Montreal Families’ Jessica Romera previews Geordie’s 36th season: “… a string of new performances and old favourites.”
Read on Montreal Families’ website: Geordie Productions launches new theatre lineup
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By Jessica Romera
Having just celebrated its 35th anniversary, Montreal-based theatre company Geordie Productions is kicking off the 2016-2017 season with a string of new performances and old favourites.
Based on American writer Ray Bradbury’s classic children’s novel by the same name, The Halloween Tree will be performed the last week of October at the DB Clarke Theatre. What starts out as five young friends wanting to trick-or-treat becomes a voyage through time where they discover the true origins of the holiday and what it means to different cultures. For the performances, children are invited to dress up and take part in costume contests and other activities.
As part of their 2Play School Tour, Water Weight is being performed at elementary schools across Quebec. Written by Jesse Strong and directed by the theatre’s new artistic director Mike Payette, this play tackles the topic of body image. In the production, several young boys and girls long to change the way they look but soon realize they should be careful what they wish for. “This play is really about how we need to appreciate our bodies and accept our unique qualities,” Payette says.
Unlike Water Weight, which features larger-than-life set designs and eye-catching puppets, Instant is a production for high school students with a simpler aesthetic. It highlights the ever-present role of social media in our lives and the struggle to be true to ourselves.
“Part of my mission for the company is to make sure we’re exposing theatre to parts of the community who might not have access to performing arts and to see themselves reflected on stage,” Payette says.
New this season is the Geordie Theatre Festival. From March 21 to 26, the general public will be able to experience shows typically only part of the school touring group — Jabber, Water Weight and Instant — on the main stage. In Jabber, three stories are intertwined to showcase the dangers of discrimination and the importance of cultural acceptance in a world where the media tends to portray certain groups of people in a negative and unfavourable light.
For the budding thespians, the production company also offers drama and performing arts classes for elementary school children and teenagers at the Geordie Theatre School.
For more information, visit geordie.ca.
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