storyline and music...Fast moving, enjoyable show. The story chosen was appropriate to Australia’s present water situation.” The Scotts School, Bathurst, NSW “The concert was great. The students were completely engaged from Kinder to Year 4. The actors did bring the book alive and it was clever how musical songs were written into the story. Great use of the book in the drama to draw on the students’ previous learning.” St Francis Xavier, Frankston, VIC “Very well put together – funny and entertaining.” St Marcartan’s Primary School, VIC “The children were fully engaged in what was happening. It was a delight to watch the various expressions on the children’s faces. The performers did an excellent job, always talking to the audience as well as including them during performance. Clear articulation and good costumes...Excellent show. Meaning behind the story clearly conveyed. Props, costumes good. Children engaged well with storyline – post-play discussion was worthwhile. Children loved the music and comedy...The children thoroughly enjoyed the show. The music was superb and the choreography spot on. Children were entertained and learnt some important things about saving water as well. Well done and thank you...Fantastic! Great level of energy. Nice and colourful and the students were engaged for the whole time. Great discussion about drought at the end...I loved it. It was great seeing the story come ‘alive’. I loved the harmonies (great voices) and the dances. You certainly pour your hearts and souls into it. Also loved the humour. The kids? They loved it too!” Donvale Primary School, VIC “Loved the musical aspect. Added depth and loved the volume – loud, to keep the kids interested. Costumes were great. Was great how you involved crowd and came into audience, kept them alert. Creative, funny and fantastic performance. A great way to explore such a fabulous story. Good re-cap on the book at question time...Was a great performance. Very engaging. The kids seemed happy. Getting them involved was good...Kids loved the suspense at the beginning. Children were very engaged throughout the entire performance. Songs are great! Choreography great too! Costumes were great and simple. Dream sequence was fabulous! Dougie was excellent. Digging sketch great! Involvement of kids with actions was AWESOME! Very nice ending...Great intro – got attention, fun, children loved it. Songs were great. Audience participation was good – children loved that (me too!). LOVED that chook costume!! Great fun and energy. Loved the adaptation. Great choice of book – topical issue as well as one that affects us all. I love the family aspect too – how families help each other. I really liked the re-cap of the book at the end – beginning, middle and end (what we concentrate on in class) Great rapport with the audience. Question time was really well done too. Thanks a lot – we had a great time.” Mt Pleasant Primary School, Ballarat, VIC “Fantastic. Awesome. Entertaining. Totally engaging. Thought provoking...Children loved it (so did teachers!). Very funny. Stimulated much discussion comparing book to performance...Wonderful show. Engagement of the children was excellent, especially pre-show. Promoted excellent discussion about issues...Tony’s shows are always fantastic. The reach across the ages so that everyone enjoys themselves...Each year the performance is dynamic, all-engrossing and the children leave wanting more and feeling great about things!” St Catherine’s College, Toorak, VIC “This was a fantastic production – perfect for the age group! I really liked the way reference was made regularly to the book, and the simple ways in which the book was acted out/portrayed. Discussion at the end of the show was fantastic – the best I have seen! It maintained the focus on the book, highlighting the main features. The Year 2 students loved this production, and I thought it was a very worthwhile presentation. Thank you so much...I loved it! It was very relevant, funny, informative and age-appropriate. Excellent, A+” Glen Katherine Primary School, Eltham, VIC "Great way to bring the book alive. A lesson in history, literacy and drama. So practical...Great! Discussion afterwards was valuable – just planned my literacy and art lesson for Wednesday...Fantastic book and relevant. Discussion afterward was wonderful too!...Fantastic show – very educational and enjoyable.” Abbotsford Primary School, VIC “Fantastic performance as usual. Kids loved it. Great songs – children engaged the whole time. Talking about it the next day. Most suitable for all ages. Very professional. Good extension i.e. comments re: water saving etc. Holistic performance. Topical. A complete package – dance, music, action etc.” Frankston Library, VIC “This show was just fantastic! Very interactive and the music/songs were great – thank you very much...Another excellent performance...Water Witcher - a very worthwhile and educational event.” Thomastown Primary School, VIC “A worthwhile performance. The children really enjoyed it and learnt important issues to do with drought! A fantastic performance enjoyed by all...Great performance – students really enjoyed it. Follow-up activities were great!!...Very well performed! Definitely a worthwhile activity!...A great performance – children really enjoyed it and were very eager to talk about it after – we talked about how we could act stories out...Fantastic presentation Tony and Girls. Positive feedback from all concerned. The students in particular loved it. Keep up the great work.” Corpus Christi Primary School, Cranebrook, NSW "Both the children and the staff all seemed to enjoy the show. The entertainers were very professional and obviously enjoy what they’re doing...Thanks. The children really enjoyed the show...The show was very entertaining and the children love the songs and actions...Very entertaining. Full of energy. Suited the children. It brought the book to life – thank you...Fantastic. All children enjoyed the show. Enjoyed being able to dance and move around.” Caulfield Grammar School, Wheelers Hill Campus, VIC “Appreciated the variety of the performance (story, drama, dance and song). Costumes were well done and explanations at the beginning and end. Also good to have questions at the end. The students were totally absorbed in the performance – very creative. Many thanks. Come again!...The performance was outstanding. The children were so engaged and gauged very well for a young audience. It was really good that the children were involved also. Thank you! Looking forward to your next performance...Absolutely fantastic! The children and I were thoroughly entertained!! We all loved it – so appropriate for young children – lots of movement, variety and songs. Well done, and thanks!...Fabulous. Very engaging and thoroughly well-organised! Would love them to come back...Absolutely outstanding! The standard of performance (acting and singing) was superb and at times very moving. This was a wonderful medium to experience books, drama and music in a live performance. Exactly what we wanted. Thank you!...This is the first time I’ve seen such a production and it was fabulous. Recently, I’ve been taking more interest in children’s books and the possibilities of making them ‘singable’ so this was exactly what I needed! All students were engaged for the entire duration and I could see that they thoroughly enjoyed it too.” Amsleigh Park Primary School “Fantastic! Thoroughly enjoyable for both teachers and children. Gave valuable insight to plight of farmers dealing with the drought. Linked beautifully with the Prep classes and German as we are studying ‘The Farm and the needs of Living Things’. The junior grades were engaged and follow-up discussions and activities in class revealed they had absorbed lots and enjoyed the performance. All actors looked like they enjoyed the experience too. Thanks for an enjoyable and valuable performance.” Overnewton College, Keilor Campus, VIC “You made the book come alive in a most entertaining manner – it was wonderful! I liked the simplicity of the set and props; it has inspired me to try something similar with children. The question and answer session at the end was not only informative, but extremely well stage-managed. THANK YOU for a truly memorable experience!” Naranga School, Frankston, VIC “The performance had something for everyone. Students were captivated with the story and enjoyed participating. Students were informed and entertained. Story was brought to life through catchy songs and costume. Teachers were pleased with the performance and we are happy to have you back next year.” Woodleigh School, Junior Campus, Frankston, VIC “The teachers were very impressed by the groups’ performance. They were pleased with the content and thought that the show was very professional. Really liked the Q and A time at the end.” Nulkaba Public School, NSW “Fantastic clear presentation of concepts. Loved the presentation of how drama/casting/sets created. Loved the reinforcing of ideas...Brought back lots of childhood memories – of life in a farming district – and water diviners...Outstanding responses from class (drawings etc.) - result of fantastic show...Excellent performance – kept all children absolutely mesmerized. Great incidental learning throughout. Followed literacy terms and structures that children use...Absolutely brilliant! Excellent acting, singing and dancing. Relevant message...Excellent! Children were enthralled the whole time. Very suited to this age group...Amazing! The kids were enthralled and the links to English syllabus were superb – fantastic!...Very entertaining. Children enjoyed it...Very professional presentation. Fantastic...Excellent. Kids got a lot out of it!” Kew Primary School, Victoria “We read ‘Water Witcher’ again today - the day after the show, and saw it so differently to the first time we read it. A huge discussion around the sisters and how they were funny - yet what they were doing wasn't funny at all - it was teasing/bullying Dougie (cheap humour). Kids absolutely loved the show… They thought the costumes were realistic and they really felt a sense of dryness on the farm.” Albert Park Library, Victoria "Very professional! Kept kids' interest throughout show. Many favourable comments!" Ringwood Heights Primary School, Victoria "Thanks for last week's performances. Our staff and students loved them. Our older kids have seen your shows now since their Prep years and have learnt so much about the nature of performance as a means of story telling. The question time for all groups is really valuable. Could you please book us a time for 2008." Comments from schools in the Wallsend area, NSW “What an absolutely fabulous show! Congratulations on producing such a professional piece of theatre. Staff and students alike were involved, laughing and mesmerized!”
