Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s Rules of Summer, adapted from Shaun Tan’s celebrated picture book, is less a conventional narrative and more an imaginative journey of childhood friendship. Following two boys through summer, the story centres around a mysterious set of rules such as ‘Never step on a snail’, ‘Never leave a red sock on the clothesline’, and ‘Never be late for a parade’. It is not known who and why these rules are created but they are displayed to the audience through shadow play.
The rules themselves are never fully explained, which gives the production a surreal quality consistent with Tan’s original work. Each scene feels like a living illustration, brought to life through puppetry, sound, movement and design. The show encourages viewers to interpret meaning for themselves, much like reading a picture book where the images carry as much weight as the words.
Rather than relying on a clear storyline, the show embraces atmosphere, visual and sensory detail. The result is an immersive and interactive puppetry experience. The puppeteers are much more involved than expected. They step in as the characters themselves in instances when the puppets are not being used. Communicating only through a duck whistle instead of speech. They communicate not only with each other but also directly with the audience inviting kids to take part and be part of the narrative. This included blowing bubbles and being in the puppet parade.
The puppetry is inventive and cleverly designed. Each piece of puppetry is made out of spare parts donated to the Spare Part Puppetry Theatre, hence the name. Founded in 1981 in Fremantle, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre is Western Australia’s longest-running theatre company. In addition to holiday performances, the company runs community workshops and educational programs. They also sell merchandise such as Do-it-Yourself Puppet Packs, books, Shadow Puppets and Finger Puppets which were all available to purchase prior and after the show. They also have a range of puppets that people can have a go at puppetry.
A particularly enjoyable feature of the performance came at the end of the show, when the audience was invited to ask questions of the puppeteers. This added a charming element to the experience, especially as many of the questions from the younger audience members were wonderfully unexpected and amusing. The puppeteers’ responses were equally entertaining, offering insight into how the production was created. This post-show exchange gave the audience a deeper appreciation of the craft behind the puppetry.
Currently showing at Centenary Pavillion at the Claremont Showground, Rules of Summer is a visually rich production that honours Shaun Tan’s style. While it does not offer a conventional storyline, it succeeds as a multi-sensory theatrical experience.
To book tickets to Rules of Summer, please visit https://aupuppet.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/160770.
