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Two men hold a beautifully crafted puppet of a young child holding a lantern.

A Bucket of Beetles Friendship, adventure and magical bugs

Term 2

Primary - High School: Stage 1 – 6, Years 1 – 12
Learning areas: Creative Arts, Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia, Intercultural Understanding 

From Yogyakarta’s renowned Papermoon Puppet Theatre comes a work grounded in Indonesia’s centuries-old traditions of puppetry, following the story of a little boy Wehea and a very special rhinoceros beetle...

The standard of puppetry is extraordinary. The energy and artistic integrity of this company shines through in every scene.

Glam Adelaide for Mwathirika

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Are we taking care of our water, soil and air enough?

Wehea is a little boy who lives in a big rainforest. Just like many other people who live there, he has a special connection with nature. Even the smallest beings in the forest are his friends. One day, Wehea meets a very special beetle – a rhinoceros beetle – and together they embark on an epic, life-changing adventure. 

Based on a story told by a four-year-old boy (all of the animal puppet designs in the show are based on his drawings) A Bucket of Beetles is more than just a story of a beautiful friendship. It's a story about learning to appreciate the small things to then be able to appreciate bigger things. 

Following successful tours across the US, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, Papermoon Puppet Theatre now brings this mesmerising show to the Sydney Opera House, for the first time for students of all ages from Stage 1 upwards. 

Sydney Opera House presents a Papermoon Puppet Theatre production. 

A Bucket of Beetles events at the Sydney Opera House received grant funding from the Australia-Indonesia Institute of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Watch the trailer

About Papermoon Puppet Theatre

Papermoon Puppet Theatre was founded in April 2006 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia by Co-Artistic Director Maria Tri Sulistyani (Ria). She has since nurtured, developed and expanded the company together with Co-Artistic Director Iwan Effendi, a visual artist and Papermoon’s puppet designer. Among other close collaborators, we work with a collective of puppeteers, which includes Anton Fajri, Pambo Priyojati, Beni Sanjaya, Muhammad Alhaq and Hardiansyah Yoga. 

To date, Papermoon Puppet Theatre has created more than 30 puppet performances and visual art installations and exhibitions, and have toured to more than 10 countries. In 2008, they launched Pesta Boneka, an international puppet biennale that welcomes puppeteers from around the world to Yogyakarta, where they can share their work in a community setting. 

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Plan your visit

Excursions at the Opera House

A Day Out at the House

Offer your students to an unforgettable day out at the Sydney Opera House with our new curated program. Students can attend a Creative Learning Performance or Workshop onsite accompanied by a Walking Tour of our internationally renowned performing arts centre, all in time to back by the final school bell.

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Arts Assist

Does your School need financial assistance to attend a Sydney Opera House excursion?

Schools Tour

Filled with stories that demonstrate the power of creativity, students join a guided tour to learn how architect Jørn Utzon created a sculpture on Sydney Harbour that changed the course of 20th century architecture.

A young girl wearing a school uniform stares out a window in a Sydney Opera House foyer. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is seen in the background.

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