The National Arts Centre (NAC) French Theatre is pleased to launch a new initiative: theatre for very young audiences!

A recent and increasingly popular phenomenon in Europe, it’s an artistic concept that addresses the fundamental issue of children’s place in our society.

In recent years we have come to acknowledge very young children as individuals in their own right. As such, do they not deserve access to culture, on an equal footing with adults? The French Theatre team pondered the question, and our answer was a resounding YES!

Similarly, very young audiences have the right to quality presentations created and produced by professional theatre artists. That’s why Benoît Vermeulen, French Theatre’s Associate Artist, Youth Programming, invited Montreal-based children’s theatre company Des mots d’la dynamite with their production Le Spectacle de l’arbre, developed not only with the company’s professional expertise but with input from day-care children and educators.

To help young audiences and their parents get the most out of their theatre experience, the company has also prepared a little guidebook to be handed out before every performance. Here are a few excerpts:

TAKING A CHILD TO THE THEATRE … FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!

Teeny tiny...

The creators of Le Spectacle de l’arbre have deliberately chosen to perform for very young children who don’t know much about going to the theatre, so they are more than prepared for the specific needs and spontaneous reactions of their audiences!

On the day of your theatre excursion, we suggest you talk to your child or children about what to expect. Here are some tips for introducing the experience:

Going into the theatre

It’s a bit like a library : you have to whisper. When everyone is seated, the lights in our part of the theatre will slowly go down, and the lights on the stage will come up. You will be part of the audience watching the show. Sitting comfortably in your seat, you can enjoy the show quietly, without talking. It’s a really special time. I’ll be there with you, and I’ll be listening quietly, just like you. When the show ends, we can applaud together to thank the actors for their performance, and we can go and meet them afterwards.

For the grownups

Le spectacle de l’arbre consists of several overlapping and complementary stories that are told in song, nursery rhyme, verse, and sound. It presents a series of poetic tableaux about how it feels to grow up and put down roots, like the trees around us. The show is a celebration of everyday life with all its little tragedies and exciting discoveries.

We hope adults will find the show interesting and moving as well. During the performance, we encourage you to stay focused on the action on stage, so that if your young companions happen to glance your way they will see that you are interested in what’s going on and they will be more likely to turn their own attention back to the performance. You can certainly acknowledge their comments and reactions, but we recommend that you not engage them in conversation or draw their attention to specific elements in the show. That way you will be able to tell which parts of the performance they found most engaging, intriguing or funny.

The performers truly enjoy the attention and energy of very young children, so don’t be afraid to let your young charges express themselves freely, as long as they don’t disturb others in the audience or invade the performance space. If a child needs to leave the theatre for any reason, don’t worry—we’ll let you back in! The performers don’t mind at all if children move around during the performance, talk to their adult companions, or even cry a bit.

Here now is a synopsis of the delightful story:

Three intriguing creatures wearing leafy crowns celebrate the passage of time and the seasons, admiring the particular palette and qualities of each one. With their leaf-mittens they pick up a xylophone, a kalimba and a rain-stick to compose a playful rhythmic poem about the abstract yet inescapable notion of time. Growing older, growing up, evolving... what do these things mean to the very young? Together, the old tree, the tall tree and the round tree portray the little losses and discoveries that accompany the stages of our lives. With multicoloured yarn, needlework and laundry basket, our three inventive tree-fairies spin and dance and sing the story of life. Le Spectacle de l’arbre is a colourful herbarium specially designed for tiny tots, a charming tale about growing up and putting down roots, just like the trees around us.

RESERVATIONS:
www.nac-cna.ca

TICKETMASTER:
613-755-1111

NAC BOX OFFICE
53 Elgin Street, Ottawa
Monday–Saturday
10 a.m.–9 p.m.

TICKETS
Adults $13.96
Children $13.96

GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE:
Save 15% to 20% off regular ticket prices
613-947-7000, ext. 384
grp@nac-cna.ca

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MEDIA CONTACT:
(Ms.) Aude Rahmani
Communications Officer, French Theatre
613-947-7000, ext. 396
Cell: 613-558-1322
arahmani@nac-cna.ca