From Press Release
Young Jesters’ WATER set to make a splash at FringeKids this July!
Performers from across Canada and abroad come together for this riveting show that is sure to thrill kids and adults alike!
Live music! Puppets! Masks! Dance! And the Young Jesters’ unique brand of audience interaction!
First created in Evian, France (a water town if there ever was one!) and further developed and performed at the Royal Ontario Museum in tandem with their 2011 Water Exhibition, Water, written by Lauren Spring and performed by the Young Jesters, has since been touring to elementary schools in the Greater Toronto Area.
The company, which consists of performers haling from across Canada and abroad, is excited to bring their show (which includes live flute, cello and percussion music, puppets, dance and the Young Jesters’ own unique form of audience interaction) to family audiences in downtown Toronto!
Water tells the story of 8 year old Olive who has always been afraid of big waves, and the wish that she makes when she meets a strange and magical fish by the sea. Olive wishes that all of the water in all of the world would disappear! What follows is a fantastical tale that transports audiences from beach resotrts to apple orchards, from Ethiopia to inside our own bodies!
Follow Olive as she faces her fears and meets a spiky green plant, taunting bullies, a sassy desert snake, a silly coughing tree and a grumpy old farmer and learns all the reasons why water mustn’t be taken for granted.
Kids and Parents alike will surely recognize Water’s talented cast, as they are all seasoned professionals, performing regularly for audiences young and old.
Kimberly Persona recently starred in Vital Theatre’s production of Pinkalicious which played at both the Lower Ossington Theatre in Toronto as well as the Richmond Hill Centre For the Performing Arts. Kim also worked for Solar Stage Children’s Theatre for several years and will be seen starring as Lady Gaga in Buddies in Badtimes 2013 Production Of a Monstrous Child: A Gaga Musical. Both Kimberly Persona and Lauren Spring are also regular performers at Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre.
Lauren Spring, who recently completed her Master’s Degree in International Development, and is always looking for ways to bring together the fields of theatre and development, has toured across the country performing in shows for young audiences. Highlights include, Puss and Boots the Musical for Alberta Opera Company, Far From the Heart (Mixed Company), Dying to be Thin (Quebec-wide tour) and numerous bilingual shows with Dufflebag Theatre.
Thomas Gallezot, who moved to Toronto from his native France 5 years ago (leaving behind his profession as an engineer and patent attorney) and who is also a Dufflebag Theatre regular, recently played Chrysalde in the TfT’s production of Moliere’s L’Ecole Des Femmes and in the past few months has appeared on several TV shows, including Covert Affairs (Showcase) and Good God (HBO Canada) and is the French voice behind “Spiderus” in the popular animated children’s show Miss Spider. Thomas also works as the Audience Development Manager at the Theatre Francais de Toronto.
Amelia Sargisson will also be a familiar face to Toronto theatre-goers. Having worked for years with young audience members in her native Montreal, Amelia is also a graduate of Ryerson Theatre School and has recently been seen in The Innocents (Tango Co), in The Madonna Painter (Centaur Theatre) and last summer in La Duchesse de Langeais (2011 Toronto Fringe; NOW Magazine Outstanding Ensemble).
Both Lauren Spring and Thomas Gallezot are graduates of the Second City Conservatory Program and together came to create a unique improv show format for young audiences. This show, The Incredible Story of Whatever you Want, has proved a hit and plays frequently at family-friendly corporate events, in GTA elementary schools, and at private birthday parties.
Water, though a scripted play, also makes use of elements of this unique form of audience interaction.
Numerous times throughout the play, the narrator will ask the young audience members for suggestions. For example, the narrator might say: “Olive’s parents tried everything to convince her to go in the water. What did they try?”
Any young audience members with an idea may raise their hand, and the narrator approaches them with the microphone. Once the young audience member shares their idea (“they tell her there’s her favourite toy out there”/ “they sing her a lullaby so she won’t be so scared to go in etc.”) the actors immediately adopt the suggestion and improvise it into the otherwise scripted show.
This makes for a very unique and interactive experience that is tons of fun for adults, youth and kids alike! This is a hugely entertaining, riveting (and educational!) show not to be missed!
The Young Jesters in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents: WATER
PERFORMANCE TIMES
Friday, July 6: 1:00pm
Saturday, July 7: 5:30pm
Sunday, July 8: 7:30pm
Tuesday, July 10: 2:30pm
Wednesday, July 11: 11:15am
Thursday, July 12: 7:00pm
Saturday, July 14: 5:45pm
Sunday, July 15, 2012: 1:45pm
(Show running time is 45 minutes)