After returning from our three week journey, we were all happy to return home-at least for a little bit before venturing off to the next leg of our journey. 

We took off for a few days up in the northern parts of Quebec. One thing you should know is that we have become very adept at jumping out of the van over our Whispers in the Air ladder that blocks the back door.  On a pit stop in Pembroke, David accidentally missed the ladder, while watching his IPhone drop to the ground. And Crack!  Boom!  Poor David.  You know you have become too obsessed with technology when a broken but still usable Iphone makes you sad. Luckily, he was reading Brave New World at the same time, and realized how he needed a break from Facebooking and CNN news articles.  Good for you David!    

As we continued on the way to Temiscaming we took a short cut as the sun was beginning to set.  However, no one told us that the shorter route was a bunch of sharp turns in a creepy “Sleepy Hollow” like setting.   While David took over the driving, Mariana and Ian were in the back trying to get some sleep but being rudely awakened by flying to the left and right of the back seat in the van.  Once we settled in the town, we headed straight for a bite and some shut eye. 

The next morning we performed two shows and were interviewed for the school for their class.  We couldn’t stay too long as we had to be in Val D’or by night time and opted for a smoother highway road.  But before heading off, we had to eat at the coolest Subway restaurant ever.  Converted from an old train car, there wasn’t much space to eat, but we got a great view of the river and it felt like we were traveling across the country in style. 

Val D’or was the next stop and we knew we were staying at the right place, as the sign outside had an exact replica of Mr. Powell (one of the puppets from the show).  The shows were good and we got a lot of intelligent questions about the students.  We packed up and returned to Montreal looking forward to a day off – so David could get his phone fixed. 

The second half of the week was a little different for us.  On Thursday and Friday we attended QPAT.  Teachers from across Quebec converged at the Palais des Congress for two days to learn about all sorts of new teachings methods and guides for their schools.  Geordie was on hand to promote the tour as well as Robin Hood, which was soon to open. It was fun and different to hang out and meet teachers that had already seen the show at their school and new ones eager to catch it.  We met lots of supportive professionals who gave us great feedback. It was wonderful to hear their comments. 

By the weekend we were already on the move again-this time Ottawa/Gatineau.  The thing I will never forget was after performing a Whispers in the Air show and all the Q&A was over, a little boy approached Ian, asking him if he ever had trouble speaking like Alex his puppet.  Ian responded honestly that while he didn’t have trouble speaking as a child, he knew that the playwright had and that was one of the reasons why he decided to write this play. Ian also explained that Alex found it very hard to talk since he had been through so much in his young life.  Ian took out Alex and gave the boy a high five.  The boy slapped its hand and took off.  His teacher explained that he also had a hard time finding his voice and it was so meaningful to see that on stage. 

On our time off, we took in the sights, Mariana went running and the three of us explored the museum of civilization – but with only an hour to spare before it closed! The differences between James, Ian and David became quite apparent.  David wanted to get a glimpse of everything and rushed through the museum.  Ian and James meandered about looking at every article of clothing, video display and artifacts before being forcibly asked to “Leave now, please”. Sufficed to say, David was waiting for them at the end of the tour. 

As November turned into December we developed a new level of comfort and ease when performing the show. After three months we knew exactly when Alex and Nan should share a moment, when Hatter Pete should come whizzing onstage and when Jorah should enter on Melissa and Fatima. By now it had been the longest run of a show the three of us had ever done and we were beginning to develop new instincts and new moments.

December was spent exclusively in and around Montreal, which meant no traveling, but also meant we were able to sleep in our own beds every night. Performing for schools in Montreal was very different to performing for those in the country where culturally they are less diverse. We felt this especially when performing Jabber. Inner-city audiences identified well with Fatima and the trials she was going through; when she removed her hijab for example they reacted with shock and concern whereas to an audience who had less exposure to the hijab and the Muslim culture saw it as less dramatic.

The last two weeks before the Christmas break consisted of (apart from having to share the stage with Christmas decorations) one week of only Jabber performances and the next only Whispers in the Air performances. This made us appreciate how different the shows are and how much we enjoy the variety. Along with all the children watching our performances, we were looking forward to the holidays to rejuvenate and relax.