Araluen Primary School, VIC “Can I say how well you guys presented the book plays last year. We saw the Water Witcher and the play was both funny and sad and adults and children enjoyed it equally well”. Flemington Primary School, VIC “Very enjoyable. Very good performance. Professionally presented and pertinent to certain students living/family situations. The number of tears in the audience was an indication of how well the story touched the students. Students were very engaged...All comments from the children were positive. Students were excited by the characters and were keen to discuss the relationships acted out between each character. Some students were obviously touched by the emotions openly displayed by each of the characters. The visit by Tony Bones Entertainment was timely, as our unit of study this term (3) is theatre.” Kalinda Primary, Ringood, VIC “Really enjoyed the show. Was clear in its representation of some confronting issues. Really enjoyed the duet between the girls. Liked the break-down at the end...Allows us to enter into the issues that every child faces, we read the book and had a fantastic discussion above family structure...The characters had heart and cleverly avoided stereotype but were still clear and “simple” to understand...Great to see dramatization after we had read the book. Wonderful light and shade to engage students. Explanation at end most helpful to understandings.” St Marcartan’s Primary School, VIC “Excellent story-telling! I was really enthralled as were the students. Very age-appropriate and relating well to their experiences of families. Students who are in this very position were glowing with the links you make to their situations...Excellent play that captured the attention of the students and told the story very well. The chance for the children to ask questions was also worthwhile and added to the experience...An excellent play that covers many themes. The characters of the story were played/portrayed extremely well. The play generated excellent classroom discussion afterwards. Thank you.” Glen Katherine Primary School, Eltham, VIC "Student comment: ‘Your play was amazing! You were amazing! Have you ever thought of going on Australian Idol? You are really good singers.’ Well presented and covered issues sensitively...Fabulous! The play was really good because it showed that everybody has problems of their own. The singing was great and everybody thought ‘Sally’ was funny!...Enjoyed by all. Dealt with real life issues, humourous and great acting...Enjoyed by the whole grade. Harley portrayed really well. The content in the play was relevant to this age group...Some really important issues that our students have to deal with involving families. Children really enjoyed the book and also the portrayal of Harley.” Greenacre Public School, NSW "The play was very well done, particularly the balance between the spoken script and song. The message of the book was communicated clearly in a manner that all students could identify with. Giving the students an opportunity to ask questions was fantastic as it allowed them to not only better understand the story, but also the process of how a play is put together...Good interpretation of the text. Songs worked well to break up play.” Glen Eira College, VIC “The play explored the themes of grief and mental illness in a light and highly sympathetic manner. The actors were flexible and funny and the students enjoyed the performance. The play was spiced up with entertaining musical items. The actors studied well mannerisms and language of high-school students...Pacy, fast, visually entertaining. Great character performances...Great acting with minimal props. I enjoyed the character portrayals and the singing was fabulous...Excellent transition from character to character, engaging. Well done...Well performed and engaging, good coverage of the issues involved in the storyline.” Caulfield Grammar School, Wheelers Hill Campus, VIC “This is the fifth year I have seen Tony Bones at various schools and as always, loved it! Both performances were of outstanding quality with brilliant acting and a purposeful message. I appreciate the value in questioning/reflective time at the end and love how my drama students have picked up on some of your theory about characterisation and prop use. Keep up the amazing work and can’t wait to see next year!” Woodleigh School, Junior Campus, Frankston, VIC "You handled the issues in the book sensitively and appropriately for the age level. I really think that the children valued the debriefing at the end and again appreciated the Q and A time. Prompted interesting discussion in the classroom. Loved the costumes and the music.” Westmeadows Primary School, VIC “Very relevant to family life issues. Children all enjoyed it. Acting and singing was excellent...Some deeper thinking issues dealt with that would be relevant to a number of children. Also many of those themes link well with our ‘Bounce Back’ topics. Good mixture of emotions...Tremendous energy from all actors. Singing was fabulous – really strong voices…Well done!” Kilbreda College, Mentone, VIC “Congratulations and thank you for an entertaining and thought-provoking performance. The feedback from the Year 7 girls was overwhelmingly positive and reflected their enjoyment and involvement in the show. The characters were portrayed strongly and the girls could relate to many of the issues explored in the text. The performance was amusing but sensitive and achieved a great balance. The theme of relationships can be both simple and complex and the students were able to discuss the many and varied friendships that they have with others. Most impressive was the inclusion of the mental health issue. This challenged many of the girls and they identified with some of the problems that can arise when people avoid situations. Many of the girls have been motivated to read the novel and it is fabulous to see the non-readers showing an interest in a particular book. We all loved the energy created by the characters and the combination of dialogue and singing worked effectively. In their Drama classes the girls have been working with minimum props and the concept of playing a variety of characters. Therefore your performance satisfied the VELS interdisciplinary component. Thank you – we all appreciated your work.” Flinders Christian College, Tyabb,VIC “I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The balance between humour and drama was excellent. The actors, costumes and sets were great. I enjoyed the way the actors involved the audience. The introduction of songs was an enjoyable surprise. I had read the novel but the production made me focus more clearly on the major themes. I thought Tony was excellent in his discussion of these themes at the end of the performance. He involved the children effortlessly. The College appreciated your sensitivity to the Christian school ethos in the presentation and follow-up discussion. The teams’ setting up and dismantling was very smooth and made it easy for the teachers. The sound microphones were great...The plot was very relevant to today’s society and the values taught were sound. A job well done!” “The play was very professional and age-appropriate. The ideas presented in the performance are very real in some of our students’ lives. The students understood the content of the play and were able to join in discussion when returning to the classroom. All actors were professional and showed professional understanding of learning outcomes. The students are keen to see another Tony Bones production.” “Thanks for such a great production. My class and I were really excited to discuss the story when we get back to class. We also discussed the issues raised especially about treating others the way we should. The variation in the production was great. We were impressed by the excellent standard and the professionalism of all the players. The girls’ voices were amazing. The kids said they should try out for “Idol”. Well done and thanks” Kew Primary School, Victoria “The short time spent after the performance talking about the many themes was great - it helped the kids to think about mental illness in our community which was wonderful. I even heard from a Grade 3 (who had a Grade 6 sibling) that the book was about people with schizophrenia! Amazing what kids pick to take away from a play and talk about at home!” Ringwood Heights Primary School, Victoria “Thanks for last week's performances. Our staff and students loved them. Our older kids have seen your shows now since their Prep years and have learnt so much about the nature of performance as a means of story telling. The question time for all groups is really valuable.” Comments from schools in the Wallsend area, NSW “This production was excellent. The students were enthralled and totally involved. I felt the issues in the book were much more powerful when seen on stage…Staff were extremely professional and pleasant. Looking forward to hosting you again!” Araluen PS, Sale, Victoria “Excellent, excellent, excellent. The look on the children’s faces said it all. The questions they asked showed some depth too. A lot of children connected with the text in a very personal way that they wanted to share, and it was good for them to consider issues from another points of view/s. Acting etc – fantastic. The summary at the end was very effective – made more so by giving children stretching, movement activities