“Play”, like a show, and play, like “Have fun!”
And blend it with “opus”, (the musical one.)
Mix them together with expert technique
And out pops the Platypus! – both rare and unique.

A strange little fellow: furry, aquatic,
With bill like a duck, and claws  – quite exotic!
He’s cute to be sure, but a venomous beast
Lays eggs, makes milk, he’s an enigma at least!

And then there’s our theatre; it’s music we feature,
Our identity hatched from this strange little creature.
We live in two worlds, education and fun,
Think music as star, but you’ve only begun.

Add masks and puppets; wigs straightened or curled,
Then partner with orchestras all over the world.
But how did it start? Where did it begin?
We’ll tell you in no time so just listen in.

Head back through the ages, to 1989
Our story begins, at this moment in time.
The brothers Duschenes, young Michael and Peter,
One working in music, the other in theatre.

They took on the challenge to create a new show
For the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, wouldn’t you know?
A young person’s production, both thrilling and smart
A mission they relished, right from the start.

And Peter continued from those very first shows
To develop the company the whole world now knows.
With 30+ years of history behind it
Nine original scripts, (if you have one, he’ll sign it!)

700 performances circling the globe,
With monsters and Gimquats and wizardly robes.
In English and French the stories are told,
Almost one million people have seen them unfold.

With television specials, and award-winning shows
And 60-plus orchestras, on and on the list goes.
But here comes the best part - where we all start grinning,
Great history behind us, bright future beginning!