After the Mardi Gras festivities winded down in the early hours of the morning, we had some time to check out some of the other sites around town.  Peter and Suzanne were lovely, taking us to Cape Spear, the furthest eastern point in Canada and a cute little fishing village that was supposed to have some of the best seafood on the island. Sadly, it was closed for the season so they took us back into town to the Duke of Duckworth where they are have the best fish and chips in the city.  Yum yum! 

Once we wrapped up one of our afternoon shows, Ross arranged for a driver from The Republic of Doyle to pick us up and drive us to the set where we could see a live shot of a car crash.  We felt so spoiled!  The cold and wet weren’t fun but watching how cast and crew joke around was great to see.  They had all been working with each other for some years now and it really felt like a family was pulling together. On a side note, the most popular person was the catering woman.  The car crash was super cool too and luckily no one was hurt.  We also got a private tour of all the sets.  I think we would like to return but next time as actors on the show.  

We continued with the rest of our performances at “The Hall”, meeting people not only from town but groups that drove 2 hours just to see us perform.  We all felt very privileged and lucky to be here.  By the time it was our last performance we didn’t want to say goodbye.  The staff at the Hall treated us so well and when they told us they were throwing a Halloween party that night we decided to go and say our goodbyes. As the space was over a hundred years old, they invited “ghost hunters” who job it was to record what may or may not have been spirits lurking about the building. Some of us remain skeptical.

On our last night we finally decided to get “Screeched in”.  After eating “Newfoundland steak”, “kissing the cod”, knocking back some screech, and repeating a sentence none of us can get right, except for James, we became honorary Newfoundlanders.  We will miss St John’s very much and all the people that we met.

This week started on a ferry ride – a very long ferry ride – from PEI to the Magdalene Islands. It was on this ferry where we met our second moose, strapped to a trailer, and experienced five hours of the slow and steady rise and fall of the St. Lawrence Bay.

When we did arrive on the Islands we were met with fog and rainy weather. But this didn’t stop us exploring the area! We visited an enormous wooden church and a tea house with an absurd collection of home-made, life-sized dolls in the basement. We were lucky enough, though, to experience one magnificent sunny day on the archipelago. It started with an early rise and long drive to an English school on the eastern edge of the islands. On this drive we watched as the sun rose, on this crisp and clear day, over the ocean. After another successful show we drove back west and stopped at a beach. Under the sun we ran around on the white sand and, had the temperature been warmer, we could have been on any beach from Columbia to Florida.

After our stay on the islands we hopped back on the ferry and drove in a circle back through PEI, across the Confederation Bridge and through northern New Brunswick to Halifax where we stayed with a very nice family on the edge on the ocean.

The next morning we rose early and caught a flight to St. John’s Newfoundland. After a short flight we were met by Peter and Suzanne from the Resource Centre for the Arts who help run the LSPU Hall where we would be performing at for the our time in Newfoundland.

The next day we did two performances for schools that filled the seats of the theatre, were welcomed to a potluck at the theatre where we got to meet all of our hosts, and then went out to explore the nightlife.

Friday we ended up having a free day, which found us that evening at a Republic of Doyle Halloween party where we met a former Geordie tour manager, Ross, who is currently a producer of the show and a friend we would be seeing a lot of in the coming week!

Finally, Saturday was spent on the stage performing two shows for the public, which were both very well attended, and cobbling together Halloween costumes for that evening.

What an unforgettable week!

Ian, David & Mariana

After returning from our voyage to the lower north shore, we were all happy to get back to Montreal for some R&R.  Threes day to do our laundry, get some good sleep and visit old friends. I think we all felt we had disappeared for an eternity but when we got back, everything was the same. 

On Tuesday, we took a ten-hour trip up to Chibougamau.  We arrived around 7 pm hungry and stiff.  James took over the driving and led us into the woods where he said our accommodations awaited us. Well, it felt like a scene our of a horror movie, where you get lost in the middle of nowhere and a pickup truck starts tailing you.  Luckily, we finally found the sign for the B&B and made our way to dinner. 

