April 23, 2012

 ANNOUNCING THE 2012-2013 SEASON

Geordie Productions is proud to announce our 32nd season.  Join us over the next year and see the world in a different way!

WELCOME TO OUR 2012-2013 SEASON!

Message from the Artistic Director, Dean Patrick Fleming: 

Geordie feels a great responsibility to our audience and, rightly so, they hold us to a high standard. Not only does our audience hold us to a high standard but so do their parents and teachers and uncles and aunts and grandparents and so on and so on…

We take that responsibility very seriously and so when we are deciding what plays we’ll put into our season we regularly look at the world and we question what we see. We look at what’s happening around us, what news we are getting from around the globe…what’s going on that young people today might be asking questions about and what is affecting our lives. Then we try to take all that we observe and present that in a way that will inform, interest, and excite an audience.

This past year we saw and heard a lot about greed. We heard a lot about how 1% of our population has most of the money in the world and how there doesn’t seem to be a lot of sharing going on. We heard about corruption in the governments and how sometimes things just don’t seem fair. So armed with that information for our Mainstage season we are creating a new play from an old story set in the past and bringing an older play back that is set in the future.

Robin Hood by Paula Wing 

Directed by Dean Patrick Fleming

On December 7^th in the large theatre at Centaur, Geordie Productions will open its Mainstage season with the World Première of Paula Wing’s new adaptation of Robin Hood. We will team up with Concordia University to bring you this large scale production. I am incredibly excited to work with Paula on this new exciting script and thrilled to be able to direct it.

A classic story: an outlaw who breaks the law to be true to a higher authority:  A former rich man who robs from the rich to give to the poor – and to ransom the true king.  Robin Hood and his band make their own rules, and live by their own code.  In the wilds of Sherwood Forest the most important things are friendship and honour, justice, adventure and hanging out with your friends. Meet you at the trysting tree…

Head à Tête by David S. Craig & Robert Morgan 

Directed by Alain Goulem

Staying with the themes of the need to share we move to April when we ask Alain Goulem to come back and direct a production for Geordie again. Al has been a great friend to Geordie and his shows have made us laugh and think. This time he brings David S. Craig and Robert Morgan’s great show Head à Tête to the Centaur 1 theatre.

Head à Tête is set in a future world where people are left alone to fight for their survival. One day two strangers who speak different languages- one French one English- meet and find shelter together beside a tree that has magically produced some fruit. They need to try and find a way to communicate and find a way to share. It’s a beautiful play with something for everyone. The play is for people big and small aged 4 and up. Two incredible performers and an amazing team of artists will create this simple but important story.

GEORDIE TWO PLAY TOUR

Now we move to the Geordie tour. Since 1980 Geordie has brought great stories to places many people have never seen. From Blanc-Sablon in the lower north shore to the Magdalen Islands to Chibougamou to Fredericton to right here in Montreal,  Geordie will once again tour through Eastern Canada and bring two plays to over 60 000 people from September through March.  Our tour will bring two brand new plays on the road with them this year:  Jabber and Whispers in the Air.

Jabber by Marcus Youssef  

Directed by Amanda Kellock

Our High School/Cegep show: Marcus Youssef has created a poignant play that Amanda Kellock (Shape of a Girl, For Art’s Sake) will direct. This creation of Jabber and the production are supported by the Cole Foundation’s Intercultural conversations program.

Let’s say three actors play out a story that takes place in a Canadian high school. Let’s say one of them plays an outgoing Egyptian-born girl who wears a Hijab. Let’s say her parents made her change schools recently because of some graffiti that said, “All Muslims must die,” and that the guidance counsellor at her new school, Mr. E, is doing his best to help her fit in. Let’s say that a big part of his advice to her is to stay away from Jorah, a grade 10 guy who has challenges of his own (namely a temper that he inherited from his dad who’s in jail for beating up his mom.) But let’s say that maybe, just maybe, Fatima and Jorah start to, like, like each other…

In Jabber, it is appearances, and judgments based on those appearances that are challenged. Some of those judgements arise out of our images of the Middle East, some arise out of our image of working class, teenage anglo boys. All are filtered through the particular cultural laboratory of our schools where, unlike almost anywhere, people of all histories and backgrounds are thrown together, and where young people of all kinds must learn to about what they believe in, and how far they are willing to go to defend those beliefs.

Whispers in the Air by Attila Clemann 

Directed by Clea Minaker

Our Elementary School touring show: Internationally renowned puppet artist Clea Minaker directs Attila Clemann’s heartwarming story about communication and finding your voice.

