Wit Kids

We sat down with wit incorporated Company Manager, Jennifer Piper, to get a further insight into the professional theatre company, who are one of the much-loved hosts of our weekly kids program, Mastermind.

What inspired you to create Wit Kids? Was it part of the original wit incorporated plan, or did it come later?
 
We created wit incorporated theatre company because we couldn't find a professional theatre company in the area, creating entertaining theatre specifically for the local area. Wit Kids was really a natural progression. Belinda (our Artistic Director) had already been teaching children's drama for a number of years, so we knew the positive impact it could have – on the children in class, but also on their families and the extended neighbourhood. 
 
It was also our desire to create a children's outreach program that was accessible to families of any socio-economic status. For us, children's drama classes should be like theatre – accessible to everyone. Our Community Grant from City of Maribyrnong allowed us to pilot the program in 2016 and we were blown away by the response! Within weeks we had filled our two days a week and had to extend to a third.
  
When we got the call from Highpoint to bring our love of theatre to the centre, we knew we had to figure out a way to make it happen. Masterminds is our adaptation of Wit Kids for a younger audience, and we love spending three hours creating new worlds with the kids who come along. Whether we're searching for buried treasure, buzzing around looking for pollen, feeding animals on the farm, or shaking our thing at a monster dance party, we know the children will be right there with us.
 
We also had a great time earlier this year creating a magical dress up land as part of Shopping Day, and we can't wait to find more ways to bring the magic of theatre to Highpoint Shopping Centre.

Tell us about your next show, A Hero's Guide to Saving the Planet!
 
A Hero's Guide to Saving the Planet is an environmental superhero adventure for the whole family. There's all the fun of Adam West's Batman, with all the colour and adventure of cartoons. As Captain Eco and her sidekick The Green Defender race against time to discover who has been covering the streets of Footscray with litter, super-villain The Waster continues her plot to cover the world with trash. With the help of the superheroes and their guide book, audiences learn about recycling, reusing, reducing and what happens (or doesn’t happen) to plastic after we’ve finished with it. Be ready for shiny capes, cheesy catchphrases and groan-worthy jokes. 
 
Reduce, reuse, recycle. Be Super! #WitHero

A Hero's Guide to Saving the Planet is on from 1 to 15 July 2017 at the Bluestone Church Arts Space in Footscray. Find more info and book your tickets here

What are the future plans for Wit Kids?
 
Our main priority is to continue to provide low-cost drama classes for children aged 5 to 12 years. The positive affect these classes have is astonishing. Children so shy they can't enter the room are performing by the end of the year. Children with attention and learning disorders are able to concentrate and participate. Most importantly, children from all sorts of backgrounds, with all sorts of interests come together and find a common ground.
 
At the moment, we have two days a week at Braybrook Community Hub and one day a week at Maribyrnong Community Centre. If we can find the funding support, we'd love to build the program to allow as many children as possible to access the classes.

Mastermind runs every Monday at Highpoint from 10am-1pm on Level 2 outside Dumplings Plus. View the full program here