The staff and students in Chibougamau were all lovely and excited to see us.  Kids running up after Whispers with their arms wide open anxiously waiting for a hug.  The questions we received after Jabber were very thoughtful and intelligent.  We had a great time! 

Our next stop on this short leg of the trip was La Tuque.  The great thing about doing live theatre is you never know what kind of an audience you will get.  Some schools will laugh all the time, others will remain quiet.  It’s a good thing, since it will keep us on our toes. 

At the end of the week, we had our first show in Montreal and the first time we performed back-to-back Jabber shows.  Wow! What a difference. Montreal, being very multicultural, gave us some new insights into the play as the students here live with these issues on a daily basis. We had lots of one on one feedback after the show but one students stood out in our minds.  He appeared a little worried as to how an audience would perceive all Muslim people based on the actions taken by Fatima.  We started talking to him, asking him what he saw during the show and explained to him that while Fatima happens to be Muslim, she doesn’t represent all Muslims. We are beginning to see how the play is more about asking questions than telling students how they should feel or what they should think. It’s the beginning of a dialogue that we are looking forward to continuing. 

David, Mariana, Ian.

The beginning of the second week of the tour found the four of us standing, in perfect weather, on the most northern tip on Newfoundland at L’Anse aux Meadows, where the Vikings set up the first European settlement in the Americas. We stood in front of a pit that was once a forge where the first iron was cast in the Americas, we visited the re-creation of a Viking house and got a chance to dress up as Vikings and play with their weapons. It was an unforgettable visit.

After ferrying back across the Strait of Belle Isle we spent what we expected to be our last night in Blanc-Sablon. The next morning we packed up our things and caught a very small plane to La Tabatière and performed two very successful shows for a great audience.  That afternoon we attempted to fly to St Augustine although, unfortunately, the weather didn’t allow us to land, and so the flight was diverted back to Blanc-Sablon where we spent one last night. Apparently Blanc Sablon didn’t want to see us leave :].

The next morning we tried for the second time to get to St Augustine and succeeded. There we performed shows to another incredible audience, and I was reminded that a friend of mine had graduated from that very school and gone on to study theatre with me in Montreal.

Next was Harrington Harbor. We caught a flight to Chevery and water taxied along the shore to the road-less village. We were all impressed by the lack of cars, replaced by all-terrain-vehicles, and by the board walkways that connected all of the buildings that were perched on the rocky shore. Of course we heard a lot about La Grand Seduction, a very successful french-language film that was filmed in the village. Mariana was wise enough to wake up earlier than the rest of us and go for an early morning jog through the town, which apparently turned into a photo-op for the village resulting in some fantastic images.  It was in Harrington Harbour where we had the opportunity to eat a wonderful home cooked lasagna dinner that we all greatly appreciated.

Our final school on this first leg of our tour was in Chevery. Another perfect success! The next morning we hopped on our final flight to Sept-Îles and drove the long drive to Tadoussac along the winding highway in a long and steady rainstorm, a much scarier trip than any of the flights we had taken. We spent the night at a nice little hotel and visited the local youth hostel, with its live music and smiling faces. 

Our final day saw us waiting in line for, and finally catching, the ferry across the great Saguenay River where Mariana and I befriended a deceased moose. We ended the day driving into Montréal listening to hours of Top 40 pop music, which drove one of us crazy.

I am writing this blog at my parent’s house on Thanksgiving Monday. However, this does not feel like a holiday. I hope that I’m speaking for the others when I say I miss my other family, my Geordie family, and I can’t wait to get right back into it tomorrow on the Chibougamau leg of the tour!

Cheers,  

Ian

Let’s say that on this trip we’ve discovered…

That a family dynamic has already been established between us : Uncle James, Mommy Mariana, David  the Dad and Ian the kid.

That James is an amazing pool player.

That Mariana takes forever in the shower, especially when she has to wash her hair.

That David can eat a whole pie by himself.

