The Sandbox
At Théâtre français de Toronto, 21 College St., 6th Floor, Toronto, Ont.
Written by Denys Lefebvre
Directed by Denys Lefebvre
Designed by Patrice Daigneault
Music by Guido Del Fabbro
Lighting by Thomas Godefroid
Marionnettes and costumes by Diane Loiselle
Cast: Denys Lefebvre
Diane Loiselle
A charming play in which two comedic characters both in toques, raincoats and boots explore the many ways of working with sand. They encircle their playing space with sand they get from a small paper bag. Sand pours from their coat sleeves. They play in a magical sand box with sand ‘water’ falls. They drag small carts around the space. It’s a show full of colour, imagination, creativity and whimsy. This was their first show in English.
The final show is in French on May 19 at 2 pm.
Mwana and the Turtle’s Secret
At the Assembly Hall, 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr. Etobicoke, Ont.
Adapted for the stage by Patricia Bergeron and Patience bonheur Fayulu Mupolonga
Story tellers and puppeteers, Patience Bonheur Fayulu Mupolonga and Patricia Bergeron
Visual Illustrations by Steve Beshwaty
Shadow Play by Marie-Ève Lefebvre, Patricia Bergeron, Salim Hammad and Patience Bonheur Fayulu Mupolonga
Set by Fanny Bisaillon Cendron
Lighting by Mathieu Marcil
Music by Dumisizwe Vuyo BhembeCredits
Mwana is a little girl who lives in a village deep in the forest. Her best friend is a turtle. When a monster keeps steeling the village’s food supply and the adults can’t solve the problem, Mwana offers a suggestion on how to solve the problem. She is initially ignored as being too young to solve such a problem. Eventually she wins the day. The moral is that sometimes the very young are very wise and should be taken seriously.
The story is told using puppets, shadow play, storytelling and directly engaging the audience.
This is for children 3 +
The moral is lovely—pay attention to children for they are wise. The good people who created and perform this piece should take their own advice and note their audience because at 45 minutes in length, this piece is 15 minutes too long. The children will tell you. At my performance at various times they fidgeted, talked, squirmed and were bored. The piece could stand to be cut and edited judiciously.
The final show is May 19 at 11 am in English.
TWEET TWEET!
At the Redwood Theatre, 1300 Gerrard St. E, Toronto, Ont.
Created and choreographed by Lindsay Goodtimes, Holly Treddenick and Monica Dottor
Birdwatcher, Weston Horvath.
Performed by Lindsay Goodtimes and Holly Treddenick
Directed by Monica Dottor
Set by Kelsey Carriere
Sound by Monica Dottor
Lighting by Ian Goodtimes
Costumes by Tanis Sydney McArthur
TWEET TWEET! Is a gem of a show that is performed without words but plenty of bird sounds. Two small birds awake in their nests high in a magical tree (created with ropes), discover each other and the world in which they live. The gifted Monica Dottor directs and co-choreographed the piece. The birds wake up to the Flower Duet from Lakmé with liberal sprinklings of music from The Magic Flute, Ode to Joy, and others selections. Glorious.
For children 0-6.
It plays until May 20.
www.weefestival.ca