Polar Bear and Penguin
Term 3
Primary School: Stage ES1 – 2, Years K – 4
Digital program: On-demand stream
Learning area: Creative Arts, English, Science
The tale of an unlikely encounter between a Polar Bear and a Penguin. A charming play for young audiences, written and performed by John Currivan & Paul Curley.
Watch on-demand between 1 - 12 September 2025
This event is free for Australian schools and booked through the DART Learning platform. Once you have booked, instructions to connect via YouTube will appear on the Joining the Event tab on DART. You will also receive a confirmation via email.
Run time
This program runs for approximately 60 mins.
Viewing link
The viewing link to connect to this interactive session will be emailed to you in advance.
This event is free for Australian schools
A charming play for young audiences
This is the story of polar opposite characters meeting for the first time, getting to know one another and learning how to survive in a world that is melting beneath their feet...paws...flippers. Watch this joyful filmed production as Paul Curley (THE DIG and Bake!) and John Currivan (The Bockety World of Henry & Bucket) bring this quirky and relevant play for young audiences to life. Polar Bear & Penguin is a tale of our time, infused with humour, friendship and fish. Polar Bear & Penguin was originally developed by Paul Curley & Draíocht with the support of The Arts Council YPCE Project Award & Meitheal CPS – A Branar Initiative and was presented at Sydney Opera House with the support of Culture Ireland.
Presented by Sydney Opera House
Frequently asked questions
All you need is an internet connection! Schools can connect through Youtube in an internet browser however works best for your students (as a classroom or on individual computers).
The viewing link will be emailed to you in advance of the event.
If you require technical assistance with your video conferencing facilities, contact your schools’ tech support or alternatively contact our Creative Learning team on 02 9250 7770.
Click on the link for your preferred session time. If it is the first time you have used DART Connections you will be required to set up a username and password.
Please note that DART connections is the booking platform for all of our sessions and you will need to book here even if you are not a NSW or DET school.
Once your booking has been confirmed, our team will be in touch with relevant dial in details and to address any technical questions you may have.
Our on-demand program, including performances, workshops and talks, are available for a minimum of 10 days after the premiere. This gives you greater flexibility to watch at a time and date that’s convenient to your class. If you would really like to attend outside of the event dates, please contact the Creative Learning team on creativelearning@sydneyoperahouse.com and we will try our best to accommodate you.
You don’t need to do anything! If you can no longer attend our on-demand program of events, book in for another on-demand event at a time that suits you better.
If you would really like to attend outside of the event dates, please contact the Creative Learning team on creativelearning@sydneyoperahouse.com and we will try our best to accommodate you.
Once your booking is confirmed, our Creative Learning team will send you an email with all the details to prepare for your session.
To ensure your students get the most out of the experience, a Teachers’ Resource Pack is available for most programs. We recommend using these resources in advance of your digital excursion.
For the Digital Talks Program, your students can record their questions for the speaker and send them to us in advance of the talk. The details of how to do this will be emailed to you by our Creative Learning Team.
As the program is non-interactive, you can book for as many students as you like - a whole school booking of 500 or a single home learner - all are welcome and can be accommodated!
You may also like
Staging Stories
Primary School: Years K – 2 | Learning stage: Stage ES1 – 1 | Learning area: English, Creative Arts and Drama
Digital Talk with Anh Do
On-Demand Digital Talk | Stages 1 - 4 | Join us for this interview with Anh Do, author of some of your favourite titles like WeirDo and Little Refugee. Our host speaks to Anh about his creativity and inspirations for his work, his career, his popular and new titles and answers questions sent in from students.
Drama Life Skills
Primary School: Years K – 4Learning stage: ES1 – 2Digital program: Interactive workshop