“Anything that stirs your emotions will be remembered. The Tony Bones performance "Two Peas in a Pod" will be remembered.” St Columba Anglican School, Port Macquarie, NSW
“Actors were great!... Very exciting and creative, the kids had a great time... Actors were energetic and engaging. Loved how they (actors) come down to see Kindy artwork.” Charlton Christian College, Fassifern, NSW
“Very enjoyable. The children were engaged the whole time and were eager to participate in the performance. They like the way the original story was expanded upon and teased out to provide shorter stories within the original one. They like the movement of the actors around and through the audience, They LOVED the slow motion slapstick on the beach in W.A. Well done! A hit with teachers and children.” St Joseph's School, Wonthaggi, VIC
“Dear Tony, I just wanted to say how lovely it was to meet you and Bek the other night and to see your BRILLIANT performance of Two Peas in a Pod. I've been raving to everyone about how terrific it was. Bravo! Looking forward very much to seeing what you do next! Best wishes,” Erica - Editor from Allen and Unwin
“Great interpretation of picture story book. Fantastic puppetry and singing and dancing. Very enjoyable, very funny, great audience participation... Sensational performance, the children (and the staff) were enthralled throughout and all were thoroughly entertained!... Fantastic and engaging performance. Very entertaining and it was a buzz amongst the students... Great, engaging, kids loved it. Well directed because it caught the attention and interest of the whole school, kids and teachers... Very entertaining, well-paced and engaging. Great use of text and illustrations to retell story. Good level of student participation, very versatile "gnomes" and a great way of using audience as train carriages. The props were fantastic - especially the dog!” Churchill Primary School, VIC
“Lots of laugh out loud moments for "dinosaur" staff. I liked this better than the book, my kids said it was hilarious... A wonderful and entertaining show. A credit to the two actors for their enthusiasm... The content was suited to all ages. My students thoroughly enjoyed the show... This was a fantastic adaptation of "Two Peas in a Pod". It had me in stitches and the students enthralled. The presenters made the show, their timing was exceptional and they were very equipped to answer any questions the students asked them. Thank you.” Woodburn Public School, NSW
“I liked the way you examined the story's structure. It was also good to discuss the illustration of the "lone" items and how that was used to convey the sense of loneliness and distance. Also, the song you sang was poignant; I loved it. Lots of fun, Thank you... The students enjoyed the performance greatly. Your follow up at the end was excellent. As a teacher of 5 and 6 year olds not all students connected to what the story really told and its hidden messages, after viewing your show they have a greater understanding... A great show. All of my grade loved it and understood the book much better. Thank you for a great performance. Loved the train and the slow motion scene! Loved the way you brought the story alive. Loved all aspects... Another great performance - you made the book come 'alive' and the children really enjoyed the way you told it, lots of music and fun things happening - we would love to have you on our staff... It was a pleasure to watch your show. The way you interact with the audience was great!... Fantastic performance - enjoyed by all students, well explained.” Cobden Primary School, VIC
“Love it! Particularly loved how the props were "childlike" i.e. train/used readily available materials, simple but effective. Students loved the puppets and how the actors did the voices, etc.... The students were very involved and loved being chosen to participate... The sad part made some of our sensitive kids cry! Well performed and dealt with!” Melrose Park Primary School, West Ryde, NSW
“Congratulations on such a great theatre production which you managed in such a tight time frame. It was excellent. All very positive and enthusiastic comments from both staff and students. Kasey and Matt did a fantastic job - well done to you all. We are looking forward to next year now.” Mansfield State School, QLD
“Tony, we all enjoyed the show. Jackie even had tears in her eyes when Marvin is left alone. Congratulate both the performers and thanks! P.S. the editors from Allen and Unwin are going to the Melbourne show tonight” Chris McKimmie - Author of the "Two Peas in a Pod"
“FANTASTIC story - The children were totally engaged. They loved the whole show. The Prep children know the story very well. A great way to portray the book. Props were really exciting! Singing fantastic! Thank you...... Puppets as part narrators and breaks within the story worked really well...Characters very funny and engaging for students...Audio and visual props worked well... Children involved in the train - really fun for them.... Wow! Amazing! Children were totally engaged and involved in the performance. Props were amazing. Thank you!... The puppets were fantastic - the Preps (and all students) LOVED them... Student involvement was great, it kept the children focussed and engaged... The costume changes for each character were very entertaining... WOW! Kids loved it - so did we!... Great bringing all the "background" parts of the picture into prominence. We will do that in looking at stories from now on... Thanks - a super show, one of my boys even cried in the part about Violet leaving.... Fantastic - Kids and teachers loved it... All children were engaged and enthusiastic... Really great - also gave students deeper insight into the book, Thanks" Resurrection PS, Keysborough, VIC.”
