Pat Malone’s Magic Garden performs to great success at Thrive on Arts Festival

An exciting exploration into the imaginative world of drop bears and stunned mullets had Toowoomba’s youngest grinning from ear to ear.

Shock Therapy Arts performers Sam Foster, Zachary Boulton and Sarah McLeod prepare for Pat Malone's Magic Garden show at The Empire Theatre Thrive on Arts Festival. Picture: Kate Stephenson

Toowoomba’s youngest were invited into an imaginative world of drop bears and stunned mullets this weekend in a bid to boost their creative spirits.

The Empire Theatre’s week-long Thrive on Arts festival ended in a bang with packed out audiences for Shock Therapy Art’s Pat Malone’s Magic Garden show on Friday and Saturday, featuring a cast of characters including the infamous drop bear, a stunned mullet and flaming galah.

“It’s basically a show about the power of imagination and the power of creativity and believing in yourself,” co-creator and Shock Therapy Arts co-founder Sam Foster said.

“It’s inspired by the Steve Irwin, Russell Coight types, leaning heavily into Australian slang.

“It’s an invitation for kids to engage with their own imagination and have fun and celebrate that idea of belief and creativity.”

Sprinkled throughout the show are moments of education meant to inspire kids to reflect on their impact in the world.

“You can be entertaining and engaging, but you can also make comment and create positive social change in the world,” Mr Foster said.

Empire Theatre general manager Giuliana Bonel said engagement in this year’s festival was particularly strong, attracting interest from a wide audience.

“This year we saw an incredibly strong start to the Thrive on Arts festival, seeing fantastic numbers on Thursday and Friday and across the weekend,” Ms Bonel said.

“Thrive on Arts is an exciting opportunity to welcome many people to our incredible

precinct, some of them for the first time, and we hope our young visitors were able to

enjoy the activities and express themselves creatively.”