The play takes place in 1901 St. John’s Newfoundland where we meet Alex, an 11 year old boy who lives with his Grandmother after the loss of his father. Alex has decided to stop speaking. Given the job of delivering hot lunch to Italian inventor Marconi and his men at the top of Signal hill, Alex watches the this great man apply the technological prowess of his times, stringing kites to wooden towers, and massive grids of a thousand wires to detect the electro-magnetic waves. Alex learns Morse code, and subtly begins to apply this new language and a friendship develops between Alex and Marconi.

When the three performers arrive on stage, they are as much inventors as storytellers, working together and communicating in innumerable creative and comical ways, to get their story told. While animating the puppets, incarnating the masked characters, or transforming the image on stage, the actors are a team of puppeteers at work. They mastermind a very detailed choreography while breathing life and imagination into the visual world that unfolds.

As always Geordie will continue to see the world in a different way and bring you our take on stories we believe are important to young people’s lives!

Geordie Productions is a professional theatre company that has been presenting live English theatre for young audiences since 1980. As one of Canada’s largest Theatre for Young Audiences companies, Geordie Productions will reach over 80,000 audience members this year through its Mainstage Series in Montreal as well as its annual School Tour. Always breaking new ground and reaching new audiences, Geordie delivers more than 300 performances each season. Through Geordie’s Mainstage series – an annual season of plays for family audiences in downtown Montreal – the company continues to open up new worlds for the young and young at heart. Geordie offers exciting, insightful theatre that is sure to charm, educate and entertain! As well, Geordie’s school tour makes its way across Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick, visiting schools, libraries and community centres. Geordie annually visits such communities as the Eastern Townships, the Lower North Shore, the Gaspé, the Magdalen Islands, the Abitibi, the Outaouais and James Bay. Geordie’s aim to entertain, provoke thought, fire up the imagination and challenge audiences of all ages, Geordie reaches more than 80,000 audience members each year.

Geordie Productions, © 2012
4001 Berri, Suite 103, Montreal, Quebec, H2L 4H2
Phone: 514-845-9810 | Fax: 514-845-3634
General Info:info@geordie.ca
Box Office: tickets@geordie.ca
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Administration: admin@geordie.ca

Information: 514-845-9810 

www.geordie.ca

GEORDIE COMMUNICATIONS

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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.

28/11/11-2/12/11 – Montréal (ish)

Monday was a fun start to the week with a laughter-filled and energetic show in Montréal North followed by an excellent question and answer period in St-Lazare. On Tuesday we were back in Montréal at two different schools and met some very sweet students and staff. We had one teacher tell us that there were a few students that were having problems in school but they were actively involved in our show and participated in the talkback afterward. He said it was the best behaviour he had ever seen from them and that it changed his perspective on those kids. Experiences like that are so nice for us to have because it shows how different kids respond to the arts and that everyone deserves the chance to be heard. The next day we were in Hampstead and it was so cool to learn that the principal had been to Japan and saw millions of cranes in Peace Park. Cassandre also had a hilarious encounter with a little boy who kept challenging our choices in the show regarding the microscope. Perhaps he’ll grow up to be a director or designer. On Thursday we went to FACE in Montreal and performed both versions of the show. The students were amazing and asked really great questions. There were a group of girls that were obsessed with the “Boom, I mean, Boom.” line in the show and kept repeating it and laughing. The talkback had to end due to school being done for the day but many students stayed behind to ask more questions. We finished off the week at a French school with a theatre and then we were back at Miss Edgar’s for a second time where the people were just as kind as always. Some lovely students helped us strike the set and it was a nice lead into the weekend.

05/12/11-09/12/11 – Québec

The next week we were in Deux Montagnes in a high school theatre. We had some trouble with the lights but the audience was supportive and cheered when it was finally figured out and we were ready to start the show. Our luck with performing in theatres continued as the next day in McMasterville we were in another one with incredibly respectful and kind students in the audience. On Wednesday we performed at a community centre for a school in Coteau du Lac and they were so excited for us to come. They had discussed the story beforehand and had made tons of artwork about peace and the story of a thousand cranes. We had a big day on Thursday with three shows at Collège International Marie-France in Montréal. Our artistic director, Dean, and the Director, Micheline, came to watch the first show which was lovely. We missed having them around! Each of the three audience groups reacted so differently to the show. A question many people ask us is how we perform the same show so many times and a day like that was a good example of how we do it – through the audience. They decide what’s funny, what’s moving, what’s stimulating and what energy is required for that show. It helps us keep the show fresh and so far, so good! On Friday we went to the École d’Éducation International de Laval which was amazing. We did two high school performances and they were laughing their heads off and were so connected to the show. Some students hung around after to talk about drama and theatre and during lunch they had a dance celebration in the hallways. The energy of that school was magnificent.