“Children really enjoyed the performance... Good adaptation of the book. Songs are well written to include language from the book.” Kersbrook PS, Kersbrook, NSW
“The show was very suitable for our students – fast moving and action packed. It held the attention of the audience.” Newstead School (Southern Support School), Newstead, TAS
“The play was entertaining and the actors were engaging and kept the audience’s attention well. The costumes were good and added to the characters. The music/songs were fitting to the story. Very friendly/approachable attitude to the children during question time, all questions were answered sufficiently.” Highfields Prepatory School, Lindfield, NSW
“Clever and creative staging of this story opened up depths and a breath that reading the book alone did not achieve. Variety kept all ages engaged and entertained. Love the gnomes and the train, slow motion sequence was great. The very emotional song about parents separating, deeply affected some students. The actors and the story line “picked them up” again and they were soon laughing again. Will happily recommend this to other schools.” Mountain District Christian School, Monbulk, VIC
“Once again a fantastic show and the kids loved it. We had read the story to the children beforehand and were very curious about how you would translate it to a stage performance. All the staff commented that they wanted to re-read it and find all the things they hadn’t noticed and only discovered through your performance. It is a great way for the kids (and teachers!) to learn how to delve into a story and discover the writers intentions and at the same time have fun. We also want to promote a love of music & drama as they learn so much from seeing a performance close up.” Pleasant Street P.S., Ballarat, VIC
“Very well done. ALL our students enjoyed the performance, so if all our students got something out of it you have got to be doing something right. Staff enjoyed the show too. I saw a normally “smile less”…just constantly smiling. All good. Thank you.” Lightning Ridge Central School, Lightning Ridge, NSW
“Fantastic show, once again brought the book to life, engaged children and adults. Can’t wait till the next one!" Romaine Park Primary School, Burnie, TAS
“Fantastic presentation, excellent integration of the story & music. Best yet!” ~ (Arts Coordinator)... “Fantastic presentation, loved every moment of it. Well done”. ~ (2/3 class teacher)... “A superb performance. You kept the students spell bound for 60 minutes. A compelling portrayal of friendship family and separation. Humour was cleverly interwoven. Our emotions rode a wave from hilarity to sadness.” ~ (PE/Health Coordinator)... “Wonderful! The students were thoroughly engaged during the entire performance.” ~ (3/4 class teacher)... “Absolutely wonderful and thoroughly entertaining.” ~ .. “Very engaging. One of my favourite activities of the year. I thought that the discussion at the end was really valuable in terms of re-engaging the students with the actual book. Well done.” ~ .. “A magical adventure into a picture story book only Tony Bones Theatre can present. Grade 5/6 children thought it was “awesome”" Mt Pleasant PS, Ballarat, VIC
“A very professional performance, humorous, moving. The children were involved just enough to keep them involved in the narrative. I loved the way that you were not high tech. Thoroughly enjoyable! Thank you!.... Really enjoyed myself and it was obvious the children had a ball! The props are fantastic and engage the children immensely. Thanks for all your hard work.” Rye Park PS, NSW
“Fantastic! Great performance that kept everyone entertained & involved. Very motivating & engaging. We’d love to see another show. Thanks!” Rugby PS, NSW
“We enjoyed it enormously, thank you. It was really professional and kept the children really involved. I loved the way you included them. Plenty of variety. You made the book come to life.” Bigga PS, NSW
“Wonderful- just wonderful. Brought the book to life but added depth to the many messages of the story. Everyone was engaged from beginning until the end, children & adults. Thank you." Reids Flat PS, NSW
“It was very funny, even for Grade 6, and highly informative” ~ (Grade 6 Teacher)... “It was an excellent presentation - engaged a range of emotions in a powerful way. A very clever & creative mixture of humour, music and drama/theatre to bring the book to life. Valuable reflection & explanation at the end. Also valuable for teachers to see possibilities for using aspects of these media to enhance children’s experiences with literature & develop higher order thinking skills.” ~ (Gr 4 Teacher)... “I thought the show was great, there was a bit in it for all age groups. All of the students enjoyed the performance.” ~ (Gr 3 Teacher)... “I loved it” The kids loved it! And, as one of our teacher aides commented the fact that our ASD Asperger’s student stayed for the whole performance, including the discussion at the end, was a compliment indeed to the quality of the performance.” ~ (Prep teacher)... “Once again another brilliant Tony Bones performance. We look forward to seeing you again!” ~ (Arts Co-ordinator)St Philips Christian College, Port Stephens, NSW
