Tinker Tales!

A man leaps off a washing machine with his arms out wide.
  • Kids & Families
  • Dance
  • Theatre
  • Australian premiere
  • Wild Things
  • Playhouse
  • Run time: 55 minutes, no interval Subject to change
  • Seating map

Calling all young builders. Are you ready to roll up your sleeves?

The Netherlands

Water sprays, power cuts out, gutters clog and pipes burst – oh, what chaos! Let's hope they can fix it all before something blows up…

Tinker Tales! drops you into an energetic building site where three performers dance, build, create and repair vast contraptions before everything goes haywire! Dutch company Plan d- bring their joyful celebration of tinkering to the stage through physical theatre, dance and plenty of laughs.

Bringing a construction worksite to life through movement and music, watch as the set gets built right before your very eyes. Be warned: construction may be delayed by the occasional dance break.

Will everything fall apart? Can they fix the broken washing machine? Can they resist the urge to dance while handling dangerous tools? And most importantly... will anything actually explode?

For the grand finale, we need all hands on deck. Whether your child is a budding builder or brand new to DIY, can you help us construct an entire plumbing system live?

For a deeper experience, on Sunday 4 October, after the 2:30pm show, join the Dutch cast for a discussion about Tinker Tales! Young audiences can ask the artists questions and hear about the inspiration behind the show.

Nominated in 2025 for the VSCD Jonge Zwaan Award for the most impressive youth dance production.

The Australian premiere season of Tinker Tales! is made possible through the support of Fonds Podium Kunsten Performing Arts Fund NL.

Sydney Opera House presents a Plan d- production

Event details

Andreas Denk is a master at integrating objects and materials into dancing phrases. And this is how he surprises his audience with creativity and fantasy.

The soundtrack of building noises is addictive, and the combination of physical comedy, dance, daring building tasks and play on stage is perfect for kids who can't sit still in their seats.

Why the Wild Things Festival Curator loves this show

Meet the cast

Headshot of Andreas Denk

Headshot of Ali Shafiee

Headshot of Chérif Zaouali

About Plan d-

Choreographer, dancer and set designer Andreas Denk creates professional dance theatre for both children and adults. He draws inspiration from stories about people and special places, making performances that are instantly recognisable for the way they reveal the absurdity of situations that contemporary human beings find themselves in.

Objects and the settings in which he places his performers are of crucial importance. Plan d- offers a space — both literally and figuratively — in which everyone is free to tell their own personal story. In this way, Denk introduces audiences to existential spaces and invites them to explore corners of the world they would not normally encounter. He hopes this will inspire us to see the world around us differently, and to find perspective on the more difficult aspects of contemporary life.

Andreas Denk approaches the tragic always with absurd humour, drawing audiences in and keeping them emotionally engaged. Plan d- makes compelling dance theatre for a wide audience, children and adults alike.

Credits

Script and Choreography Andreas Denk
Music and Composition Radek Fedyk
Final Direction Klaus Jürgens
Set Design Andreas Denk
Light Design Erik Raalte
Education and Side Programming Silke Dekker
Publicity and Production Constanze Fluhme

Attending this event

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Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Playhouse

The Playhouse is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.

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