Betsy Balloon and the Very Great Terrible Flood

On the island of Helium, Betsy's family runs a balloon factory and life is on the up — until the tide turns and their world pops. Betsy is packed off to a faraway city to live with her eccentric uncle, Hercules Snark, an inventor of mostly half-finished things. His city has a problem of its own: it never stops raining, the streets are flooding, and things are starting to sink.

This rambunctious modern fable comes with original music and illustration, based on a story by Bill Manhire with a stageplay by Gavin McGibbon and music by Moniker. Aimée Sullivan plays Betsy, Jackson Burling brings Hercules Snark to life, and Nigel Collins narrates.

Directed by Joel Baxendale and staged at Auckland Town Hall, the show is pitched at curious young minds and their caregivers, sitting within a wider festival that includes free activities and experiences to explore alongside it.