Name: The Giant's Garden
Start: 2026-02-20
End: 2026-03-15
Location: Adelaide Botanic Garden

When

20 Feb - 22 Feb

28 Feb - 01 Mar

14 Mar - 15 Mar

Where

Adelaide Botanic Garden

Access

Venue & access info here

Tickets

Adult

$55

Festival Friends

$52

Concession*

$30

Under 30**

$35

Full-time student^

$30

Child

$30

Family of 4

$166

Transaction fees apply
* Pensioner, Health Care Card holder, MEAA/Actors’ Equity member. NOTE: Commonwealth Senior Health and Seniors Cards are ineligible for concession
** Limited capacity, ID required
^ ID required

Times

Sat 21 Feb 3:15pm
Sun 22 Feb 3:15pm
Fri 27 Feb 6:15pm
Sat 28 Feb 3:15pm
Sun 01 Mar 3:15pm
Sat 14 Mar 3:15pm
Sun 15 Mar 3:15pm

Duration

1hr, no interval

Warnings

Utilises loud sound and theatrical smoke and haze.

Note

This production has been created for audiences aged 8+ and contains images, sounds and characters that may be frightening to younger children. Latecomers will not be admitted.

Ursula Dubosarsky’s reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant

In The Giant’s Garden, by Ursula Dubosarsky, rowdy children climb in the branches of a huge tree. Meanwhile, Ida tends her quiet corner of nature with her friend, Quill the snail. The children scatter when a giant claims the tree as their own, separating Ida from Quill.

The giant builds a dark tower and a high wall around the tree, with a sign that reads: KEEP OUT. The days pass sorrowfully for the children — especially Ida, sick with worry about Quill. As perpetual winter sets in, the children are horrified to hear the giant preparing to destroy the tree. Amid the sorrow, one small, courageous voice may hold the power to change their fate.

The Giant’s Garden is the second piece in the triptych A Concise Compendium of Wonder.

Conjured through age-old theatre tricks and Slingsby’s internationally celebrated signature shadow play, intricate worlds are revealed, where immensity meets the minuscule, darkness finds light, and the unseen becomes visible.

Age recommendation: This production has been created for audiences aged 8+ and contains images, sounds, and characters that may be frightening to younger children.

READ FAQs

“It is theatre like the work Slingsby produces, which makes us all imagine a better and happier world”

Australian Stage

Writer Ursula Dubosarsky
Director Andy Packer
Devisor/Composer Quincy Grant
Set & Costume Design Ailsa Paterson
Environment Design Wendy Todd
Lighting Design Chris Petridis
Projection Design Mark Oakley
Production Manager David McLean
Technical Manager/Operator Darian Tregenza
Stage Manager Jess Wolfendale
Sound Engineer Patrick Pages-Oliver
Venue & Site Technician Alex Hatchard
Technician Reece Vidler

Original recorded music:
The Horizon Orchestra
Piano Michael Ierace
Clarinet Mitch Berick
Horn Emma Gregan
Guitar Dylan Woolcock
Harp Suzanne Handel
Percussion Sami Butler
Violin Alison Heike
Violin Alison Rayner
Violin Zoe Freisberg
Viola Mikey Robertson
Cello Tom Marlin
Bass Harley Gray
Vocals Suzanne Wilson, Brooke Zabrowarny, Kim Worley, Jonathan Bligh
Voiceover Poppy Berick

Cast / Co-creators
Kate Cheel
Nathan O'Keefe
Ren Williams
Development Collaborator
Elizabeth Hay

Consultants
Troppo Architects
XFrame
Dr. Angelique Edmonds (UniSA)
Todd Houstein (Sustainable Living Tasmania)

Slingsby
CEO & Artistic Director Andy Packer
Executive Director Rebecca Pearce
Community Enrichment Manager Georgia Stanley
Finance & Admin Officer Karen Vance
Marketing Manager Rod Schultz

Image Wood block print by Lorelei Medcalf

Supported by Slingsby’s Commissioning Circle, CreateSA, Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, and Novatech Creative Event Technology. Slingsby is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts funding and advisory body.

Triptych Package

Three new Australian stories, inspired by classic fairytales, intertwine to form an unforgettable triptych. Experience each story individually or immerse yourself in an epic journey through the complete compendium – all bound in one bespoke wooden building that continually evolves to reveal imaginative new worlds.

Recommended triptych order: The Childhood of the World / The Giant’s Garden / The Tree of Light