first. A very good choice of text. Congratulations. Come again!” "Irving The Magician " 2006/2007 Merriwa Central School, NSW "I’ve had many observations of children’s performances over the years, but none have come close to yours. The whole staff thought the same. It was energetic, professional and extremely humourous. Please come back again" Dromana Primary School, VIC "Absolutely sensational!!" Maranatha Christian College, VIC "Outstanding performance – I love the way you bring the story to life... Fabulous, really inspired the children to act using books and things in the environment... a top production... Tony Bones Entertainment = Quality Entertainment! You had a great mix of acting, songs and story that thoroughly entertained both kids and adults. Top Stuff!!... A very talented team." St Marys Primary School, Swan Hill, VIC "Excellent show... Another fantastic performance from a top class group. The children were spell bound... Great songs, dances. Can’t wait to see next years show.... Fantastic the way the children were involved the whole way through the show... Very slick and credible tricks!" St Margarets Primary School, VIC "HILARIOUS!...Fantastic, engaging show... Loved the songs!... wonderful!... great fun!!... Children were totally entertained and engaged....thanks for ‘the Magic’ you bought to St Margarets!" Mt Pleasant Primary School, VIC "Fantastic! Fun and interactive, catered for all levels and linked well with the book... Excellent and entertaining for all ages! What a wonderful way to present a story!... Really enjoyed Tony Bones - would like to see him every year. Really engages the kids... Teachers and children were captivated by the performance." Wattle Park Primary School ,VIC "What a fantastic way to bring a book to life! I would recommend ‘Tony Bones’ to other schools. The children loved the show. It is a great way to really get children to look into books.... Great performance" Doncaster Gardens Primary School, VIC "Well prepared. Active and energetic - great! Good involvement for one and all... Thank you for a great show and for adapting to our time schedule." Serpell Primary School, VIC “An engaging performance of the book and the humour was appropriate for the age group.... Good control over the group throughout the performance. The children were really able to engage... Children enjoyed the humour and understood the story and the messages it contained”. Lord Mayor John So, City of Melbourne Moomba Waterfest 2007 "Tony Bones - Irving the Magician, Thank you for your dedication and support of Moomba Waterfest 2007" Michelle Bell, Project Coordinator, Moomba Waterfest 2007 "Dear Tony, Moomba waterfest 2007 - Thank you! On behalf of the City of Melbourne I would like to thank yourself and Bree for your involvement in the Moomba Waterfest 2007 Children's Garden Program. The return of Moomba Waterfest after the Commonwealth Games was a resounding success - with huge crowds and fantatsic media coverage. Melburnians turned out in their thousands to enjoy all of the Moomba activities over the Labour Day long weekend. Each performer bought a unique sound and energy to the festival and as a result we have had exceptional feedback on all areas of the Children's Garden program. Thank you for your performance and we hope you enjoyed the experience of performing at the 2007 Moomba Waterfest! All the best. Yours sincerely, Michelle Bell" Tohby Riddle - Author & Illustrator "Irving the Magician" "Dear Tony, Just writing to thank you for sending a DVD of your"Irving the Magician" show. You've done it again! I really enjoyed it - so did my wife, who watched it with me. The script, the songs and the performances were good and funny. And I liked the way you handled the ideas in the book - keeping a nice balance between lively, witty entertainment and sometimes more reflective narrative and meanings in the book. It must have been a challenge, but I think you nailed it and I thought the result was a rich piece of children's theatre. I also appreciated your presentation of the ideas underpinning the book at the end of the show. Very clear and insightful. It was an education for me too. You're doing a great job - I hope it's all going well for you... Best wishes, Tohby Riddle." "To The Light" 2006-2007Testimonial from the author: "Hi Tony, I received the DVD of "To the Light" yesterday and had a look at the two performances last night. Congratulations, you and the team did a great job. Very professional and I'm particularly impressed with your comic timing as an actor and scriptwriter. Well done with the props also. It wasn't an easy task! Hope we can do it all again in future years. Cheers Pat Flynn." "I thought it was fantastic! The children thoroughly enjoyed it and we followed up with discussions in the class about ‘growth’ of character.... A great show. It highlighted the book very well. Good for the kids to see that you don’t need elaborate sets, costumes etc to produce a quality performance. Definitely book for 2007... Congratulations – they loved it! The post discussion was particularly relevant in ensuring all the ¾’s understood the plots/sub plots. Thank you for a great show... We enjoyed the book. The show was great – simple but effective props, great characters & story. Very enjoyable." WATTLE PARK PS, VIC "Really funny and entertaining. Great to see the way the personalities/characters were changed a little from the book. The Dad was very funny. Actors were fantastic – loved the 6 pack on Mal. Bright and entertaining songs, with a great message/connection to the storyline. Set was very effective – great waves." ST MARYS PS, SWAN HILL, VIC "The students were totally engaged in the story. It was great to observe a creative way of approaching literacy using drama (particularly as I’m a student teacher of Drama). Really interesting use of simple sets and props. Loved the idea of the sound track... A well thought out and executed play. The play captured the imagination and attention of the students even those who have a reputation of having a short attention span... Excellent production with very effective visual (minimal) clues. Characterization was spot on. Students were totally engaged and all comments were very positive. Thank you." GLEN EIRA SECONDARY COLLEGE, VIC "Excellent – best incursion I’ve seen. Valuable at several levels. Debriefing at the end really locked in a lot of understandings... Wonderful : one of the best incursions we have had. I sincerely hope we see you again next year.... Great entertainment for cost. Advantage of this group is that they are educators and connected at kids level... Fabulous performance! Well worth the money. Both children and teachers responded with much enthusiasm and praise. Thanks for the valuable discussion too...A great show. Good fun and entertaining." MONTROSE PS, VIC "Excellent themes, very appropriate for our children who are moving to high school. Fantastic ability to connect with and manage audience. Question time was great... The children thoroughly enjoyed it as did the teachers. Actions and expressions of characters were depicted very well. Props and costumes suited the characters very well. Followed the novel ‘to a tea’ as we have read it." QUEEN OF PEACE PARISH PS, ALTONA MEADOWS, VIC "Fantastic effort! There was so much meaning throughout the storyline that different personalities of children will get so much out of it. Lots of discussion and activities will come out of this. The children could relate so well to the storyline. Your enthusiasm was great!" DROMANA PS, VIC "This was another great show that held the children’s attention throughout. The story delivered a strong message of self worth in an amusing but very realistic context. The characters were easily identifiable with the audience and it was great to see them grow through the story. The show demonstrated the versatility of the actors and gave the children an enjoyable worthwhile experience. Thank you" WATSONIA HEIGHTS PS, VIC "Enjoyed the characters. Kept children engaged. Great message, Thanks." KEW PS, VIC "The performance was excellent – book messages were clear. Students were engaged at their own level of understanding. Great to see song being included... Great really hit the spot... The performance was excellent – Presentation, character presentation and messages were all in keeping with the book. A great time was had by all. Great for the children to see the story ‘come alive’." ST SCHOLASTICA’S PS, BURWOOD EAST, VIC "Excellent standard, Kids were enthralled. Lots of ‘messages’ put across very well. Great fun. Great changeover of characters. Big wave was very clever!! Also paddling on surfboards at beginning – great props." ST JUDES PS, SCORESBY, VIC "Very engaging and a worthwhile experience, which has initiated much discussion within the class... My class thoroughly enjoyed the performance, particularly the talented actors!!... My grade enjoyed the fact that the show portrayed the story extremely well... An entreating performance, thoroughly enjoyed by all! Thank you" FLEMINGTON PS, VIC "Thank you for two wonderful performances on ‘Bring a Bloke Day’. You certainly had all the children and blokes thoroughly engaged by your performances. Mornington Primary School appreciated and enjoyed your performances." MORNINGTON PS, VIC "Our Greatest Australian - Federation / Commonwealth Games Show" 2001/2006Heathdale Christian College "The Grade 5's and 6's thought it was "the best excursion ever!"... Parents have already spoken to me about how much Students enjoyed the performance. The Staff were very happy with the learning that was part of your very professional show." Brentwood Park Primary Templeton Primary Millwarra Primary
