The Calgary International Children's Festival—one of the largest—has released its 2010 schedule of inspiring and imaginative performances and workshops for kids. Colourful marquees and pavilions will brighten Olympic Plaza and unique performers will enliven the multiple stages at the Epcor Centre for Performing Arts. Once again, the very best musicians, actors, dancers, puppeteers, storytellers, acrobats and artists in the world will amuse and enlighten young people in the heart of downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The festival runs from May 25th – 29th, 2010, and public tickets go on sale March 29, 2010.
History of the Festival
This popular annual children's festival began in the late 1980s at a time when so many shows for young people were:
- thinly disguised marketing schemes contrived to sell kids merchandise and hook them into visiting expensive theme parks;
- bland, poorly staged circus performances, or unimaginative renditions of classic stories, fairy tales and fables;
- screeds which 'spoke down' to their audiences.
The festival's original director, Joanne James, was adamant that young people can tell when:
- a performance is not self-serving or pedantic, even if there is a message or moral;
- the performers are talented and care about their audiences, no matter what age;
- the production values are, not necessarily costly, but inspired and original.
The 1988 Winter Olympics whetted Calgary's appetite for outstanding performance arts. Good quality children's performances were available internationally, but no one had brought them together before in a festival format—one which was grouped within a centrally available area for a specific period of time (usually a single week.)
James connected with various networks of touring performing artists and booked them for audiences eager for a profound change. Calgary International Children's Festival became famous for its uniqueness, creativity, and the excellent quality and originality of its shows. Later, workshops and master classes were added to the program in order to fire up local talent, and shift the focus from passive consumption to active production. These factors, and the large professional venues where the shows are held, quickly led to the Calgary International Children's Festival becoming one of the most celebrated of its kind.
Some 2010 Program Highlights
The Man Who Planted Trees
Puppet State Theatre, Scotland
Ages 7 up.
Don't miss this award-winning adaptation of Jean Giorno's award-winning fable about a French shepherd and his dog who decide to beautify their place on earth with hilarious results. Comedy and puppets are combined for a multi-sensory experience which won the 2007 United Kingdom Eco Prize for Creativity.
ScrapArtsMusic
Musical sculpture and physical theatre company from British Columbia.
Ages 7 and older.
This energetic group has sculpted over 140 unique musical instruments out of recycled materials on which they perform their original compositions, blending music and physical theatre. At least one of the pieces involves audience participation.
At NightFall
Sursaut Dance Company, Québec
Ages 4 – 10
A workaholic shoemaker named Augusted is frightened of the world outside his shop until he discovers the water forest, where shade and light intermingle and tiny nocturnal people dance and frolic without inhibition. The ethereal or amusing quality of the dances work a charm over Auguste and the audience alike.
Pekka
Théâtre des Petites Âmes, Québec
Ages 2 – 5
Charming puppets show the story of Pekka, a tiny turtle, whose nightly bedtime stories are abruptly brought to a halt when the moon does not shine one night, for Pekka's mistress, Jacinthe, needs the moon to tell stories. So the turtle goes on a journey to find out why the moon is hiding.
Aché Brasil
Music, dance and capoeira troupe from Brazil and Québec
All ages and special needs.
Aché is West African lingo for positive life force, and this group charges the audience with its high energy dancing, percussion and martial arts.
Baobab
Théâtre Motus, Mali and Senegal, West Africa and Québec
Ages 4 – 8 and visually challenged.
West African legends are plumbed to present this story of an ancient Baobab tree which lays an egg which produces a very special little boy who can release clean water from its source. And many others.
Activities on the Olympic Plaza
Admission onto the Plaza is free with proof of purchase to a festival performance in the centre, so children should hang onto their ticket stubs. This year's artisan workshops include clay modeling, kite construction, paper marbling, chalk art and kinetic sculpture.
Outdoor venues include an inflatable maze, whale storytelling tent and "Tunes" tent for people who like to sing as soloists or in groups. There is also the usual community stage, and roving performers will entertain youngsters. There will be plenty of things for children to see, hear and do.
Volunteers will be on hand to paint faces, help engage youngsters with crafts, assist with traffic control and lost and found. Those who plan to attend the Calgary International Children's Festival should be sure to check with their children's schools to ensure that they don't duplicate attendance at the same shows.
A downloadable schedule of performances is available on the Calgary International Children's Festival website. Prices are $12.50 per performance per child, and can be purchased with cash or credit card in person at the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, 225 – 8th Avenue, SE, Calgary (across the street from City Hall.) Monday to Friday: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, or Saturday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, or purchased with a credit card from the Festival website.
Simone Keiran - Simone Keiran’s book A Brief History of Western Sculpture, Quantum Books, was released at the 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair. Her articles ...
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