“A very engaging performance…a seamless production “~ (Teacher/librarian)... “A fabulous performance- puppetry & props excellent. Feedback from kinder children was amazing after the performance. Brought the book life, music tops!! Thank you.” ~ (Kinder teacher)... “Great, wonderful…I enjoyed it as did the children. Very entertaining & thoughtfully done!” ~ St Patrick's PS, North Parramatta, NSW
“The performance was so entertaining. The kids were enjoying the show... Excellent. Real variety and children were always involved and attentive... Enjoyable. Good audience interaction held the children's interest well... Excellent. Very entertaining. A varied, fun performance that had the children enthralled... The kids really enjoyed the show and were "part" of it and involved, they didn't get restless... Congratulations on a great show. You turned the book into a sensational story and brought the characters alive... Fantastic show. Energetic. Exciting and the children were totally engaged... The children laughed and talked about the show all the way back to class - Well done!... The show was very entertaining, involved the children, loved the train and how you expanded the story. Well done!” Highbury PS, SA
“Fantastic Puppets... Helped children use their imaginations... Great characters and excellent portrayal of book characters... I loved how the children were involved in the performance... Interactive and applicable for all ages. We had 3 year olds to 18 year olds - all enjoyed it... The book came alive - Great!” Goodooga Central School, NSW
“The performance was fantastic. Very entertaining and the kids talked about it for ages after, there were some great innovations on the story and "extra" bits that the kids hadn't picked up on in the story like the dinosaur lady and the songs. Overall, a fantastic show... This was one the best productions that I've seen relating to a dramatization of a book. The performers engaged the Kinder - Grade 2 and special education students by encouraging participating and the children LOVED it. E.g. train carriage. Of particular note was how they dealt with emotion i.e.. the brother and sister having to leave each other - this was related with empathy and professionalism. I'm sure the author would have been pleased. It tapped into my emotion. I loved the puppetry and props. Their slow motion segment was brilliant. Overall, please ask them back! Just great!... Fabulous performance! Students and adults all totally engaged. I loved all the "plays on words" as well as the acting, Thanks!... Excellent and entertaining representation of the book. Enhances and explains the book to children who may be having trouble understanding the meaning. Very talented actors and a script which involved the audience in a fun way. Children and teachers enjoyed every minute.” Evatt PS, ACT
“Introduction engaged children's interest immediately (puppetry). Great songs - appropriate for young children. Lots of "catchy" songs. Plenty of visual experiences adding interest to the performance. Loved the chook and the dog! Slow motion skit was fantastic - really well done. acting - amusing, expressive and engaging. The children were really amused by the characters and related to all the actions and expressions used. Appropriate use of humour. audience participation e.g. train, was really interactive with the children - they loved it! Props are bright and eye catching. Wonderful presentation! Great promotion of the book "Two Peas in a Pod." Thank you... Children extremely engaged, evoked all kinds of emotions. Lots of laughing, some tears, but quickly perked up again. Good for discussion on what makes a good story. Well done!” Templeton PS, Wantirna, VIC
“Congratulations to Matt and Kasey for wonderful performances of these stories. Feedback from teachers was very positive and the children loved all the shows. The library funds these shows each year (since 2010) as part of a literacy program which is funded by Communities for Children (an Australian Government program to support families with children aged 0 - 12 years). I believe this is an important part of our program as it gives all Primary children in our area the opportunity to experience live theatre based on high quality Australian Children's Literature.” Community Outreach Librarian, Greater Taree City Library, NSW