That Ian qualifies every moment, scenery or place, as beautiful.

That David is always the first one to order and finish his plate.

That Mariana and Ian are always hungry and are somehow never able to make a choice as to what to pick on the menu.

That James is always the first one ready no matter where we go.

That Ian will always forget something somewhere with innocent kid-like demeanor.   

That in order to lift our spirits you need to :

Give Ian a coffee, Mariana some Latino music, David Leonard Cohen or something sweet (preferably something with coconut) and James some cartoons (Family Guy if possible).

We’ve discovered that we spend more time packing and unpacking luggages from one seating place to another, than anything else.

We’ve discovered and accepted that we will gain weight on this trip, as everything we eat is fried.

But most importantly we’ve discovered…

That the Lower North Shore has breathtaking landscapes, and that we are exploring place we never imagined we would.

That no matter how tired we are, when we hear kids laugh at the first joke in Whispers In The Air, we are somehow filled with energy and a desire to give them our best. Their contagious smiles make our day.

That Jabber has a bigger impact on teenagers than we could ever of imagined. To have that guy in the back row unexpectedly come up to us after the show and tell us how much he loved it is one of the most gratifying feelings ever.

Finally we’ve discovered that we are soooooooo lucky to be here!!!!

Onwards and upwards. 

Mariana, David and Ian

Week one:

It’s Sunday.  Bright and early.  We are scheduled to meet at 9am outside of Snowdon metro but one thing is missing… Ian.  Where are you?  After calling him, we find out that he thought we were meeting at 10am since rehearsals always started at 10am.  Thus, before getting on the highway, we are bound for Vendome metro station.  Finally, after picking up him – and his cheese riddled breakfast sandwich – we are off.  About 10 hours on the road to get to Baie Comeau with a short stop off in Saguenay.  It’s a long drive and we keep ourselves entertained by sleeping, listening to music and getting massages. Oh, and switching drivers who have been antiquely caffeinated.  Finally, around 7pm, we get into town, have a bite to eat and hit the hay.

Our first two shows in Baie Comeau go off very well.  There aren’t a lot of kids (only around 10 high school students) but they enjoy the plays. It is great to have a Q&A session afterwards, since we had never done it for a high school before. Until now, we had no idea how they were going to respond to the play, when they would laugh (or not) and if they were going to take something away from the experience.

As we continued north on our journey to Sept Iles for Flemming Elementary and Queen Elizabeth High School, we start getting great feedback from the students and teachers.  And we, as actors, realize, “Oh ya, these shows are really funny!”  From there we are about to fly off to Blanc Sablon – praying our luggage doesn’t go over the weight limit and almost missing our flight.  I have never been on a plane that leaves 10 minutes earlier than scheduled.  After two hours, we land in Blanc Sablon but it’s too dark to see anything except the water.  With little sleep, we perform for three schools over two days and enjoying every minute of it. James, our SM, gives us ample suggestions on what to see and where to eat. We would be lost without him.  A word that gets throw around a lot in the van, particularly by one of the cast members, is “beautiful”, thus we have had to look at our electronic thesaurus for some richer vocabulary. 

We are now looking forward to two days off in Blanc Sablon. We hope to get to see some Vikings in Newfoundland!

Until next time,

Ian, Mariana and David.

That’s all folks!

We would like to thank all of the schools, theatres, community centres, hosts, students, audiences, and friends we have met during our tour for their hospitality, enthusiasm, and support. We’ve had an amazing journey and now it is time to pass the torch onto next year’s crew. We have our final blog post below to catch everyone up to the present day and before you read that we would like to share our favourite moments of the year.  Koy’s was our visit to Harrington Harbour, Cassandre’s was performing in Ottawa, near her hometown, for her Goddaughter and family, James’s was walking on the coastline of the Magdalene Islands, and for Jen it was our night in Jonquière where we gathered around to write our first blog post. Thank you again and may we remember Sadako in our hearts and practice “Peace in the World” each and every day.

