An 11am high school matinee is a pressure test for any show, especially a brand-new one like Balloon Dog. I admit, I had my doubts. Popular opinion suggests kids today are glued to their devices, have shorter attention spans, and prefer short-form video content over live interaction. Yet, we had 400 of them packed into Clarence St Theatre in Hamilton, expected to sit through 80 minutes of sustained narrative.

My doubts were unfounded. You could hear a pin drop at times. They gasped at dramatic reveals, erupted with laughter at the funny bits, and audibly sighed at the poignant moments. We even had to pause our lines to let their reactions settle. At the end, they stood as one, clapping and cheering like it was a rock concert. The post-show Q&A could have gone on for hours if there weren’t buses to catch.

Let me be clear: this is not a “kids’” show, but it made me think that adults could learn a thing or two from a high school matinee about the joy and depth of unfiltered imagination. The show itself is in its adolescence, a true time of discovery. As we bounce Balloon Dog across the country and to Sydney, it will grow with each performance. I can’t wait to uncover the unique nuances each new audience brings.