“Very engaging and entertaining. Great referencing back to the physical book. Humorous presentation... Wonderful show - great performances, had the audience in the palm of their hands.” Lansdowne PS, NSW
"Wonderful show, very engaging.... Great show and engaging for all. Good use of comedy... Great show - great presenters and audience engagement... Great show, very enjoyable, children really loved it.... Fantastic - very engaging and funny!... Excellent presentation. Kids loved it. Very funny... Great! Kids really engaged with it... Great! Kids were engaged throughout the show.Good themes." Chatham PS, Taree Area, NSW
"Fantastic show. Very engaging and the children always enjoy participating in the show.... Fantastic show. Great performers. Kids are loving it." Mt George PS, Taree Area, NSW
"Wonderful. Children loved the comedic element. Students were all engaged and could contribute. e.g. voices/singing. Tinonee PS, Taree Area, NSW
"Excellent presentation - enthusiastic performers - terrific amount of audience participation - all spellbound." Cundletown PS, Taree Area, NSW
“Wonderful to see children attentive, laughing and enjoying the show... A great show, good flow, kept all the children interested... Great to join other schools and for kids to see a live performance... Nice to see a story been brought to life. Children enjoyed characters and songs. Great to be with other children and schools... Great interaction. Nice balance between narration and audience participation... Interactive, funny, energetic. Kept children interested and involved... Great show. Love the children interacting. Great props.” St Joseph's PS, Taree, NSW
“A vibrant, humourous and very engaging production... "WOW" a great presentation. It will make all the girls want to read the short listed books. A well-paced presentation that was appealing to all girls from Prep to 6 (and teachers too)... An engaging, energetic production! Both the students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the narrative and performance. Thank you... Just great - Thanks Tony.” Ruyton Girls School, Kew, VIC
“Great performance - wonderful props. Very entertaining. children really enjoyed the experience. Thank you... Terrific use of props - loved T Rex and Wolf!! And the tree in the park. Great song - good for follow up for similes. Children were very keen to participate on the train and with "scary noises". Lots of humour - some of the jokes the children even got!! Loved the songs and slow motion effects. See you next year!... Excellent props and puppets. Good to involve children at times... Very entertaining. Kids were engaged for the whole performance...Great acting, engagement of students and interaction! Really good use of music and props! Enjoyed by all!... Very cleverly paced show. Wonderful voices. Sensational props. Loved by all. Marvellous!... A lovely performance - great voice animation. Children very engaged. Very enjoyable - Thank you!... Great use of puppets. Involved the audience - kept their attention. Sound system was clear. Adaption of story was well done. Music fitted in well with the story... Very well presented and entertaining. Kids were very engaged and enjoyed the performance. I liked the discussion about the book at the end... Good interaction with the audience. Liked combination of music and acting. Interesting themes in book... Sound system fantastic. Great scene changes. Excellent adaption of the story. I liked the use of props. I thoroughly enjoyed the production and I am sure the students did as well.” Wattle Park Primary School, Burwood, VIC
“Just to pass on how much fun my Year 1 students had during the Tony Bones performance. It was entertaining and funny, particularly the slow motion scene. Some said they cried during the scene when he’s expressing how alone he felt when Violet left. I think it was very real for them. We have had two students who have left our class this year, and it was something they could really relate to. They were able to express they felt a bit scared during the ghost scene... It was a great message about using our imaginations and getting off the computers. It was very interactive, and the students were really happy to be able to actually participate in the show. And the end, when Tony came out to talk to the children and answer questions was very beneficial. Thank Tony very much, from all of us... We loved the performance. It was full of energy, brilliantly performed with great variety and entertainment. The singing and dancing was superb. The ‘bringing to life’ of the picture book was so imaginatively and creatively put together. Will be chatting with the students tomorrow about what they learnt and liked about the show during our English lesson.... Would love to have them again, next year... A fabulous production! Congratulations... Thanks for today I thoroughly enjoyed the performances and appreciated how you arrived on time and were so organized” Flinders Christian Community College, Tyabb, VIC
