Arts

Interview: Georgi Paech – DreamBIG 2023

Across ten days this May, DreamBIG will celebrate its biggest ever lineup of events. Glam Adelaide speaks to Georgi Paech, one of DreamBIG’s creative producers.

Since 1974, the DreamBIG Children’s Festival has opened the doors to the world of performing arts to countless families, thanks to the Adelaide Festival Centre. Across ten days this May, DreamBIG will celebrate its biggest ever lineup of events.

DreamBIG started its life in 1974 as the Come Out Children’s Festival, an offshoot of the Adelaide Festival. It was originally just a one-off event, but it was so successful that it was decided that the festival should continue every two years. It has been happening every two years ever since! The festival was, and still is, all about bringing amazing world-class arts experiences to young people in South Australia. Over 2.5 million children have participated in some way over the years,” Georgi Paech, one of DreamBIG’s creative producers, said.

I was keen to hear from Georgi about the process that goes into curating the DreamBIG program, selecting the incredible acts that will become part of the festival.

“There are some key things that DreamBIG looks for when we program. Firstly, we look for the best, most exciting acts for children and young people across the world. We are so lucky that there are some outstanding artists and arts organisations for kids in Australia, and indeed in Adelaide! We are the envy of lots of international festivals who wish that they had access to amazing Australian artists like we do.
 
“Secondly, we look for a mix of performances that children and families can watch, but also fantastic participatory work. This could be workshops, installations, or interactive performances. We believe in order for children to fall in love with the arts, they need to get their hands dirty and discover their own creativity.
 
“Thirdly, we want DreamBIG to be accessible and affordable for all families. So while we have some amazing ticketed performances, over half our program is free for families to enjoy. All our ticketed shows are less than $30. Keeping the cost down for families is a big part of our programming process.”

The 2023 DreamBIG festival will host a wonderful series of events for families to partake in across the ten days of celebrations.

“To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Adelaide Festival Centre, we are throwing our BIGGEST Big Family Weekend ever. On May 20 and 21, families are invited to explore over 50 performances, workshops, exhibitions and installations as part of the Big Family Weekend. Some of the performances we’re most excited about include Possum Magic, based on the beloved book by Mem Fox, Erth’s Prehistoric World, where life-size dinosaurs are brought to life, and Fluffy, where families can explore and create in a world made entirely of recycled shredded paper. We’re throwing a gala, showcasing some of SA’s best young performers, hosted by Jack Evans and Amelia Moseley from Behind the News.
 
“But the best part about the Big Family Weekend is that families can come and explore at their leisure – there are heaps of great drop-in activities to take part in, such as Climbing Tree’s Massive Maker Space, where children can build whatever they want as part of a growing, evolving natural installation, Planetoids, where families are invited to create their own miniature world, and Patch Theatre’s Sea of Light, where children are given their own UV paint brush to explore a magical world of light.”

The DreamBIG Children’s Festival will be held around The Festival Centre between May 17 – 27. For more information, including age suitability, and to purchase tickets, visit the DreamBIG Children’s Festival website: dreambig.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au . 

Interviewed by Ben Stefanoff

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