Dead Puppet Society’s The Riddle of Washpool Gully, an all-ages Australian fable about isolation, imagination, and what makes a monster, returned to QPAC as part of a national tour.
A boy and his mother move to Washpool, in the middle of nowhere. While his mother is away during the day, working as an archaeologist for a new mine site, the boy meets a monster in a secret gully in the scrub. The adults don’t believe him, but the boy hears the monster howling in the night as trains rattle and bang through its home on their way to the mine. The boy decides he will take care of the creature himself, in the way that his mother cares for him.
Directed and designed by David Morton, with dramaturg Sam Routledge, The Riddle of Washpool Gully starred three actors and two puppets. All three actors took on parts of the puppeteering, as well as performing independently.
The Riddle of Washpool Gully was first performed in Hobart, Tasmania, in 2018 and was originally produced by Terrapin Puppet Theatre in association with Dead Puppet Society. The story follows a simple structure, but is not without surprises. Themes of isolation and imagination are explored, with children protecting their grown-ups from monsters only they can recognise or understand. A strong environmental message is embedded in the work, and the search for a sense of home and belonging.
There was a child-like playfulness in the movement style of the puppetry, leaping across impossible distances and interacting naturally with the actors. Costume details and props, like a bandage on the boy’s hand, were mirrored in miniature on the puppets and added a sense of magic. Repetition pulled the threads of the story more tightly together but was never overdone, whether playing a physical reaction for laughs or repeating lines with a shifting emphasis.
The three actors were focused in their puppeteering, but also acting and reacting to the story as it unfolded. Reagan Mannix expressed the boy’s pain, loneliness, and elation as he manipulated a puppet version of himself, dressed in identical outfits. Hugh Parker brought his gravitas and rhythmic storytelling to the role of the Narrator, and Merlynn Tong gave a moving performance as a concerned mother.
A modular set glided along tracks to expand or contract the characters’ world, with human characters shifting around segments and puppets leaping between them. A miniature house sat atop the central section, while smaller sections opened or unfolded to reveal new objects or locations. Small details, like the headlights of the palm-sized car that Tong pushed along the road, added further depth and warmth to the world of Washpool.
Sound design by Brady Watkins and compositions by Heath Brown built a strong sense of place, from slamming doors to the sounds of rain and birdsong in the bush, as well as the cinematic musical backing to the most dramatic moments and sequences.
Lighting design by Ben Hughes clearly marked the passage of time within the story through the movement of the sun across the sky, and the waxing and waning of the moon. Lighting also conjured vivid sunrises, sunsets, and storms, the dappled shadows of light through leaves, and the thunderous rushing of a train with flickering yellow lights.
The Riddle of Washpool Gully was a charming fable of family and megafauna, beautifully realised through Dead Puppet Society’s characteristic blend of thoughtful, integrated design and clear, classic storytelling.
The Riddle of Washpool Gully played at the Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, South Bank, from 10 – 21 March 2026
For further information, visit the QPAC website
Backstreet Brisbane 
Leave a comment