A performer in a striped top, green trousers, goggles and a lit helmet sits inside a rocket-like pod amid smoke and teal-red sci-fi lighting.

Polka Theatre, Main Theatre2024

Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Ghosts

The Production

Polka Theatre’s Main Theatre premiere of Julie Tsang’s stage adaptation of Katie and Kevin Tsang’s bestselling children’s book. Aimed at ages 6–12, the production followed Sam Wu on a comic, fear-facing adventure after a Space Museum trip goes wrong.

37 photographs in the curated edit

Director: Emily Ling Williams
Movement Director: Chi-San Howard
Lighting Design: Gillian Tan
Set & Costume Design: Liam Bunster
Sound Design: Holly Khan
Commissioned by: Polka Theatre
Photography: Steve Gregson

A performer in a blue-and-black striped top and green trousers raises both arms beneath glowing hanging planets on a dark, starry stage.

Three performers face off on a brightly lit sci-fi set, with the centre performer jumping mid-air between two school-uniformed figures.

Three performers lean forward together, two in school uniforms and one in a striped top and green trousers, with startled and excited expressions.

A performer in a yellow shirt, bow tie and hat stands beside a colourful pop-up pet shop stall covered in bold signs for rats, spiders, piranhas and lizards.

A school-uniformed performer raises a red object overhead as a burst of water or confetti sprays dramatically against a dark stage.

A performer in a bright geometric sweater and plaid skirt raises a stick triumphantly while two school-uniformed performers sit behind a red table watching.

A smiling performer in goggles and a red helmet strung with lights holds up a bottle of hot sauce close to the audience.

Under intense red lighting, two performers strike dramatic poses centre stage while a third sits to the side watching on the futuristic set.

Three performers sit on beanbags in a dark sci-fi room, watching a large screen showing a frightening face surrounded by swirling colours.

Three performers sit close together on colorful beanbags in warm darkness, the central performer holding a lit candelabra as all three look tense.

A performer in a striped top and bright green trousers spreads their arms before a large screen filled with hand-drawn, labeled ghosts.

On a brightly lit stage, one performer tips a packet overhead, showering white grains or powder while another stands beneath it and a third holds a fan.

Three performers stand spaced across a futuristic stage set under blue spotlights, with the central performer facing forward in a pool of light.

A performer in purple overalls hugs a large furry puppet or animal prop, mouth open in surprise against a colorful stage backdrop.

Three performers in yellow, orange and blue jumpsuits stride forward with raised silver prop weapons under vivid red and purple stage lights.

A helmeted performer recoils with hands raised beside a chained crate marked “Animal May Bite,” while another performer watches from the side.

A performer in a billowing white sheet ghost costume raises both arms center stage as another performer gestures from the side in blue light.

A performer in a school uniform crouches by a red-framed doorway, wide-eyed in dramatic red light with a snake warning sign nearby.

Four performers in bright costumes strike action poses with outstretched arms and toy blasters on a neon red sci-fi set with a starry window.

A performer in round glasses and a blue-and-black striped shirt reaches both hands outward, mouth open in surprise under cool stage light.

A performer sits inside a glowing oval capsule beneath red lighting, with hanging planet shapes and star-like projections filling the space around them.

A performer in a yellow shirt, hat and suspenders leans into a wide, energetic pose on a brightly lit red-and-blue stage set.

A seated performer holding a turquoise bowl-like string prop looks up at a standing performer in purple dungarees during a close exchange.

On a dimly lit stage, one performer reaches upward in alarm as another climbs into a tilted red-framed cabinet.

Four performers sit closely around a small red table, leaning toward food at the centre beneath a large green window-like panel.

A helmeted performer in a Space Blasters T-shirt points upward between two uniformed performers, with colourful glowing planets behind them.

A performer in round glasses holds a silver candelabra with three lit candles, looking tensely into the darkness beside a red-framed doorway.

In a wide stage view, a performer pulls a sheet from a large crate marked “Danger Wild Animal” while another watches from the side under vivid blue and pink lighting.

Three performers on a neon-lit stage leap and react energetically, framed by a bright geometric set in blue and pink light.

A performer in a striped top and bright green trousers stands rigidly under a spotlight while another in a school uniform points sharply from the shadows.

On a warm-lit stage, one performer climbs a tilted set piece as others below react with raised arms and startled expressions.

Three performers sit close together beneath projected cartoon ghosts, wearing improvised headgear and holding a fan among small props.

Three performers in colorful utility-style costumes strike action poses across a futuristic neon set, lit by vivid purple and blue stage lights.

A performer in purple overalls holds out a long flexible prop toward a startled performer in stripes, while two others react behind them in amber light.

A lone performer sits inside a glowing rocket-like pod on a dark stage filled with starry projections and sci-fi lighting.

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