Matilda's Project

Matilda's Project is a bright, moving, and inspiring book about family diversity, as seen through the eyes of children. Matilda's Project began as a community theatre production in January 2012. It was written, directed and performed by qualified teachers to educate and empower children. "As an educator, I too often see children who are confused and distressed by the images of family they are bombarded with which do not match up to their own experiences. As a teacher, I see that the norm children are presented with (of a home with mum and dad and the kids) often does not match the majority of their personal experiences, and that many children are left feeling as if there is something wrong with them and their families. I want as many children as possible to understand that family diversity is not a negative thing, that all of their experiences of family are valid. " - Danny Gibbins The production, although small scale, received sponsorship, excellent reviews and a reasonable amount of media attention. In the lead up to the production, much interest was generated in the themes and concepts by people outside of Melbourne. The book was written as a response to this so that the message of the play could be more widely distributed.