Rosewood Downs Primary "Age appropriate (Years 3-6). Very enjoyable, children responded to the performance and joined in with the songs. Very energetic! Thanks.... Very entertaining. A good introduction for the young children. You kept them involved when they got restless. Tied in well with our Commonwealth Games unit. Fun! Thank you." "AT THE BEACH - POSTCARDS FROM CRABBY SPIT " 2005 - 2006"Very entertaining. Children from prep to Grade 6 thoroughly enjoyed the show (and adults). It was simple and easy to follow. Children knew what kind of things to expect e.g. the bike rider (Roland), writing a postcard, posting it. The involvement of the children was great. They were able to move around and so were not made to sit still for the entire session. Question time was very good: informative and interesting. Tony was able to talk to the children in an easy manner, answering questions in a way that the children could understand. Was well worth having at school. Would book this company again and would recommend them to other schools." - Coimadai Primary "Very entertaining performance. You certainly brought the book to life. Acting, singing, props all excellent... Great performance - kept all children engaged P-6 (and teachers). Well done... Very energetic. Love the way you involved the children. Great show... Animated performance. Upper students appeared interested... Possibly gave students a focus for their drama sessions? ... The children had a great time and were really engaged. It was great to have children moving about regularly. You really brought the book to life. Well performed... Plenty of energy. Well orchestrated. Very relatable. Very clearly delivered... Your energy was full-on from beginning to end and kept the kids entertained and focussed. Even the Grade 6 boys were doing the sheriff's dance! ... I specifically like the way you spoke to the kids at the end of the performance and related it to them. Makes it relevant... You certainly allowed the children to make "connections" to authentic experiences and the world of the imagination. Thanks, I have picked up some inspirational ideas to add / include when sharing stories / books with the children." - Nichols Point Primary "Wonderful performance yet again! I really appreciated your adaptation of the book and the excellent staging. Let's hope letter writing is a wonderful spin-off from Book Day reading! ... Well done again! The kids said on their evaluation forms that the best parts were: the 'kissing' scene and the 'Rock Pool' scene. It was so good to see the children's faces as they watched - they were really enjoying it. The audience participation was excellent too. The performance really brings the book to life and enhances the desire to read that book and books in general (which is exactly what we want!). Thank you... Outstanding performances!! Really brought the story and the characters to life. Loved all the levels of humour addressed by the script! ... Always look forward to your visit. Once again, an absolutely magnificent performance!! May God continue to bless your talents in this area." Maranatha Christian School "Very energetic and fast moving. Involved the students. Colourful and kept children engaged throughout performances. Good how they kept referring to book page. Brought in many environmental elements - pollution, recreation at the beach. I laughed and laughed. Just so well presented for both students and adults. Fantastic. Explanation at the end by Tony was a real benefit - could tell he was very emotive about the book and the subject. Projected voice and interacted with students to give a thorough explanation about the book. Showed props and how they were made and explained they could be made by students themselves... A very worthwhile show. Lots of action for the children. Lots of laughs!! Also educational. Well done! Great end of session interaction with the children." - Cann River Primary "Excellent - Great to involve the children so much. Explanations of questions very good. Humour related well to year level... Fantastic performance - Children all enjoyed it - great follow up activities - well done... Thanks again for another wonderful performance. All who have attended have been wonderfully entertained" - Swan Hill Primary "We loved your performance! All students and staff thought it was wonderful. As the children had previously read the book, they were able to identify the characters and scenes. Involvement of the students was great" - Mentone Boy's Grammar "Fabulous as always! Loved the songs and humour. Great student involvement. The kids absolutely LOVED it! I also loved the way you explained elements of the story afterwards (i.e.: dreams). Congrats and keep up the great work! ... Every year you put on an outstanding production. The students loved participating and you've encouraged kids to enjoy and read books! ... Great music and beat. Slow-mo part fantastic. Great control of children. I'd love to see the Grade 5/6 production... Fantastic - very interactive, involving children in all aspects of the text. High energy and engaging performance. Music, jokes, opportunity for individual students to perform on stage - excellent!! Too funny and jokes for adults appreciated! ... It was great!! The children were engaged for the whole show and it was very evident how much they enjoyed it. The music, acting, and jokes were fantastic. Looking forward to next year's!!!... Very entertaining! for both the children and adults, fast paced, opportunity for children to join in and a wonderful message of friendship and having fun on holiday... Our class loved it - they had read the story and it was wonderful to see a story transformed into such an entertaining and imaginative show... Congratulations for a fun and interactive show. The children were fully engaged and loved watching, listening, singing and joining in the various activities. The feedback from the children was very positive and they loved the opportunity to focus on their own dreams" - Roberts McCubbin Primary, Box Hill South "Tony & crew - I thought you were all fantastically brilliant. I had the best laugh plus all the other teachers did too! We were all so entertained for that hour and we all spoke very highly of you. The children were equally entertained and including them in your performance was a great way to keep their attention. They thought you were very funny and animated. The children all had special parts of the story they liked best. Well Tony, we will definitely have you back at our school again - no doubt about that!" - Chelsea Primary "Congratulations on a great show. Highly entertaining - kept children fascinated. Their laughter and enthusiasm was evident throughout. We raced to the library to get the book straight after the show - the children "argue" over whose turn it is to look at it!! An excellent activity for Book Week as has certainly helped to immerse the children in books. Highly recommended!! Thanks... A joyful experience for both children and teachers. I particularly liked the simplicity of the props and the use of the postcards. Opportunity for children participation was excellent. Congratulations on a great job. I will buy the book for my personal library. P.S. Children enjoyed writing about a shared experience... I thought it was a very novel and enjoyable way of introducing a storybook to the children. They all enjoyed it immensely and wrote at length about it when we returned to school. The acting was very professional and the singing voices were great. On the whole a great effort by all concerned. Would be very interested in seeing next year's performance - You made the book come to life. All the children are anxious to read it now to see the similarities and differences from the performance. Hats off to you all and especially Ange who came in at the last minute - Well done!"