12/12/11-16/12/11 – Québec 

The preparation for Montréal’s Wildside Festival began this week as our crew was a part of the QDF Calendar Launch on Monday evening. It’s always exciting and nerve wracking to perform amongst other artists. It went well and ended up being a very fun evening. On Tuesday we were in Kahnawake at a really nice school with excited students who participated and called out throughout the whole performance. Then we were in St-Bruno de Montarville with even more loud and excited kids who asked a lot of questions about the cranes and the bomb. They had huge cranes decorating their Christmas trees in the hallway and Jen saw an old friend from Concordia who worked at the school. On Wednesday we returned to Kahnawake much to our pleasure and this school presented us in English and Mohawk. They made us a few cranes to add to our set and were unbelievably kind and funny after and during the show. We then drove out to Laval for an even louder show (the kids seemed to be excited this week) with more excellent questions and then we were off to drive to Québec for the evening. We woke up to a city with so much snow and went to an older part of town which was beautiful and huge. It was at this school where a “bug” infiltrated our crew again and we added a fifth member to the Geordie crew: her name is Oil of Oregano. Friday finished off in Ste-Foy with a bit of trouble since our set wouldn’t fit through the door but we managed to figure it out and have a nice performance in the end. We drove back to Montréal grateful for the weekend so our bodies could rest and get their health back!

19/12/11 – 22/12/11 – Montréal (ish)

Our last week before the holidays was filled with energy. On Monday we performed two shows in St-Lambert at a beautiful French school where they treated us to lunch, showed us the thousand cranes they had made, and their Japanese theme library filled with Sadako’s book! On Tuesday we were in Deux Montagnes with loud and hilarious kids and then we were in Joliette in the afternoon where the high school students loved Cassandre’s voice so much they chanted “Sing! Sing!” after the show for some more of her talent.  On Wednesday we went to Hillcrest Academy and performed two shows for some very nice audiences. We finished off the week a bit early on Thursday in Laval with freezing rain and slippery sidewalks. Luckily our shows were not cancelled so we were able to perform for pyjama wearing kids, eat some holiday snacks and have tea, and enjoy all the decorations and festivities before driving home to enjoy a much needed break. We could not believe the tour was more than half over and the New Year was on its way!

It was time for Ontario to hook up with our plays so we drove out to the Gatineau/Ottawa area for a short but sweet visit. Aylmer was our first stop and the kids asked a lot of great questions. Then we were in Ottawa which was really exciting because some of our friends and family were able to come see our show. The next day we were back in Aylmer and had a very memorable experience. We were performing “The Story of Sadako” twice at the same school and when we were setting up we noticed tons and tons of cut-out fish coloured on the gym wall with messages written on them. They were dedicated to a boy named Dominic who had passed away from cancer the week before. We were nervous to perform with the subject being so close to home but the kids handled it well and it led to a really interesting discussion. We made a yellow crane for Dominic, his favourite colour, and it was placed with his photo that was displayed in the hallway. It was an emotional day and gave us all a greater appreciation for the message of hope that Sadako’s story carries. Our thoughts are with his friends and family. After a heavy day the tour continued and we made our way to Gatineau. The kids were very friendly and exciting and gave us a great rush of energy that we really needed. Then we headed to Namur where the students hung around to chat afterward and showed us cranes they had made in the past that were hung around their school. On Thursday we went to Île des Allumettes and the school was filled with friendly faces. Some of the drama students watched both versions of the play and stayed afterward to ask us more about the production. Friday was Remembrance Day and it was  interesting to perform either right before or after Remembrance assemblies at the schools. The first group in Quyon was dressed in red and they listened very meaningfully and asked questions pertaining to the war. When we went to Shawville the gymnasium had red poppies all around and the students and staff were so supportive of the show. We appreciated being able to share the ideas of hope and consequence on such a meaningful day and we were once again reminded of what message we were spreading and how lucky we are to be living the lives we live.  It was an emotional week but an educational one and we headed back to Montreal for a day to reset and head off for another leg of the tour.

13/11/11-17/11/11 – Québec

On Sunday we stopped for our first community performance in Dorval. We had never had kids watch with their parents before and it was very sweet. After we packed up we headed for the 6 hour drive up to Temiscaming. Our first show ran smoothly with the kids and we had a quick coffee break before the second show for their high school students. Right before it began however, Cassandre and Jennifer noticed that the origami paper box was still on the set but it was too late to do anything and luckily the Geordie crew is super talented and was able to improv through the situation. The box was cleared and the audience didn’t notice a thing – or maybe they did and just didn’t say so. Alas it was pretty funny and the gang now knows to triple check the set before performing! On Tuesday we were in