“The Preps were very engaged and enjoyed the performance. It had the right balance of dramatization, singing, talking, dance, humour and sensitivity throughout. All the comments made by the Preps were very positive and they had been given important messages about friendship, play, care for pets, being resilient in sad times, recycling, etc. Thank you for a great experience... As above! Children wrote great pieces about the performance. Thank you... Prep children were very enthusiastic when discussing the performance in the classroom. They related to the aspect of friendship in the story. Very enjoyable! Well done!” St Macartans Parish Primary, Mornington, VIC
“Very engaging and highly entertaining. I loved the sentiment. He is a very skilful actor that has you laughing one minute and tugging at your heart strings the next... Excellent and entertaining. Children from Kinder to Grade 6 enjoyed and were engaged at all times... The children (and teachers) enjoyed every minute! Was an excellent experience!... I really enjoyed it! The children seemed to really enjoy it too! Great afternoon" St Oliver's School, Harris Park, NSW
“Great show. Very positive feedback from our students... very entertaining and humourous.” Caroline Chisholm School, Chisholm, ACT
“Great Production! Kindergarten thoroughly enjoyed it. The audience participation was excellent! The characters emotions were portrayed really well. Loved the slow motion part! Very entertaining! Thank you... As the performance became more involved the students really enjoyed it. Younger kids loved it all... Really energetic performance, witty jokes. Interesting story and good range of characters as performance progressed. Great use of song and kids in carriages – very interactive for all ages! Good explanation of the meaning behind the book. Liked addition of puppets. Fantastic expression from actors – I like how they mingled with kids and involved them. Good variety throughout the performance. Loved the ending sequences and mime. We look forward to seeing what you come up with for next year!” Clarence Valley Anglican School, Clarence Valley, NSW
“A wonderful show that the children enjoyed. Expanded on the previous insights that we had explored prior to the show.” Mount Macedon PS, VIC
“Clever use of puppetry and voice overs to introduce each new scene with jokes. Great music, singing and dance to introduce the characters. Interaction with audience – excellent. Clever props – dog(Wolf) and hen (T Rex). Excellent acting to make the street ‘come alive’. Simple scenery worked well to add atmosphere. Making the games come to life which Violet and Marvin played – excellent involvement with audience. Loved the train! The time lapsed/slow motion scene at the end worked very well.” Mansfield State School, Mansfield, QLD
“Children loved the puppets and music. Good elaboration/expansion on text and illustration. Great energy in presentation... Humorous! Captive audience! Great characters!... Children responded with attention and laughter. Great characters... Excellent characters. Great presentation of characters with lots of energy and engagement. Excellent use of props. The train was great, Woo-woo!!... Good audience involvement. Great variety of experiences.” St James PS, Yamba, NSW
“Kids loved the intro and puppets. Good use of space and seating. Great use of props... Effective props and language. Students enjoyed the musical side. Good link with the book... Very interactive, students are all engaged and are enjoying the props. Great music to accompany the story telling... Held the children enthralled from the very first minute! Great costuming and props... Students were engaged. Great entertainment. Theatre was age appropriate... The students loved the performance from the start right through to the end. The funny costumes and props kept them engaged throughout the performance... Children were engaged from the beginning. Use of costumes and props was great!... Engaging, interactive. Held the children’s attention... The children loved the puppets and being involved. Great use of props, very engaging... Very enjoyable! Puppets were a hit.” St Therese PS, Mascot, NSW