- St Peter Apostle School, Hoppers Crossing "The best children's theatre I've ever seen. I have seen and organised many visiting entertainments and Tony Bones was by far the best. Quality of acting and the effectiveness of their production was perfectly geared to the age groups for which they were arranged.... I was only able to see a little of both performances, but was impressed with the quality of the productions. Children and staff both reported most favourably. We look forward to seeing you in 2006... The show was very bright and exciting... Great loved the dolphins. Very very amusing!! Lots of time to answer questions - good!" Fairfield Primary "Response from everyone has been very positive. You engaged all of our children and we have some difficult ones. The most popular scene was "the kiss". I like the way you stuck closely to the book - it made it very meaningful for the children. Music - fabulous. A great show, hope we can see you again in the future. Many thanks for working around our timetable." Morang South Primary "Very funny performance. Children enjoyed and were engaged throughout the session. It was great to involve the children in the performance. Discussion at the end was insightful and encouraged children to develop an understanding of the 'behind the scenes' action of a theatrical performance. A great performance!!!... Children were positive and able to discuss the performance after the show." - Flemington Primary "Once again the children were fully engaged. They loved it... I thought it was excellent - funny, creative and I loved the pace! ... Very enjoyable, funny and creative. Great.... Great, entertaining and interactive. Thanks for a well produced show... Well done, the children were really looking forward to the production and I'm sure they weren't dissappointed - Great show!... Well done. All of the audience (Prep to 6) were fully entertained... Enjoyed by all! Lots of energy. Thank you... My kids were glued to the show. Well done" - Holy Eucharist Primary, East Malvern "Excellent to use the characters and postcards from the book. The music was really well done, especially the Rock Pool. Great to have children join in. Good use of humour and "kid" language. You were on time and had really good equipment and props. Very good to have book on display. Good use of Roland Harvey between scenes. Well done." - St John's Primary, Clifton Hill "Great funny, enlightening, fabulous characters that seem so lively and real. Relating the play to a book gives the production a longer life in children's minds. A great opportunity for country children to experience live theatre. Pink dress was a great touch, many comments afterwards. Great costumes all around. We admire your stamina in doing 3 back to back performances. We appreciate your commitment - trying to adapt to each group." - Alexandra Library "The whole show was great. The children were very engaged throughout the whole show. The songs were terrific. I loved the way you included the children. The children loved the show and definitely got the 3 messages from the book, as you discussed at the end. Thanks for a top show. Hope to see you back next year. (I thought last year was good but this show was even better!)" - St Mary's Primary, Swan Hill "Extremely entertaining and wonderful how the audience was involved throughout the show... Entertainment plus. Kids loved the corny reappearance of the bike, dog, etc. Characterisations were very appropriate - kids identified with them. A very clever dramatisation of the book. You guys always come up with great ideas... Great show that was entertaining, fast moving and visually appealing. The characters were energetic, and the children appreciated the athleticism... Very entertaining and amusing show. Great enthusiasm by the actors. Students loved the dog popping up with the objects that went missing. Terrific show... Excellent performance and good follow up activities provided... Terrific depiction of the "structure" of the book - including the "author" as "character". Difficult to involve the senior primary children, but you managed it beautifully! ... More than just an excellent show of entertainment. The discussion of the book and themes gave teachers and children an extended appreciation of the book" - Watsonia Heights Primary "The P-4 children and staff thoroughly enjoyed "At The Beach". In fact they are still talking about it. Must have been good as many staff also provided feedback - which certainly says a lot. Thanks once again. I look forward to next year's shows... Really enjoyed the performance. It was very funny. 10/10... Fantastic. The kids loved it and so did I! ... Excellent performance... Congratulations on ensuring children from Prep to Grade 4 were wonderfully engaged. They adored it! ... The children enjoyed the performance, were well engaged and all participated! ... Thoroughly enjoyable - children loved it. So did the teachers... The preps thoroughly "LOVED it". They especially liked the dog puppet. Teachers enjoyed it too! ... Very entertaining for both children and adults. Well done... It was very entertaining for all. Fantastic!" - Wattle Park Primary Doncaster Gardens Primary School, VIC “Great show. Great energy.... Excellent organisation. Well thought out”.
Sassafras Primary School, VIC “I thought the play was lots of fun and very good to cater for such a wide age group. Everyone including the adults had a fantastic time. Thank you very much... A great production. You kept the children engaged and the humour was well received. Well done... Well done for keeping such a wide age range interested and laughing. Also enjoyed the look behind the scenes at the how to of the performance... Once again a great performance. All the children enjoyed the performance, even the grownups. Thank you for talking to the children about how they can take on different characters and what they can do. Well done”.
Pyalong Primary School, VIC “Absolutely love the show. This is the second show I have seen and I can’t wait for the third!!! The students were totally engaged and were involved with the production which will be something they will always remember. The teachers and parents always enjoy the show!!! 10 STARS... Fantastic show. Draws the kids and adults in from the word go. Really funny, engaging and the kids love joining in. Well done!” "BILLY MACK'S WAR" 2005 - 2006"Hi Tony, I received the DVD today and watched it all the way through. I was really impressed with the way you trimmed down the script, and the acting was really good. It's weird watching your own story acted out, and I actually found myself being very moved by the scene with Mrs Teirney in particular. Thanks again for representing my books so well. Cheers". - James Roy, Author, "Billy Mack's War" (TBE also performed James Roy's first installment of this story "Captain Mack" in 2000-2001) "The best children's theatre I've ever seen. I have seen and organised many visiting entertainments and Tony Bones was by far the best. Quality of acting and the effectiveness of their production was perfectly geared to the age groups for which they were arranged.... A wonder enactment - I've not read the book but was caught up in it. The students loved it too - they don't sit that still for so long if they weren't engaged - well done, keep it up!... I agree with 'above' comment. The songs were great. Really embellished the story.... I was only able to see a little of both performances, but was impressed with the quality of the productions. Children and staff both reported most favourably. We look forward to seeing you in 2006." - Fairfield Primary "Students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Our students have not had much exposure to drama / live performances, so they were really captivated by the acting and singing. The actors did a fantastic job. The students were amazed that there were only 3 actors playing all those characters! Many of the students are now interested in reading the book, which is great. Many thanks for a great performance." - Simonds Catholic College, West Melbourne "Another fabulous performance - the first dramatic one I've seen. It was terrific, engaged the children who appeared captivated throughout. You captured the essence of the story well and made us feel a whole gamut of emotions. The scenes you selected to portray were well chosen (the children were happy for the fight scene with Barry!!)... All in all - a wonderful show. Thanks so much.... Thank you all again. Great development evident in your program. Especially the question time. Students appreciate your patience and generosity... Fantastic performance of a very good book. The question time at the end was very useful and allowed students to consider and think about the book and the important parts that make up the story. Fabulous acting, very believable characters. Extremely entertaining. Thanks.... Excellent performance. Dramatic, emotional and intense. Very well choreographed. Explain issues in the book a bit more clearly. Look forward to next year's show! ... Loved the drama of the book... As always a fantastic production... Thanks for bringing alive a book that was difficult for the children of Year 4 to comprehend. The way the children enjoyed the play is a credit to you. A very meaningful insight to history and life for the children. The introduction that Tony gave and the follow up is excellent. It allows the children to reflect on the book and play together... Thank you for such an engaging and enjoyable show. The storyline was easy for all the children to understand and each character was portrayed perfectly. It was great that I have read the book to my class as I feel it made it easier for them to follow the storyline. The costumes, songs, voices were great. I could tell the kids loved it because they were engaged the whole time! Well done for keeping them quiet for an hour. Look forward to seeing you next time! ... Congrats on presenting a wonderful show based on "Billy Mack's War". The story based pre-war was really well structured, with some fantastic acting that was able to captivate the audience. The singing and props complimented the theatre show. It was also great to have a show not based on a picture story book for a change. Well done!" - Warranwood Primary "Tony, both performances were fantastic! The grade 5/6's are planning to read "Captain Mack" as a class serial. They were very inspired. ... Thanks once again. I look forward to next year's shows... Enjoyed by all - appropriate for today... We enjoyed the performance... Well done." - Wattle Park Primary "Children enjoyed characterisation of people in the story, they thought the musical numbers were great. Many are now inspired to read the book. A moving performance.... A great performance" - St Peter Apostle School, Hoppers Crossing "Staff and students were impressed