Rouyn-Noranda. These shows had some of the most intense question and answer periods we have ever had. They were amazing and one of the girls made us a crane for our set. Wednesday was a very special day in Val d’Or.  Not only were the kids fantastic and asked many questions – but they provided us with a lunch and taught us how to make new origami creations. There is now a beautiful purple butterfly in our set which we can call Olivier named after the boy who made it. Thursday was Rapid Lake which was our last show before heading back home. It was the first big snowfall of the year and was beautiful outside but also very cold. Unfortunately the heating had broken in the space we were performing in so as the audience bundled up in their winter jackets, the actors stripped down to their costume and stepped onto the ice cold set barefoot. It was a very difficult task to perform without shaking but Mama and Sadako found a way to huddle in their shared scenes and the audience laughed and clapped for us as immediately after the bow we ran to get our socks and jackets for the question and answer period. The principal was very kind and made us coffee to warm up before heading back on the road. After a day back in Montreal we finished off the week in St-Lazare for an evening community performance. There was a group of boys in the audience who were in complete silence and awe throughout the show and were wonderful listeners. Outside was an amazing outdoor playground and Jen taught Cassandre how to play hopscotch.

21/11/11-25/11/11 – Québec

This week was rather short. We drove up to Thedford-Mines on Sunday and if you ever get a chance to go there we suggest you arrive at night as we did because as you come down the hill to arrive into the town you are greeted by a beautifully lit landscape. We spent the night in some darling cabins and performed both shows on Monday to a very respectful and kind audience. They asked us some questions we had never had before such as: “What have you learned about yourselves through performing this play?” It was a tough question and we all did our best to answer it but are still mulling about our responses. Monday night we drove to Ste-Foy where we stayed at a hotel with a waterslide, and the gang enjoyed a lovely night’s sleep and an even better morning off of sleeping in! Then they went to the famous Holland School in Québec where everyone is a big fan of Geordie Productions and did they ever show it! They laughed at absolutely everything and had wonderful energy. We performed a high school show on Wednesday in Québec and once again the snow was falling and guided us back home to a white Montréal. On Friday the gang joined some other members of the Geordie crew at the QPAT-APEQ convention and talked about the show with teachers and education workers from around the province. As much as we love to travel, there’s nothing like being back at home and we are all very excited for our upcoming local performances around the city.

Our drive to New Brunswick went well and we were looking forward to making a new home in Fredericton. Monday’s shows were off to a nice start with very sweet audiences that received the show well. Tuesday was a triple-hitter of “Weapons of Peace” and the high school provided us with a student tech crew that helped us set up, run the show, and strike. We broke the record for the biggest audience their theatre had ever held and it was wonderful to be surrounded by students that support the arts with such immense passion. Wednesday was a funny day at a school where the kids were loud and hilarious, calling out their opinions and laughing to no end. The question and answer period was just as entertaining and Koy had to convince the kids that he did indeed know how to make a paper crane even though his character struggles with it. We’re pretty sure they never did believe him. The kids were so funny that Jen started a list of quotes from the kids that she continues to add to. Thursday we once again had a helpful crew of students but unfortunately Cassandre and Koy had fallen ill. It was the first bug of the tour and hopefully the last. Luckily for us it was time to drive to Charlottetown which is the best medicine for anyone. Prince Edward Island was amazing and we had an incredible time. Cassandre had performed there a few years ago and so we all got to go behind the scenes in the Confederation Centre checking out the backstage of the theatre and playing in the dressing rooms. We ate the famous “Cows” ice cream, collected some red dirt, and went to an amazing restaurant called “The Globe”. The day trip did the crew well and Koy and Cassandre were already starting to feel better. The next day we took the ferry to Îles de la Madeleine and luckily experienced good weather and a smooth ride. We arrived late at night to a charming bed and breakfast and headed to sleep.

23/10/11-27/10/11 – Îles de la Madeleine and Québec

After a relaxing day off on the island we were ready to go again Monday morning. We drove from one end of the island to the other and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.  After our performance, one of the students from the school, Maggie, helped give us a tour around her home which is surrounded by caves and a stunning beach. We met the oldest woman on the island who also lives in the oldest home on the island. Everyone was very kind to us and we were sad to not be able to stay longer. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in transit with a five hour ferry ride and a loooong drive from Prince Edward Island back to Montreal. Jen finally faced her fear of driving the Geordie van which allowed for James to practice his DJ skills so it was a win-win for everyone. The group was tired but happy upon arrival back home having been lucky enough to enjoy the island life for a brief time. On Thursday we drove out to Shawinigan and did two shows for two amazing Québec audiences. We had our longest question and answer period to date and we were so sorry to have to put it to an end or it would have gone on forever! It was a lovely week and the gang was looking forward to some time off in their home sweet city.

