The storyteller behind Storytime Ballet, Sean McGrath chats about the joy of introducing ballet to new audiences.

Written by Heather Bloom in The Australian Ballet’s newsletter.

Storytime Ballet is celebrating 10 magical years of creating core memories for our youngest audience members with the specially designed productions for children aged 3 and above. One of the artists who has been there for every single one of the 603 performances is narrator Sean McGrath. We get to know how he keeps things on track and balances entertaining the diverse audience that covers an age range of over seven decades!

You’re a veteran of Storytime Ballet, having narrated every performance since its premiere in 2015. What is it about the project that keeps bringing you back?

It is an absolute delight to help bring these stories to life and introduce people of all ages to the world of ballet. I am impressed every year by the talent, strength and discipline of the dancers. Many are laying the foundations for their careers ahead. We are blessed to experience the expertise of artists like David McAllister, David Hallberg, Paul Knobloch and Madeleine Eastoe.

Do you have a favourite production from the last 10 years?

Each production and character I play in them has elements I adore, though the original production, The Sleeping Beauty, steals my heart every time. Some of the audience interactions in this show have been the most memorable.

How difficult is it to balance communicating the story to young audiences while also keeping the adults entertained?

I’m aware that there are as many adults as children in our audiences. David McAllister’s scripts are written with that in mind. I like to encourage the adults to lose themselves in the story just as the little ones do. Fun has no age limit. You can often hear the booming voices of the dads by the end of the show.

I’ve only included a rather small snippet of the Q&A. You are welcome to read the entire conversation on The Australian Ballet Blog

Q Magazine: supporting the arts in our community since 2004

“Fun has no age limit.”
— Sean McGrath