By JESSE GRAHAM
A WARBURTON performer will take on the big city later this month, bringing his unique children’s performances to Docklands as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Woody Clark, of Woody’s World, will perform at the Wonderland Spiegeltent in Docklands from Saturday 19 September to Sunday 27 September as part of the annual Fringe Festival.
Woody’s World is described as a place where “alley cats sing and dance, mice invite you in for a cup of tea and farm animals gather together for a bush dance,” with Mr Clark accompanied by puppets and guest performers, including his own children.
Mr Clark said he had been performing for well over a decade, and had been a teacher at Yarra Junction’s Little Yarra Steiner School for 12 years.
He said that teaching and performing had much in common.
“You are really performing a lot of the time,” he said.
“Through body language, facial expressions, gesture and vocal tone, you are communicating with your audience.”
Growing up in a musical family, which toured outback communities and schools, it seemed only natural that Mr Clarke would pick up the guitar himself, though he said he was shy about performing until he was older.
Now, it’s a lifestyle, with his children multi-instrumentalists themselves.
He said he was passionate about performing for children, and the pay-off was captivating their imagination.
“You’re doing a song or telling a story, and you’ve got them in the palm of your hand – it might be small, (but) they’re just totally engrossed in what you’re doing,” he said.
“I love that.”
Mr Clarke will be joined by his companion, the life-like Hercules the Alley Cat, assisted by puppeteer, Dave Splatt, as well as jazz pianist, Hue Blanes.
The Fringe Festival shows will be his first extended season, and that he will be holding a preview show at the Little Yarra Steiner School from 2.30pm on Thursday, 17 September.
For more information, or to book, visit www.woodysworld.com.au.