2/11/11 – 4/11/11 – Montréal (ish)

The Geordie gang was spoiled with a long weekend off but appreciated it as over the next three days they did eight shows. Wednesday we performed at an all boys school and the kids asked very critical questions. It was quite the successful Q & A and we were impressed with their interest in the deeper meaning of the play’s subject. That evening we performed both shows for a teacher/open audience preview which was really fun. We loved being back in the theatre where we rehearsed and it was wild to see how far we’ve come and how much more comfortable we are with the show. Thursday and Friday consisted of five shows at a French school where we did our first bilingual question and answer period. We were in a dome shaped theatre which was really cool and we met the oldest teacher in Quebec! We had then crossed into November and the gang was bewildered when realizing that it had been less than two months and yet we had been to so many places and met such incredible people! Time has become a weird thing where we can’t remember what happened yesterday and everything we do feels like ages ago. Who knew the Geordie School Tour has its own time zone?

AUDITION NOTICE FOR PINOCCHIO

Auditions will be held the week of November 21^st, 2011

Dates:

Rehearsals begin March 26^th, 2012 in Montreal, QC

Show runs from April 24^th to May 6^th 2012 at Centaur Theatre

There will also be a five day production workshop that will be scheduled after casting takes place.

We are looking for both men and women of varying ages. Except for the actor playing Pinocchio all others will be playing multiple roles. 4 actors will play over 30 roles. The production, written by Harry Standjofski, will be directed by Dean Patrick Fleming.

Please submit by e-mail to auditions@geordie.ca . We thank all who submit but only those chosen to audition will be contacted. Members of CAEA will be given priority.

Thank you.

Once in a while we hear stories like this and we decide we absolutely need to share. The lessons one learns from The Little Prince are clear and in your face, but when you hear an anecdote like this, we realized that we do some good:

“This morning, Isaac made a flower out of lego, then built a home for it to keep it safe.  He then designed a door for a watering system, which he used throughout the day. And tonight, at bedtime, he kissed his flower goodnight and told the flower I love you.”

-Geordie Productions team

We fell a little bit behind on our blogging but are back again with a vengeance. Ready? GO!

Wanna learn how to make a paper crane? Geordie’s gang on tour shows you how: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAISJkMOEvg

26/09/11 – St-Augustin

Our last week in the Lower North Shore was a successful one. St-Augustin was good to us and we were excited to have the lovely Tamara join us for both shows. Afterward we received our first fan mail from an enthusiastic young girl named Jessy. It was very sweet and we were happy to read it. Then we taught Tamara and her daughter how to make cranes in the restaurant using french fry red checkered paper. We kept one to put in our set to remember the lovely town of St- Augustin.

27/09/11 – Tabatière

Tabatière was a beautiful town and we wished we could have stayed longer. The kids were so sweet and one little girl taught us how to make an origami fox. The school welcomed us with open arms and could not stop chatting about how awesome the cranes were. After our two shows we flew up to Blanc Sablon for our last stop of the Lower North Shore. We rented a van and drove up to Labrador to stay in a lovely cabin where a beautiful pink sunset was taking place and we enjoyed the 1 ½ hour time difference of extra sleep between Labrador and Quebec. Cassandre doesn’t want to brag or anything, but she bought home-made wool slippers with the shape of Labrador on them because she’s cool like that.

28-29/09/11 – Newfoundland and St-Paul’s River

Let’s talk about Wednesday, shall we? This day was by far the craziest day of our tour. We had the day off and made the decision to take a ferry up to Newfoundland. We would only be able to be there for about an hour as the ferry only returned once that day, but we thought that a beautiful ferry ride to the Big Rock would be worth it so we went ahead. Big mistake, Geordie crew, big mistake. The weather was perfect and so we woke up early, looking forward to some whale seeking and checking out the ocean view. We got on the ferry no problem, arrived to Newfoundland, took some cute pictures, picked up some rocks, enjoyed the view, and got back on the ferry to return to Labrador. The ride back was a bit wavy but as we approached the dock we sighed in relief that our trip was successful. This is when things began to go wrong. The boat hung around the strip for about 35 minutes before the captain decided it was not safe enough to dock with engine problems and too many waves, so he wanted to take the 1 ½ hour ride BACK to Newfoundland and would return at 6 a.m. the next day. Let’s just say the waves had become quite bad at that point and we had a very nervous ride back to Newfoundland. It was a mad dash for a motel nearby as everyone on the ship was stranded, but the Geordie crew was able to snab the last two bedroom cabin. Did I mention we didn’t have our bags with us? We bunked up with another stranded Quebecor, a wonderful woman named Mélanie, and the five of us crammed ourselves into a two person set-up and went to seek out some food at the only restaurant in town. Jen is a vegetarian and was so excited to order a vegetable stir-fry. Unfortunately they were out of vegetables (seriously. They had NO vegetables left at all) so Jen ate garlic bread. Cassandre is allergic to sesame seeds and they only had bread with sesame seeds so she ordered fries. James ordered halibut but they were out of that too so he ordered a lesser fabulous fish, and Koy doesn’t want to brag or anything, but the restaurant had everything he wanted and more.  After a squishy uncomfortable sleep, we arose at 5 a.m. and prayed the ferry would arrive in time for us to do our two shows in Blanc Sablon. It all worked out and we arrived grumpy, tired, and dirty (but safely), changed our clothes, and made the drive up to St-Paul’s River for two shows. We thought we would be performing at one school and set ourselves up only to discover we were at the wrong school as we weren’t supposed to be there until the afternoon. We ended up changing the schedule and performed a crazy version of A Thousand Paper Cranes, we did a mad strike of the set, drove to the other school and re-set in record time, and performed the Elementary show for a group of wonderful kids. It was an intense two days and we were exhausted but you know what? The kids and teens we performed for were so amazing and loved the show. Even though we had had a very stressful two days and were nervous we wouldn’t make it on time, it all worked out and the students got the great shows they deserved. That’s one of the best parts about our job. No matter how we are feeling or what the weather is like – the students are incredible at each and every place we go and will never fail to feed us energy and help us appreciate how amazing our job really is. We left feeling tired but happy and enjoyed the beautiful drive back to Labrador.