13/02/12-17/02/12 – Québec

 Our first show of the week was greeted with a familiar face in Richmond, Québec. Siu-Min used to work at the main office in Geordie but has since relocated and came out to our show to lend us her support. The next day we were in Outremont and performed for a huge group of kids that giggled so much and absolutely loved the cell scenes. On Wednesday we were in NDG where the school had studied the war and the play so they were ready to ask tons of questions. It was an excellent show and then we headed off to the CGEP Collège de Bois de Boulogne. The audience was very cool and relaxed, they took lots of notes and asked studious questions. On Thursday we had two easy load-ins of the set which was good because the whole cast was sick with a bug at this point. We started in Deux Montagnes and finished in Kirkland where the students all knew how to make cranes and knew everything about the story. On Friday we were in Chambly and performed for a group of intelligent older Elementary students and then we drove to Montréal to perform the Weapons of Peace show at an adult education school in the Plateau.

20/02/12-24/02/12 – Québec

This week was a lot of fun and started off in Waterloo and Sutton. The schools were so sweet and the gang was able to perform in a theatre café with painted tables and incredible art displayed all around. It was a very intimate setting and our group was presented with a 2 feet sized paper crane made by one of the schools – so cool! On Tuesday we were lucky to perform two shows at the same school in the West Island so during the break James got a chance to paint the set while Koy napped and Cassandre and Jen giggled about boys. On Wednesday we were at the Pierre Trudeau School in Blainville with amazing kids who really enjoyed the show. Koy played basketball with some students at lunch and James stapled a blanket into the van which might not sound like interesting news but it made our load-in so much easier and so we were all excited about it. Small things make our cast very happy. Thursday morning in Boucherville was hilarious and such a great show. The cast was finally feeling healthy again and these kids helped a lot with their hilarious questions. The audience seemed to think that Jen could play a range of age 11-31 which we’re sure agents everywhere would be happy to hear. Our second show in Brossard was just as fun and loud and overall it was a great day. On Friday we were back in NDG and a few of Jen’s students from Geordie Theatre School were in the audience which was a lot of fun. In the afternoon we went to Beaconsfield where the front row giggled like there was no tomorrow.

27/02/12-02/03/12 – Montréal (ish)

On Monday were were at Royal Vale all day in NDG. Charlotte, one of the actors from last year’s tour, came out to show her support. It was neat  having her there and hopefully we can do the same for next year’s crew. On Tuesday we were in St-Leonard and TMR where a Seniors Day was happening and the school had made a thousand cranes, done a huge drawing of Sadako, made paper lanterns, and performed a Japanese dance and song while sporting kimonos for their audience. The students were explosive with laughter and loved Masahiro’s character. On Wednesday we performed two high school shows back to back in theatres in Brossard and Montreal North. It was a mad dash from one show to the next and we were lucky to have good weather for timing because the next day we had a huge downfall with snow covering Longueuil and the ceiling leaked water onto our set! The bad weather was not enough to keep us away though and in the afternoon we were in NDG to perform at Dean’s son’s school and they were absolutely fantastic. Friday started in Laval where June Park came to visit us and in the afternoon we were in St-Jerôme. Both shows were very sweet and we had been lucky with so many visitors in the past few weeks!

12/03/12-16/03/12 – Montréal (ish)

After a much needed March break the gang was back to work. We rebooted the tour at Solomon Schechter Academy with a very informed group of grade 6 students who all knew how to make cranes. Then we were in Otterburn Park performing for a group of French students with a great sense of humour. The next day we performed at the Montréal Oral School for the Deaf who had made lots of cranes for us and an animated video about Sadako’s story. After such a lovely visit we went to Ste-Hyacinthe to an all girls school that had an amazing theatre and we had a great show. On Wednesday we had probably the easiest load-in of all time in Macouche that we seriously believe took under 2 minutes. The show was great and during the break it became official that our cast has gone berserk. James seems to be the only person that is still functioning like a normal person. In the afternoon we returned to St-Lazare for an amazing group of kids that had so much energy and really pumped us up. On Thursday we did two shows in St-Leonard and then headed to Joliette for a third show for some very excited kids. Every single student came up to say hello which was a really nice gesture. On Friday we performed in Pointe Claire where the kids had dressed up in green for St. Patrick’s day and at the end of the show they stood up and did a presentation for us honouring Sadako Sasaki. It was very sweet. Then we headed to Magog where one kid asked us a great question: “If you made a thousand cranes and could have one wish, what would you wish for?” It was a tough one to answer and we’d love to know what you would do!

