Actor Stefo Nantsou, dressed in a costume that was part lion-tamer, part ring-leader, pulled an array of simple but striking props and costumes from a huge trunk

Henry Lawson’s tale, The Loaded Dog, about a Gold Rush-era mutt and a stick of dynamite is, in the time-honoured tradition of the great Australian yarn, based on a true story.

This rollicking romp is part of Australian history – it depicts the excitement and desperation of colonial Australia during the Gold Rush of the 1850s, when migrants arrived from all over the world to dig for their fortune. Henry Lawson’s father, Niels Larsen, is the character at the centre of the story. The family later anglicised their name.

The STC has created the Actor on a Box series as a way of introducing theatre to kids, with short shows designed for young audiences, based on traditional storytelling with an emphasis on audience interaction.

For this performance in the Richard Wherrett studio, one of the more intimate and versatile spaces within the Wharf and Sydney Theatre complexes, the design was inviting and comfortable. Littler kids sat on cushions and rugs on the floor with simple bench seating for adults and bigger kids.

The stage, delineated only by a circle of thick rope, conjured a circus sideshow. Backdrops of heavy silk-velvet curtains, striped canvas sheets pegged to a wire and a string of incandescent globes completed the effect. Actor Stefo Nantsou, dressed in a costume that was part lion-tamer, part ring-leader, pulled an array of simple but striking props and costumes from a huge trunk, like a pirate’s treasure chest or a relic from the first fleet, to tell the story of the dog who ran away with a lit stick of dynamite.

From the very beginning, kids from the audience were called on to create names for characters and places, and as the story progressed they were invited onto the stage to dress up and populate the Gold Rush town in which the story is set. The pacey momentum of the show relied on willing participation and a degree of natural talent among the young audience members and they rose to the challenge.

The only slightly flat spots were when Nantsou had to carry too much of the action and the story on his own, with neither audience participation nor other actors to help him. But playing three characters (and a dog!) is no stretch for this accomplished performer, a veteran of shows for both kids and adults with his own company, Zeal Theatre.

The show was buoyed by his exuberant energy and versatile voice work, switching between Norwegian, Scottish and broad Australian accents with comic flair, and for a big man he moves about with grace and dexterity. As he balanced on the curve-topped chest, enacting one of the miners perched in a tall sapling that was slowly bowing over and breaking under his weight, I found myself bracing for a fall … caught out again by the magic of theatre.

The biggest challenge when playing to this age group (3-8 year olds) is perhaps holding their attention for the duration. Deft direction focused on dynamic shifts in the story and maintained the tension by keeping Nantsou moving around the space.

A little more poetic license could have been taken with the story. A couple of dialogue-heavy passages briefly slackened the narrative and were more explanatory than necessary.

But the show was judged a success but the audience, who laughed, shouted out, shot up their hands when called to participate, and stuck around to play, draw on the activity tables set up side of stage, and have their photos taken with the actor long after the show had finished.

It’s a great way for families to introduce their kids to a real theatre experience and at a mere $12 a ticket, it can’t be a profit-making exercise for the STC. They’re providing a great school holiday service, as affordable as going to see a movie, and with only one G-rated film on offer these holidays it’s no surprise the season is a sell-out.

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