30/09/11 – 1/10/11 – Blanc Sablon and Québec

We performed both versions of the shows in Blanc Sablon and the school was terrific. They were a huge hit and we absolutely adored the staff and students. We also had the lovely surprise of seeing Mélanie again, the woman stranded with us in Newfoundland, come visit our two shows. She is from around Trois-Rivières and we hope to see her again when we tour around her area in the New Year. After packing up our set we drove to the airport and said our farewell to the Lower North Shore. To those that are from there – thank you so much for your love and hospitality. We had an amazing time. To those who have never been – we strongly recommend you take the trip out. There’s nothing like it.

We almost couldn’t catch our flight due to bad weather but we were able to make it back to Sept-Iles where we were reunited with our trusty Geordie van and Sir Binke Bigly and Goldie Hawn, our two mascot cranes that we left behind. We drove to Baie Comeau for the night and couldn’t believe how only three weeks had passed and yet we had seen so much. After a night’s sleep we made the eight hour drive back to Montreal and arrived safe and sound. What a ride it had been. The gang then did laundry, ate, slept, and reflected on how amazingly unique this job really is. Thank you, Geordie!

3-7/11/11 – Montréal

The next two weeks of the tour took place in the Montreal area – our home base. Our first show back in Montreal was off to a rough start – the stage was too small for our set and there was a power outage, but then after some adjustments we performed to more than 300 high school students who were fantastic. They were so attentive and reacted to different parts of the play very strongly. We had a lot of fun with them. The next show we did was for about 200 younger students who were our most quiet audience to date. They paid attention to every single detail and asked phenomenal questions afterward. We met an origami pro and he planned on teaching his classmates how to make more cranes. We finished our first Montreal week by returning to Royal West Academy which is where we did our first high school preview. It was cool to see how much the show has grown since the first few performances and it was equally nice to perform for such a smart group of teenagers.

10-14/10/11 – Montréal

The week after Thanksgiving was a little bit more hectic. We performed five shows for the Collège Ste. Anne high school and each one was just as spectacular as the last. They loved watching the show and each age group had something different they focused on. We were there for two days and very much appreciated the welcomed enthusiasm by the staff and students. Thursday was a bit of a crazy day as we performed in both the Southshore and the Laurentians. The schools made it worth it though as always and the kids were so friendly and excited. We finished off our Montreal week in Westmount with a lovely show at Priory and spent the weekend getting ready to voyage back East to the Maritimes. We can’t wait!

Montreal Gazette – Geordie’s The Little Prince Captivates

“…droll and endearing, leaving room for the words to shine. They are the stars. So full of imagination…you are left with the impression you are watching the book come alive.” – K.Greenaway

Montreal Gazette – Little Prince’s Message is Forever Young

The Rover’s The Little Prince review:

“seeing Brochu’s performance [of the prince] brings to life the delight and sensibility of childlike wonder…perfection” -A.Fuerstenberg

The Charlebois Post – Beyond the Young Audience

“truly impressed by a touching story told with great sensitivity.” -E.Rosen

Leacock’s – The Little Prince review

“…it’s a play for you, your little brother, your mom and your grandmother, and your friends. “-J.Seo

The Concordian – The Fresh Prince of Montreal

“the moment he [The Little Prince]  burst onto the stage, his energy was palpable, and his portrayal effortless” -M.Steuter-Martin

What’s On with Christine Long – CTV Montreal

CBC Montreal – Community Event: The Little Prince

As Cassandre, James, Jen and Koy make their way around Montreal and surrounding areas, Northern Quebec and the Maritimes, they will be sending stories about their adventures while travelling with Geordie’s School Tour for A Thousand Paper Cranes. Here is the first installment!