by the performance. The boys were quite intrigued by the cow. Many said they would have not had any problem killing it. (The guns appealed to quite a few). I suggested that maybe it would have been more difficult than they thought. The boys were amazed at how you managed to have a number of different characters with only 3 cast. Some thought you had more." - Mentone Boy's Grammar "Great for children to see a visual representation of the book. Perfect length of time. Crucial scenes were included. Extremely high standard (especially the singing) Fantastic manner during interaction with the children. Once again, brilliant presentation. We look forward to next year's! Thanks heaps." - Roberts McCubbin Primary, Box Hill South "Very professional and most entertaining. Well organised, well paced. Dramatic. Brave. Follow up questions very useful in relating to the book. The costumes for this show were spot on and created the right atmosphere straight away. It was exceptional to see the depth of drama, the children were initially stunned and a bit embarrassed as they probably hadn't experienced that much emotion in public. Your adaptations of stories into music and drama were fabulous and have given the books new life. We are sure it will start a reading wave." - Alexandra Library "Great singing and music - very dramatic (i.e. shot the cow). Encouraged you to use your imagination... Enjoyed the songs. Great singing in character" - St Mary's Primary, Swan Hill "An excellent performance, it really engaged the grade 3/4's attention.... lot's of discussion from the children!" - Flemington Primary "Grade 5/6's was great for them to see the seriousness of the play. It was very engaging and was a good introduction to theatrical productions" - Chelsea Primary "Children really enjoyed the show. A lot of the children were moved by certain parts and it led to a really good discussion about war, the Victoria Cross, parents, etc. A great show. Thank you... The children found the story very touching and some nearly cried. They were interested that three people played the parts and props were minimal. The show was very enjoyable. Thanks... Well done! The children were very impressed with the variety of roles played. It really entertained them. A thoroughly enjoyable show. Thanks... Thank you for an interesting and insightful performance. You certainly held the children's interest... Well as you can see your show was a great success. Thank you all for a fantastic morning of entertainment" - St Michael's Grammar, St Kilda. "Excellent performance. 200 Year 8 students were attentive and entertained while learning something about P.O.W.s in WWII. Performers were set up and ready to start on time. Tony understood the desirability of question time lasting until the time students needed to be dismissed, thereby avoiding a short but potentially difficult timeback in the classroom. He kept up the question . answer discussion very well." Whittlesea Secondary TESTIMONIALS FROM STUDENTS FOR THE PLAY "It was cool!! I almost cried but it was still cool! ... It was the most interesting I have ever seen!!!... It was very good and interesting. I loved it!!! p.s. I learnt a lot about war... I loved it - good jobs - I like the music! ... I've read "Billy Mack's War" and I really want to read the first (Captain Mack). I thought your play was great, so I really enjoyed it thanks!!!!... I thought it was happy, sad and angry... I liked your show very much, guys and it was great" - Flemington Primary - Grade 3/4
"MILLI, JACK AND THE DANCING CAT" 2004 - 2005“A fantastic show, thoroughly enjoyed by students and teachers!…The children loved it and they listened to the message behind the book – ‘Be Yourself’. Very talented group of performers. Great show!” “Fantastic full performance. You covered it all… Loved whole package… (You) had them enthralled from the start by ‘over the top’ – ‘kid friendly’ humour and silly, funny stuff they immediately related to…Great partner comedy. Such versatile performers!!... Fantastic voices and characterization…Colourful costumes and props and music. Fun choreography. The book came alive building a colourful set piece by piece. A completely captivating performance”. “Outstanding for both teachers and children. Totally enjoyed by my whole class. Fantastic. All the different components were excellent and everyone had a great time. Thank you… Loved the combination of storybook, acting, singing, dancing and audience participation. Congratulations on a very uplifting performance” “Great choice of book to dramatise. It was excellent… Had an important message… The message of ‘You Can Do It!’ was also clear. Terrific!... Wonderful to see the children actively involved… Dancing was lots of fun…Most appropriate performance, obvious by the children’s excitement and involvement throughout the show. Loved the personalities that shone through in this production – the more gregarious ‘Jack’ and the quiet achiever ‘Milli’. Great show, great fun.” “Fantastic, animated performance – the children were entranced from the first moment…you appealed to all age groups.... It is wonderful to see and hear P-6 laughing from their bellies. They just loved it, and I did too! … Excellent! Interesting! Can see you have put a lot of time and effort into your presentation. You enjoy what you’re doing. Keep it up. Really brought the book to life. Great experience to celebrate Book Week.” “Fantastic as always. Entertaining for both adults and kids... Very talented couple.Very impressed with the songs. Well done!” “A show much enjoyed by all the children… they were unanimous in their appreciation of the humour, all finding it interesting as well… Thanks for an enjoyable and worthwhile learning experience.” “Fantastic... I thought it was great. Children loved it – Book again for next year”. “Great performance, slick yet interactive. We enjoyed the start and discussed why it was introduced that way making the performance a colourful, surprising event! Both the performances were fabulous. The kids really enjoyed them and have constantly mentioned them in the library”. “Fabulous! The children clearly understood the message of the performance. Their drawings were beautiful and indicated pleasure and understanding. Thanks very much. Excellent. Entertaining. Colourful performance.” “Can I join you? I had a fabulous time and the kids just loved it. Tony’s expressions were just so animated. Casey was delightfully sweet. After the performance the dancing went on and so did the praises for a job well done. I especially appreciated the time you spent explaining and answering the children’s questions. I feel the children did as well. Thank you for your time and again very well done Thank you!” "Show was great, all children enjoyed it very much. You held their attention for the whole performance." “Our children really enjoyed the performance. They enjoyed the humour which permeated the whole performance.” “A lively performance that did justice to the book!... Great Actors... Was entertaining, moved quickly, kept all the kids entertained.” “It was magical, colourful and very entertaining. I liked the way the kids were invited to be an active audience from the start... An excellent way to share a story. The amusement of the show kept the students well entertained – the overall effect was terrific. You really brought the book to life.” “Tony and Casey made the story come alive. There was a strong sense of fun and humour. The story was well chosen because of its characters and plot. The underlying message came through. The children gained a huge insight into behind the scenes details in question time as well. A fantastic show!!” "Very professionally handled from initial contact through to presentation...Students loved it – evident by their faces. Best part is that the students have extra enthusiasm to borrow from the library." Cranbourne South Primary School, VIC “What a wonderful experience for children of all ages. You were able to bring the book ‘alive’. One child said they “laughed so hard my tonsils hurt”. You had all the audience in the palm of your hand. They were held captive for all the show. The music, dancing, facial expressions, body movement and interaction with the audience was fabulous. Thank you for a ‘high-class’ valuable experience of real theatre. Well done – musicals are the best!” "STELLA BY THE SEA" 2004 - 2005“Tony Bones brings a professional yet fun approach to the production which balances the serious aspects of the novel really well with the humour of some of the characters. The production is well structured, well produced and well presented and covers music, dialogue and action really well. The following discussion makes the actors even more ‘human’ and ties the work to the book. Really valuable and valued" "Lots of humour which engaged the children… Great themes about community…An engaging, vibrant production. An outstanding leading lady… Fantastic! Moved along at a great pace. All characters were very good… Question time- great explanations… Fantastic! Very enjoyable for Years 4-6 – funny but also tells a story. The people and format changes hold the audience’s attention...An engaging, vibrant production.” “Students very interested… Audience participation was excellent… Excellent production… Fantastic presentation of book… Worthwhile incursion… Actors relate well with the students… Very professional… Good price… Thank you for a wonderful production”. “Engaging