“Excellent in every respect. Nothing to improve on. Girls rapt! Good way to handle separation. Theme well developed." Queenwood Junior School Medway Library, Mosman, NSW
“An entertaining show! Great audience participation... Enjoyed by all children from Kinder – Year 6. Very interactive... A very enjoyable, interactive show... Kids loved the show. An engaging experience for all. Great actors too!... Great crowd participation... Kids loved the train... Great music – engaging and interactive for all ages.... Great show, loved the interaction with the kids, they were really engaged the whole show, well done.... All kids from ELC – Year 6 engaged – well done – not an easy feat!... Fabulous performance – very engaging for all levels!... A great way to engage children with literature.” Woodleigh School, Frankston South, VIC
“A fantastic performance!! The children were enthralled the whole time and loved the jokes and songs. The two performers were brilliant. Hope to see you back here again... A lovely performance! Great characters with wonderful interpretation of the book. Children were really engrossed. Thanks!... Loved it! Thanks so much! Children were so engaged and entertained. Loved this year, last year and hope to see you again next year." Sandringham East PS, VIC
“Very interactive. Great use of student volunteers. Excellent sound – microphones and music worked perfectly. Exactly right amount of time.” Tintinara Area School, Tintinara, SA
“I liked how the children got involved. Not only being called up to do something, but being told that we were the flowers.... I liked how the characters of the book came alive. I enjoyed this more than reading the book... I enjoyed how they added bits into the story, and the echo box... The puppets were a great way of introducing characters rather than a narrator. The jokes were great too!... I thought the slow motion but was super!... The actors were using fabulous expression and made it more interesting.... The girls thought the production was really funny and enjoyed the humour. They thought the group had put a lot of effort into it and it was fantastic. It really helped the girls realize the importance of using their imagination. They loved the puppets and how they worked." St Catherine’s School, Toorak, VIC
“It was very funny, even for Grade 6, and highly informative.... It was an excellent presentation – engaged a range of emotions in a powerful way. A very clever and creative mixture of humour, music and drama/theatre to bring the book to life. Valuable reflection and explanation at the end. Also valuable for teachers to see possibilities for using aspects of these media to enhance children’s experiences with literature and develop higher order thinking skills.... I thought the show was great there was a bit in it for all age groups. All of the students enjoyed the performance... I loved it! The kids loved it and, as one of our teachers aides commented, the fact that our ASD Aspergers student stayed for the whole performance, including the discussions at the end, was a compliment indeed to the quality of the performance.... Once again another brilliant Tony Bones performance. We look forward to seeing you again!... A very engaging performance, a seamless production.... A fabulous performance – puppetry and props excellent – feedback from kinder children was amazing after the performance. Brought the book to life. The music was tops! Thank you.... Great, wonderful. I enjoyed it as did the children. Very entertaining and thoughtfully done!" Larmenier School, St Leonards, TAS
“Great show. Very engaging. Kids loved the puppets and songs. The props were simple and the children loved getting involved.... Very engaging. Children loved the show and are still singing songs a week later! Pitched perfectly for preps.... One of the best I have seen. Very engaging and easy to follow. Read book later and students understood it so well!... Feedback from students – they like the singing and participation. Thought Marvin and Violet were very funny. Loved the jokes and slapstick (e.g. Slow motion scene). Students were engaged and were able to relate to the characters and plot quite well. Thanks!... It was engaging and the children were keen to participate in the acts. The explanations at the end were good.... A fantastic presentation that the staff and students found engaging and fun! Thank you for the time you took at the end to explain the process and have questions. Fantastic!... A very engaging performance – great adaptation of the story. Good props and held the students attention for a long time. It was great to talk to the students about process and ideas behind the play.” Camberwell South PS, VIC
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