Lynda Hill was not going to let a pandemic stop her from producing The Wee Festival this year—it’s too important for young children and their parents.
Usually, Lynda Hill, the fearless Artistic Director of The Wee Festival (Arts and Culture for Early Years), produces the festival composed of children’s-based productions from various countries, over several days. Having in-person attendance is impossible this year. But streaming on-line has provided a fascinating alternative. It affords an opportunity to bring companies from far and wide that might not have been able to because of financial constraints and travel logistics. Companies were eager to provide filmed versions of their productions instead.
And while there is a note with each description of each event indicating the appropriate age of the child, that might vary with a digital viewing instead of in person. The parent is the best judge while observing how the child engages with the show.
There are 11 events of performances, films and instillations to enjoy. They are (with comments from the press information):
A Bucket of Beetles
Papermoon Puppet Theatre (Indonesia)
“Follow Wehea on a journey through the rainforest in search of the rare Rhinoceros Beetle!”
Cyclo
Campañía Aranwa and Comedia Köln Theater (Chile and German)
“A musical and visual feast celebrating the cycles of life and the seasons.”
Taama (Journey)
Théâtre de la Guimbarde & Soleil Theatre (Burkina Faso)
“Friendship is forged across languages and cultures through music.”
H₂O
Helios Theatre (Germany)
“A mesmerizing performance installation about water and all its wonders.”
The Cozy One-Man Band
Company La Mue/tte (France)
“Astonishing experimental puppetry meets virtuosic music concert”
My Silly Yum!
Jot & Tittle (Montreal)
“A delightful tabletop puppet adventure in mushroom picking!”
Tweet Tweet
Femmes du feu (Canada)
“Come fly with two colourful birds in this aerial circus treat.”
(note: a WeeFestival favourite, certainly for me, that is being repeated digitally)
Old Man And The River
“WeeFestival (Canada)
“A heartwarming and hilarious tale of friendship and change.”
DreamScape (At Home)
ThinkArts (India)
“A visual and audio journey through sensory-rich worlds”
Grass Films (Sunny Days and Insect Hands)
Second Hand Dance (England)
“A double-bill of dance for young children inspired by the great outdoors.”
Ticket information: https://weefestival.ca/2021-box-office