performance. Humorous, energetic, entertaining. All students were totally engrossed, even the reluctant ones! Thank you for this positive experience… Very entertaining. Held our attention throughout. Wonderful portrayal of characters. Was inspirational. Great stuff!... Our students were engaged in the fast, energetic performance of “Stella By The Sea”. Very good – the students were very involved... Good interaction – story well suited for age group. The acting talent was very good and it all flowed. Enjoyable performance for both staff and students!” “Thoroughly enjoyable… Very professional script, props, costumes… Good values teaching through the presentation… Great music… Excellent timing of all aspects. Cast members very much enjoyed what they were doing – It showed. Was able to see last years performance also – Looking forward to 2005”. “Great delivery - all characters terrific, especially facial movements and acting. Loved movement all around audience area and how some kids were bought into play." "Great show, very good interpretation of the book...Another dynamic performance." “Excellent production. It was great to see how closely you stuck to the story text, but at the same time bought an extra dimension to it! I loved the way the characters popped in, out and above the action. Actors presented the personalities of the story really well. Engaged the audience and kept them tuned in. Fantastic. Well look forward to having you perform for us again in the future... Great to include the children (they love it). Children love the overacting (especially of the mother and Jeffrey). Humorous characters.... Fantastic entertaining performance... Actors had excellent rapport with the audience. Great characterisations. Altogether a great production! Good to see the text followed through in such an entertaining presentation! Humour appreciated by the audience. Enjoyed the addition of song into story... Script very similar to text – great! Characters speak very clearly and kept children’s attention for whole duration. Very funny... Professional acting. Appeals to this age group. Most entertaining. Appealed to drama lovers. Helps students appreciate musicals. Songs add variety to the spoken content. Good choice of material – backyard pet theme children can relate to. Good contrast of sound – quiet voices / loud voices, sound effects from P. A. System (microphone) helped for students concentration. Use of space – stage excellent. Variety added by characters performing above the screen. Variety in accents / voices / props.... Inspiration for drama in class... Comedy and music are always good for the students. Audience participation is the best way for an enjoyable show. Most students were able to read the story before viewing the show which made it more effective. The props were very good, music / sound effects were excellent and all actors could be heard easily”. Narre Warren North Primary School, VIC "Best performance I have seen... The children of all ages enjoyed it... Interaction with children with dancing and singing encouraged participation... Catered for all age groups, including teachers.... Performers just fantastic - so much energy, so clearly presented... Easy to see it was prepared by teachers - so appropriate... Fantastic, lively, informative... very entertaining...... Engaging interpretation of the book... Just wonderful... Will be booking the company again next year." "A song, dance and action routine that kept all the children's attention. The audience interaction was great and coming off stage amongst the children as all part of the magic of live performance. Props were good, singing and dancing great and the costumes were excellent." "Enjoyable, fast paced, bright and lively... I was impressed by the amount the children were able to recall, explain and discuss the following day, even some of the smaller parts.... I thought some of it would be 'lost' on these students but was pleasantly surprised." "Fantastic performance! Witty, lively, interactive. The children were engaged throughout the performance. The laughs and smiles on their faces said it all! Highly recommended for all age groups." "Racy... entertaining... captured children's attention... changes of pace interested kids... captured children's attention... entertaining songs... children laughed at gags... interaction with audience great for stopping children becoming restless... chance to yell is especially good for older children... Easily interpreted by all ages with simple but effective costuming... Audience participation and movement throughout was well controlled and appreciated. Movement a great idea. Great simple acting that students can emulate....Well structured and pitched for our children (Prep - Year 6)... Excellent idea to involve kids and allow them to wriggle. Followed story and extras were very well suited. Fantastic!!... What more can I say - you were both absolutely brilliant! The children will remember this performance! Thank you!" "Excellent. Children were enthralled. Enjoyment from start to finish. Quality of songs was excellent." "Brilliant, engaging, the children loved Bear and Chook... Just terrific - entertaining, very cleverly constructed, lively and humorous... Very entertaining for both the children and the teachers... You have brought the characters to life... Excellent, humorous, the children loved it!" "It was fantastic... Very entertaining... Very well acted. Fast and furious performance. Kept children interested and involved... The children loved it as did the teachers... Very dynamic. Question time at the end was valuable and informative." "A fabulous show - our children and staff loved your interpretation of Bear and Chook's characters. Lots of action, music, singing and dancing and very creative props made for a fantastic performance." "Great performance once again. Singing was exceptionally good this year. Props were cleverly done... Engaged the children so well. It was great to see them laughing spontaneously... Thanks for an excellent show." "Fantastic, fun and the kids just loved it - this teacher did too!... Age appropriate - I love seeing children improvise play and this was a great model for this. The children's faces were a delight to watch... Excellent show. Children very much involved and loved it. Keep up the good work... I was very familiar with the text and loved how you interpreted it. Your presentation was most professional and thoroughly enjoyable. All the students enjoyed it and I think the 'breaks' were introduced in such a way that the children thought they were the performers. Thanks." "Great costumes and the kids loved the slapstick humour... Very funny, I liked the way they extended the story and used suggestions from the children... Very creative and good use of imagination." "The performance was entertaining and relevant for both students and adults." "Engaging performance. Entertaining , lively and relevant. Keep up the great work. "All of the students thoroughly enjoyed the show 'Bear and Chook' They laughed, sand, danced AND enjoyed the book." "Energetic, engaging... Brilliant!! Great way they very originally acted out story with music and song... My group thoroughly enjoyed Bear and Chook." Mt Dandenong Primary School, VIC “It was an involving, funny play that entertained the children the WHOLE time. Great idea to get them up and moving. Super acting. Thank you. We all loved it... Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic! Bear and Chook was funny, entertaining and educational. Well done!... You were wonderful! Thanks for a fabulous show and for sharing your great skills with us... Thank you for a wonderful production. The kids raved about it, even the tough Grade 2’s!... thank you for a wonderful performance. You certainly brought the story to life. Audience participation was fantastic and kept the interest of everyone including teachers. Come again!”
Watsonia Heights Primary School, VIC “Very well acted, fast and furious performance. Kept children interested and involved.... Thought it was very entertaining. The children loved it as did the teachers... The children thought it was funny and it showed the characters emotions very well... Entertaining and covered the story very well... Very entertaining. Stayed close to the story. Very dynamic... It was fantastic, the children thought it was really good... Very entertaining. Question time at the end was valuable and informative”.
Christian College, Highton, VIC “We all thoroughly enjoyed the show and will look forward to more entertainment in the future”.
Abbotsford Primary School, VIC “A very enjoyable performance that was well received by the students in my class. They made comments about the costumes and music when they went back to class and showed interest in learning the dance. It was very appropriate for their level of understanding... Good performing. Very entertaining. I liked the bear’s costume.... Songs and dance are also very good... I thought your performance was extremely entertaining. It was very interactive and engaging. I think you catered for all levels well and all the children thought it was fantastic. I look forward to seeing you next week... Interesting and entertaining. They really got the audience involved which is very hard to do (especially with the older students). This show should definitely be something we participate in annually... a very amusing performance of “Bear & Chook”. Most enjoyable... Hopefully we will see you next year”.
