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International Children's Festival programs world of wonder

Public tickets go on sale Monday, April 3 for mainstage shows and workshops
c-3003-childrens-festival-fizzlewits-fairy-finding-photo-supplied-by-rupert-appleyard
Fizzlewit Fairy Finder is back once more at the International Children's Festival of the Arts running June 1- 4. Public tickets go on sale Monday, April 4. RUPERT APPLEYARD/ Supplied

The City of St. Albert hosts the 42nd annual International Children’s Festival of the Arts, an event that celebrates cultural talent designed to inspire the minds of youth. 

Located on the beautiful banks of the Sturgeon River, the festival takes place June 1 to 4. At its peak, the festival attracted up to 50,000 visitors of every age. This year’s four-day extravaganza is packed with a blend of ticketed mainstage shows, activities and workshops. Added to the mix is the free outdoor stage, a maze, roving artists, crafts and an open art studio. 

For professional programming presenter Caitlin North, the festival not only celebrates imagination and creativity. It is also an opportunity to create dialogue that unites different cultural communities. 

“The benefit to children is they see works they won’t see anywhere else. They see artists from all over the world and there are amazingly beautiful pieces of work. It doesn’t matter what age you are, there is always this magic. I remember going to the festival at the Citadel Theatre and the shows sparked my memory. You don’t know what exists in the world until you see it,” said North. 

She has programmed six exciting acts from Canada, United States, Netherlands, France and Korea. For instance, Chicago based Aloft Circus Arts presents Brave Space, an all-female immersive show that “starts as puddle of fabric on the floor” as the audience stands outside the parachute-like fabric. 

“The performers are under the fabric and invite the audience in. Through the performance they raise the tent. At any point, the artists are only a few feet from the audience. It’s very intimate. It’s a type of circus never seen before,” North said. 

Instead Doodle Pop, a presentation by Korea’s Brush Theatre, is a playful show with hosts Woogie & Boogie. 

“It’s non-verbal, but there’s music. It’s almost vaudevillian. Two artists draw characters and pictures on a white board, and they become animated and come to life. It’s visually interesting and the younger ages will get a kick out of it.” 

Manuel Cinema, a company from Arizona, captures the essence of childhood fears and friendship with an adaptation of Mo Willems Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster. Originally slated to showcase at the 2020 festival, it was postponed due to COVID. 

“Manuel Cinema merges different disciplines — puppetry, live musicians, video and camera projections on a screen. So much happens on the stage and I love they way they use technology. It’s very striking and savvy." 

Otâcimow, (pronounced Oh-tea-see-maw) means “storyteller” in the Plains Cree language. The festival commissioned Darrell Brertton Jr. to create an Indigenous performance using music and dance to tell a story. 

“What’s wonderful about Indigenous dance is there is always a story.” 

A second physically demanding production is No Excuses, No Limits, an ILL-ABILITIES international dance crew comprised of three of the world’s top tier differently-abled dancers. Redo is from the Netherlands, Checho comes from Chile and Perninha hails from Brazil. 

“The beauty of this group is what they’re able to do. They don’t let limits or disabilities hold them back.” 

Back once more, St. Albert Children’s Theatre returns with Seussical Jr. The in-demand musical based on favourite Dr. Seuss characters is an engaging story of friendship, loyalty and love. 

“St. Albert Children’s Theatre always produces high quality theatre and it’s always nice to see faces from kids in our community.” 

Tickets for mainstage shows are $16 not including GST, handling charges and fees. Call 780-459-1542.

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