18/03/12-23/03/12 – Gaspésie

Gaspésie was an amazing week of the tour. The weather was warming up so we got to experience cool temperatures, sun, and lots of snow all at once! We performed in Gaspé, New Carlisle, Bonaventure, New Richmond, and Escumiac with visits in little towns along the way. We stayed in the most incredible bed & breakfasts, ate like champions, visited the Percé Rock, walked along coastlines for minerals, shells, and coloured glass, and met incredible people. Did we mention the breathtaking scenery? It was such a nice visit and we want to thank our hosts and audiences for everything and can’t wait to come back soon.

26/03/12-30/03/12 – Québec

Our last week was bittersweet. Although we are all excited to move onto new projects, the tour has been so good to us and such an incredible experience that it is sad to say good-bye. We performed at schools in NDG, Laval, Longueuil, Terrebonne, La Prairie, Pierrefonds, and Beloeil. We performed our hearts out, tried new things as actors, and had a lot of fun on the stage. We gave away cranes we’ve toured with all year, traded cranes with schools, had dance parties with our audiences, bonded with staff and students, and did a lot of “remember when…” stories. There couldn’t have been a better way to end the tour.

Don’t forget to check out our YouTube video to make an origami paper crane just like Sadako does in our show! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAISJkMOEvg

11/01/12 – 21/01/12  -  Montrèal (ish)

After a restful holiday vacation, the Geordie crew was back in full swing in mid-January. We started off the second part of the tour with two shows in Montréal’s Wildside Festival with a positive response. It is always a weird feeling for us to perform in a theatre with regular adult audiences instead of schools but the people who attended were loving and incredibly supportive and we were proud to have been part of a festival filled with such talent and creativity. The next week we were back touring different schools and went to Saint-Jerôme, St-Laurent, Laval, Trois-Rivière, and Lasalle. In Saint-Jerôme, we met a woman whose nephew was a part of the Geordie tour many years ago and she was a big supporter of Geordie’s involvement in schools and local communities. St-Laurent was all the rave with our shows and the students gave wonderful feedback. They absolutely loved it and asked so many questions about the blood cells and what everything meant and symbolized. Laval was an important stop because one of their students, named Daniella, has Leukemia and the students were very curious about how Sadako got cancer and thought critically about the bomb and Sadako’s illness. Throughout the tour we’ve encountered many students who have been affected by cancer and more and more we are seeing the impact and relativity of this show to the students’ lives. It always brings about positive conversations and we’re glad we are able to give the kids a space to discuss their concerns and experiences. That evening we headed to Trois-Rivière where everyone was so nice and a group of girls spent their break with us making cranes, asking questions, and discovering other origami creations. We finished off the week at the Children’s World Academy in Lasalle and were those kids ever smart! We had extended Q&A sessions and enjoyed hearing their questions so much. It was an excellent first week back to the tour and we can’t believe that in two months the tour will be over! We’re trying not to think about it too much and to enjoy every moment as they come.

23/01/12 – 27/01/12 – Quèbec

On Monday we performed at Hemmingford and in Hull at an Adult Education Centre. They were really interested in the discussion and gave us suggestions on readings and stories on similar subjects of what we discuss in the play. Cassandre also saw an old friend from Ottawa which was pretty cool. On Tuesday we woke up at 5 a.m. to go to Rawdon and perform for a beyond intelligent group of students. The Geordie crew would like to take this moment to thank coffee for helping us get through early mornings such as these. The second school was in Montréal, and also our QPAT contest winner, and was filled with love as they gave us three cranes to put in our set along with two photos of Sadako which was very thoughtful. Then we were in Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Outremont with both audiences being older elementary students which was a lot of fun. The schools that day were particularly enthusiastic and one teacher showed us a thousand tiny paper cranes that a student’s family had already made. It was quite impressive. We finished off the week in Montrèal and Ormstown and a ton of ice and slush. Luckily none of the shows were cancelled which was a good thing since the day was filled with hilarious comments from kids and very sweet questions such as: “Does this mean Sadako is a magician in the sky?” We also discovered an adorable star puppet, appropriately named Starry, that James and Cassandre played with much to Jen and Koy’s entertainment.