Enjoy!

Geordie School Tour Blog

By: Jen, Koy, James, and Cassandre

12/09/11 – Montréal

Today was our first preview of the elementary school show: The Story of Sadako. We performed for 80 kids at St. Gabriel’s and they were absolutely fantastic! They loved the cranes and asked some wonderful questions. It was so fun to have our first taste of what the tour would be like and it was delicious! Afterward, the gang said their goodbyes to their Geordie Family and received some words of wisdom. Jen and Cassandre bought rain boots, Koy stocked up on his techie toys, and James made a sandwich.

13/09/11 – Montréal

Tuesday was the day we previewed our high school show: Weapons of Peace at Royal West Academy for an audience of 120 grade eight students. They were so engaged in the story and gave some in depth feedback. It was fun to see how much they appreciated the content and what kind of conversations were initiated. After we packed the van for our last time before heading off on the “Official Tour”, Jen and Cassandre napped, Koy said his goodbyes, and James ate an apple.

14/09/11 – La Tuque

We arrived in La Tuque late Tuesday night and slept well after watching some bilingual Simpsons. After a delectable continental breakfast we headed off to our first “away” school where we performed both versions of “A Thousand Paper Cranes.” The walls in the gymnasium were covered in inspirational quotes and Koy took some photos so we could share some with you. We then packed up and hit the road for a 6 hour drive to Chibougamau. The gang may or may not have gotten a little lost in an abandoned forest but have no fear, James has got our back. We arrived at an incredible bed and breakfast where we slept like bears.

15/09/11 – Chibougamau

The gang awoke to a not-so-scary-in-the-daylight adorable cabin. We ate some food, drove some distance, and arrived at a school that was under construction. We have attached a video so you can hear how loud the construction actually was. Luckily, the kids at Maclean Memorial Elementary were used to the sounds and embraced us with “motivation, achievement, and unity.” This school was filled with laughter and we deemed ourselves honourary alumni and sported some official school gear. By the time we had finished our second show, the grade four class of Madame Guilmette had learned how to make some origami birds and presented them to us. They are now a part of our set and the cranes we made during their show are sitting proudly in their display case. After we left the school, we had a dance party with a new dance move we have deemed: The Chibougamouve. It is awesome.

It’s not too loud in here? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p49kBiLmTCE

16/09/11 – Jonquière

A rising full moon guided us to the quaint town of Jonquière and as Koy and James slept soundly, Jen and Cassandre learned that apparently you can turn heat on in buildings. It makes sleeping in more comfortable. The next morning, food was consumed, the van was driven, and we took our set down three flights of stairs to perform for our biggest group to date: 265 enthusiastic Riverside Regional kids. The students were so excited and eager to talk with us, ask questions, and make cranes. It was our first standing ovation and they waved us farewell. We then enjoyed the end of our first week as Jen checked her e-mail , Cassandre phoned home, James mended some ripped pants, and Koy ate cheese (he would like to specify that it was Camembert).

17/09/11 – Tadoussac

After a lovely night’s sleep the gang drove around the Saguenay coast to seek out some water mammals, you may refer to them as Whales. On the way we stopped in Chicoutimi to check out the sights and see La Petite Maison Blanche. For those of you who might not know, this house is the only surviving building of a massive flood that took place in the late ’90s. We were glad we made the detour to visit because the natural land in the area was breathtaking to say the least. We then continued onward to get to see those magical sea creatures (by sea we mean river and by creatures we mean whales). Not only did we get to see three types of whales, but we also got to see some darling seals (Koy’s favourite – because they are the dogs of the sea), and a very cool lighthouse. Then we played in the sand and created yet another fantabulous dance called: The Tadoussac Shuffle. The difference between this shuffle and the Crip Walk is that the former is done on sand. Way better. After a brilliant drive up to the marvelous Baie-Comeau, Cassandre discovered that shower curtains go inside the shower, Koy did cast-laundry, James read a book, and Jen hosted a Seinfeld marathon because it equals fun. Good times.

18/09/11 – Baie Comeau

Sunday was the day we did practically nothing. It was glorious. Koy twirled around a massive stick in the forest, James did laundry and kept reading that book, Jen ate an avocado, and Cassandre slept, ate, and slept some more. She loved every minute of it. The Simpsons capped off our frivolous silly evening before heading back to bed to prepare for a sure-to-be-crazy week to come.