Tootgarook Primary School, VIC “It was great!! We loved it and so did all of the kids. It captured their attention and engaged them. The feedback during the follow up in the room was fantastic. Well done!”
Wonga Park Primary School, VIC “A well rehearsed and written performance. Very funny and enjoyable for everyone!... Well suited material for this age group with a good balance of humour and drama. The music was interesting and engaged the children. It was enjoyed by all... Well set out. Loved the songs! Very entertaining!... Acting excellent. Costume great. Very funny using the book in conjunction with acting. Good play. Music great... Everyone enjoyed the humour as mentioned in their ‘reviews’... Children really enjoyed when they could physically participate with songs. Great songs and movement. It was enjoyable”.
Newham Primary School, VIC “The show was fabulous. All ages from prep to Grandma were entranced... Again excellent. Well paced... The looks of the faces of the audience spoke volumes. Level of questioning at end indicated good connection with and understanding of the story line and the presentation style. Great... Totally involved the children and adults. Liked the breaks of activity. A terrific presentation enjoyed by all age groups. They especially enjoy the discussion time at the end of the session”. "TOM JONES SAVES THE WORLD" 2003 - 2004“A fantastic show, thoroughly enjoyed by students and teachers! The children loved it and they enjoyed the performance and listened to the message behind the book (be yourself). Very talented group of performers. Great show!” “I thought it was great. Children loved it – Book again for next year”. “Outstanding for both teachers and children. It was great how you included the audience into your performance. Totally enjoyed by my whole class. Thank you”. “Fantastic full performance. You covered it all… Loved whole package… Tony & Jodi had them enthralled from the start by ‘over the top’ – ‘kid friendly’ humour and silly, funny stuff they immediately related to…. Such versatile performers!!... Fantastic voices and characterization… a completely captivating performance”. "Excellent...Wonderfully acted... Portrayed the idiosyncrasies
of a young boy so well... Audience were captivated and I'm sure
it would have given them many avenues to explore in class discussion...
Congratulations to all cast members. Coming down amongst the audience
was a good way to bring the play and character right home to them
and gave the play another dimension." "My grade finished the book the morning of the performance.
We loved both the book and the show. The students were engaged throughout
the entire performance, and were able to make links between what
we had and hadn't read and your version. We've looked through the
teacher's notes and have some great ideas for follow-ups. Thank
you and well done." "An outstanding production. Very entertaining for both students
and teachers... Laughed till I cried! It was fabulous the children
loved it and continued to talk about it afterwards with great enthusiasm...
Excellent production - the children were entertained for the entire
show and all enjoyed it. Well-presented - funny... music... dance...
great story line - it had everything. Thank you... Great presentation
- kept the kids very engaged. The simplicity of production allowed
for more focussed attention on the storyline. Incredibly funny -
really enjoyed it. Thanks!" "A brilliant performance, which totally engaged our Level
4 students and staff....Witty, fast moving, engaging, thoughtful
and sensitive. Dealt with some big issues in a very realistic way.
Great interpretation of book." "Highly entertaining, slick performance, funny, well suited
to audience. Well done, encore!... Excellent. Really amusing - kids
loved it (as did the adults)... Fun, energy filled performance.
Script very close to original story. The children responded very
well to the antics - well done and thank you!" "Very creative and well presented....Enjoyed the music and
singing....Students could really relate to contextual themes, characters
and setting... Perfect timing re: song, dance and action... Actors
involved the children periodically in the script - this kept them
focussed and involved with the humour....The script was age appropriate
for 5/6 children...The humorous antics were received with laughter...
Great depiction of characters. Very true to storyline...Engaged
children beautifully." "First class dramatisation of an excellent story - students
were still singing the song and laughing over incidents next week
in the library... Entertaining, funny, thought provoking...This
was a very enjoyable performance and the feedback from the students
was very positive... I thought the play was terrific! Very thought
provoking and wonderfully performed. My students came back totally
energised and excited... a great message and performed so cleverly.
One of my students was almost wetting himself over the moves Tom
was capable of. Thank you!... The students of 5G thought it was
an excellent show. They found that there were messages within the
performance that made them think and consider their own lives and
the way they behave. A very funny and clever performance overall...
Had the students completely engaged. Enjoyable, well-performed,
great starting-point for classroom discussion" Dromana Primary School, VIC “A well written and presented play which perfectly targeted our middle years students. Entertaining, humourous and thought provoking. The children were captivated throughout. It was great to follow up in the classroom about issues involving change, communication, generations, connections, family, etc. Interesting discussion initiated by students about the title ‘Tom Jones Saves the World’ until we focused on ‘What’s the most important thing in your world?’ Thanks and well done”.
Tootgarook Primary School, VIC “Children were very impressed with the performance and found it very funny. I found the quality high and enjoyable. It was great as an incentive to read a book the children otherwise may not have read”.
Wonga Park Primary School, VIC “Very entertaining. The acting and singing was fabulous! The children could relate to the characters and some of the emotions they were feeling. Fantastic show!... Funny, excellent drama, great music... Hysterically amusing! I thought it was extremely well done with fantastic acting. Thanks a lot!”
Warranwood Primary School, VIC “Fantastic! Loved it! We had read all the book which really helped. Brought it to life and will now help with follow up. Sense of humour was terrific. Keep up the great work!... An excellent performance! We all loved your adaption of the book and it cemented the children’s ideas of the story. We enjoyed your sense of humour and the ad libbing! Look forward to seeing you next year!” "Horrible Harriet" 2002-2003Abbotsford Primary Warranwood Primary Colac West Primary Hallam Primary Holy Eucharist Primary, East Malvern St Judes Primary, Scoresby Ringwood Library Watsonia Heights Primary Monbulk Primary Scotch College Junior School Clyde Primary Roberts McCubbin Primary Maranatha School - Doveton Campus "My Story - A Different Sort of Real, The Diary of Charlotte McKenzie, Melbourne, 1918" 2002 - 2003Christine Trimnell - Teacher/ Librarian, Narre Warren North
Primary Malvern Valley Primary Maranatha School - Endeavour Hills Campus Holy Eucharist Primary, East Malvern Scotch College Junior School Narre Warren North Primary Warranwood Primary Roberts McCubbin Primary Nhill College "The Singing Hat" 2001 - 2002Tohby Riddle - Author of 'The Singing Hat' Melbourne Museum - 2001 Victorian Launch of Book Week Children's Book Council Of Australia - 2001 Victorian Launch
of Book Week Williamstown Primary Maranatha Christian College Wesley College Altona Library / Seaholme Primary St Anthony's Coptic Orthodox College Albanvale Primary Cranbourne West Primary "Something's Fishy, Hazel Green!" 2001 - 2002St Albans East Primary Maranatha Christian College Toorak Library Cheltenham Primary Geelong Regional Libraries Williamstown Primary Cranbourne West Primary
James Moloney - Author of 'Touch Me' St Albans Secondary Stonnington Library Kilbreda College "Captain Mack" 2000 - 2001James Roy, Author of 'Captain Mack" St Albans Secondary Newcombe Library Cranbourne Christian College The Basin Primary "Tyro" 2000 - 2001Croydon Secondary Berengarra School Scotch College Maribyrnong Secondary "Tony Bones 2000"Geelong Grammar St Clement of Rome Primary The Grange College "Book Week 1999"Korowa Anglican Girls' School
Heany Park Primary Mentone Boys' Grammar
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