30/01/12-03/02/12

This week was a birthday week with both Cassandre and Jen celebrating their birthdays. On Monday we performed in St-Laurent and Cassandre pointed out how accustomed we are to the tour because while kids were running around, eating their lunches, and/or watching us set up the show, we were just chatting about Oscar pick movies and talking about our weekend. What used to be a one and half hour set up with everyone being incredibly focused and worried about what goes where has turned into a rather efficient and smooth 50 minute load in and set up! Not bad! The performance was a lot of fun and it was a good day overall. On Tuesday we were in Trois-Rivière and it was the lovely Cassandre’s birthday. More than 250 students sang Happy Birthday to Cassandre and it was very sweet. The next day we were at the Sunshine Academy in Dollard-des-Ormeaux and the kids were so fabulous that when we left the sun had come out to play. Coincidence? We think not! On Thursday we performed in Rivière des Prairies and Lachute. At both schools we had dollies that helped us load in the set which was amazing! It takes very small things to make the Geordie crew very happy. Friday was spent in Saint-Felix-de-Valios and was also Jen’s birthday and Cassandre had all the high school students sing her Happy Birthday in French. It was a memorable and sweet week of the tour.

06/02/12-10/02/12

This week started a day early on Sunday with a community performance in St-Hubert. It was a family day which meant a bake sale and bouncy castles! As much fun as performing for kids is, there is nothing quite as fabulous as a bouncy castle. On Monday we drove up to Sawyerville where we had a case of the giggles. We had some time to spare between setting up and our performance which, naturally, means we belted out some Céline Dion and created haunted ghost stories. On Tuesday we were back in St-Hubert with a wonderful performance and the kids asked a lot of questions about the moral of the story and acting. This was also the day where we received a very special e-mail. We are allowed to share it with you so here it is:

Hello,

My name is Julie and I’m a teacher at Children’s World Academy in Lasalle. Two weeks ago, we had      the pleasure of seeing the play 1000 paper cranes and the students absolutely loved it. They learned a          lot and enjoyed the performance thanks to the talent of the actors.

Unfortunately, 24 hours after seeing the play, I was informed that my brother was diagnosed with Leukemia. The sad coincidence was striking. I told my students the following Monday as they knew    something was wrong. Three boys in my class decided to take on the challenge of making 1000 paper            cranes which has now spread to a school-wide challenge. After a little more than 2 weeks, we are now at 600 cranes.

No one in the school knows my brother, but the students believe in the power of wishes and taking   action.

I thought you would be glad to know that your performance went beyond the stage and inspired a         group   of young and dynamic people.

Best regards,

            Julie

Julie’s brother’s name is Martin and she has informed us that she will keep us updated on their progress. Messages like this inspire us greatly and make us even more blessed to perform this show. Thank you, Julie and all the students at the Children’s World Academy! Our best wishes to Martin and he now has his own crane in our set.

On Wednesday we were in Pierrefonds for two performances and we were lucky that it was treat day for the staff and so we got some goodies in between our two shows for the fabulous students. Jen saw an old friend who is now the music teacher at the school and as the crew packed up the set they got to watch the students play a hilarious ball tournament in the gym during lunch. It was a fun day. Our next two performances were on Friday, starting off with a high school show at Perspectives. The students were great and one came up to us after and told us he is in a band and writes music and that our show inspired him to write some songs. That was very cool. In the afternoon we went to a German International School in Baie d’Urfe for another high school performance and the students thought the show was terrific and challenged us during the question and answer period with a discussion on the ethics and morals behind the decision to drop the bomb.