19/09/11 – Baie Comeau II

During our breakfast, the gang discovered that Koy doesn’t like watermelon: “It’s like, water… but crunchy.”  We then performed at Baie Comeau High School, after our shows we were able to check out Pioneer Park and the waterfront of the city. Cassandre made friends with the ducks, Koy took a nap on the rocks (which sounds uncomfortable but is really quite nice), and Jen and James played on the outdoor gym equipment. For dinner, a staff worker at the school named Maxime took us to a little restaurant named Orange Bleu. It was a great night and we thank him for his wonderful hospitality.

20/09/11 – Baie Comeau III

Today was the day we performed at our first CEGEP. We started off with a bang: we didn’t get stuck on the hill like they did last year. Take that, Charlotte and Adam. Instead, we got fire drilled. After we were allowed back inside, we ended up having an uber-successful show in a theatre with a dressing room, lighting, a stage, and all the trimmings. The audience was so receptive and we had an engaging conversation with the students and teachers. They were truly wonderful and a great send-off to our next town. The drive to Sept-Îles was windy and roller-coastery filled with beautiful scenery and Jen swears there was a stop sign in a bush. Koy doesn’t believe that actually happened, Cassandre didn’t care, and James had some sort of reasonable explanation that was discarded immediately.

21/09/11 – Sept-Îles

Wednesday was a busy day. We started off at Fleming Elementary School with a guest appearance by Riverview. The 165 kids in the audience were contagious with their energy and excitement. It was a total blast and we gave out some autographs. Look out for those collector items in the near future. We quickly packed up our set only to set it up again down the street at Queen Elizabeth High School. The students here were also very receptive and couldn’t wait to make their own origami creations. We enjoyed the city so much we couldn’t help but create another dance move in its honour: The Sept-Îles Salsa. This one also has a soundtrack dedicated to the What’s Up With That? SNL skit that we love so dearly. After a boogielicious day we headed off to the airport where we embarked on a 18-seater prop plane. The sights from above were gorgeous and after a smooth landing in Chevry, we hopped in a truck and went to a quaint little motel named Misty River. Cassandre ate the best meal in her entire life, Koy ate more than he has this entire trip, Jen couldn’t decide between 3 different beverages so she took all three, and James ate the best Chevry panini he has ever had. The stars came out at night and the gang enjoyed the milky way along with their new friend, Patrick (he’s cool, you’d like him), and then they headed off to their rooms for the first time since the tour started.

22/09/11 – Harrington Harbour

Thursday morning was bright and sunny, perfect weather for a water-taxi boat ride. Bryce drove us from Chevry to Harrington Harbour on his boat and we got to tour the islands on the Lower North Shore. We arrived in the harbour only to be picked up by an ATV and transported to the Harrington Harbour School. Due to the method of transportation, we were unable to bring our set with us on this leg of the trip. The school lent us some desks and milk crates as substitutes for our main set pieces and we learned to make-do. What a good experience for the gang to learn about theatre on the road (and water). It was a lot of fun to improvise around the challenge. In the late afternoon, Koy hiked up to the highest point, Cassandre drew in her art book with some wicked crayons, James  did some photography, and Jen got a tour from a group of excited young school girls. Harrington Harbour is made up of boardwalks and is only accessible by boat or helicopter. We were in awe of the beauty of the houses along the coast and we took some pictures for you to share the experience with us. This town is where La Grande Séduction was filmed and the locals shared very interesting stories about their lives in the town and what it was like to have the movie filmed there. We enjoyed it so much and thank Amy for letting us stay in her charming house and Helen for taking such good care of us.

23/09/11 – Chevry

Harrington Harbour bid us farewell in the morning and we took an ATV and a water taxi to return to Chevry so we could perform at Netaganiou School. At that point we had become experts at only having part of our set so we had a lot of fun experimenting with the different possibilities of the play. After a lovely day in Chevry we got a drive up to the airport where we took a short flight to St-Augustin. It was pitch black upon arrival but the locals embraced us and made sure we got to where we needed to go. It was a van ride, another water taxi, and one more car ride before we arrived at our motel. We finished the night with some Bananagrams (such a good game) and chitchat. Everyone was looking forward to a weekend off to recharge on the lovely waterfront.

24-25/09/11 – St-Augustin

We spent the weekend relaxing and catching up on sleep. Tamara, the woman in charge of the restaurant where we were staying, took good care of us. Not only did she feed us some home-made goodies, but she took us out on a tour of her hometown. It was so nice to see what kind of life one lives out on the shore and it helped us all appreciate a natural life on the coast. A funny story we learned from her is that she once saw a bear who found a pizza box and was standing up on its two feet holding the pizza out in his hands. We adored Tamara so much and a big thank you to her for being so lovely!

UNTIL NEXT TIME….