Deposit a child of any age in the middle of the International Children's Festival and an interesting thing might happen. The child may begin to imagine he or she has woken up in the centre of a rainbow instead of downtown St. Albert.
The prism-like colours begin to whirl the minute that child steps off the City Transit Park-N-Ride bus in front of St. Albert Place. Perhaps the child often visits the library, but the bricks and mortar of city hall will have been transformed. It will be as if the sun has broken the child's world up into bits of colour and symmetry and music and – oh yes! There are funny-looking beings too. Those beings have unbelievable agility as they tower in the air on stilts or flip and flop in strange versions of somersaults or make jokes that are so, so funny, especially to a child.
"There are so many opportunities for children to just be kids. There are so many ways for them to be part of the experience, not just passive bystanders. So many opportunities to consume and to be creatively engaged with their imagination and to experience art and culture," said roving artist, clown, magician and resident river-valley troll, Nikolai Smith.
Smith plays a number of roles including the Troll, who strolls near the Children's Bridge along the Global Canadian Heritage Trail. But at times this trickster may appear as the super strong Captain Garlic or he may ride his 15-foot long dinosaur in the role of Sgt. Mountie Rex of the Royal Jurassic Mounted Police. He may be Time Traveller.
"It's really interesting to listen to the children as they try to explain the 21st century to the Time Traveller," he said.
Rovers rove
Smith is just one of dozens of free-to-see outdoor entertainers, who make unexpected appearances. Amanda Lamothe will tell the children traditional aboriginal stories about Mother Earth. Hoola hooper SaFire will defy gravity as she whirls and twirls with her hoop and even lets the children try to perform the same tricks with her. And clowns and magicians and even gigantic frogs may pop in and out from behind the St. Albert Place fountain or peek at them somewhere near the Steinhauer sculptures that grace the riverfront.
Just as the child begins to believe he is somewhere over the rainbow, he, and perhaps his sister may visit the outdoor stage to see circus-like acts, to hear rock 'n' roll or to be transported to another cultural time and place as they learn to dance and leap with Edmonton's Cheremosh Ukrainian dancers. They may step outside the place where audiences normally stand and come up on stage too to try stilt-walking and juggling or to weave a new fabric with the Viking weaver. The child becomes the show and the show is the child.
Spellbinding action
Inside the Arden, on the Save-On Foods stage, the child may experience live theatre for the very first time at one of the eight main-stage performances. Tickets to see the acts on this stage are just $11, and the entertainment is world class, said Troy Funk, senior marketing co-ordinator for the Children's Festival.
"The children will see beauty, things they don't see every day, but what's amazing is we will have top notch artists and actors who tour the world specifically to entertain and they will be here to offer some of the best theatre in the world," Funk said.
The child may be enthralled by a Golden Dragon Water Puppet show, where Vietnamese puppeteers hide under water and breathe through reeds as they parade their characters across the stage. The puppets themselves tell a centuries-old tale. The carved characters include multi-coloured phoenixes, copper turtles, plumed peacocks, jumping fish and fire-breathing dragons.
"In terms of spectacle the water puppet show is one of the most intricate. It will be on this beautiful set. The kids won't see the puppeteers because they are under water," Funk said.
Musical theatre
James and the Giant Peach is this year's St. Albert Children's Theatre production. This musical, performed by young St. Albert actors, features Roald Dahl's wicked adventure that befalls a boy – James – who cuts down his aunt's magic peach tree.
Other main-stage acts invite the child to Swing to Franco-Canadian music, or to sing along with Dan Zanes, who is an acclaimed musician who has been featured on Sesame Street.
"Dan Zanes is the kind of entertainer who puts on a show that is like being at a living room party. That's his style. It's like singing at a house party," Funk said.
800 volunteers
The International Children's Festival celebrates children and the arts together, but perhaps most exciting of all, it is very much a communal party with some 800 volunteers, most of whom work and live in St. Albert.
"I've been volunteering since 1995, the first year of the children's festival," said St. Albert elementary teacher Louisa Jans.
Jans always takes her class from Ronald Harvey School to see the festival. She has taken her daughter to every festival too, and as the girl grew into adulthood, she volunteered with her mother.
"It's magical. The kids see the performances live and when you watch them, you see their eyes sparkle. And every time, every year, I find I love it so much I don't want to leave the festival. I love to wander to see the street performers, to watch the main shows, to see the outside stage acts and every time I watch those kids see it too, I leave with a happy heart," Jans said.
Festival facts and fancies
All International Children's Theatre main stage tickets are $11. Telus Todder Town tickets are $5 for children, adults free. All site-activity tickets are $3. Tickets are available at The Arden Theatre Box Office, 780-459-1542 or from Ticketmaster outlets, 1-855-985-5000.
Parking is limited but there will be free park and ride service between St. Albert Centre and the festival.
Festival site hours are Tuesday, May 26 to Thursday, May 28, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, May, 29, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May, 30 begins with a toonie pancake breakfast from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in front of St. Albert Place. The festival continues until 5 p.m.
For more information and a complete list of all Northern Alberta International Children's Festival activities pick up a brochure at Tim Hortons or visit www.childfest.com
Main stage
*Kaput: A leading acrobatic clown from Australia. Tues., 11 a.m., 2 p.m.; Wed., 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.; Thurs., 11 a.m. , 2 p.m.; Fri. 9:45 a.m. , 11:45 a.m.; Sat., 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.
Kaput is one of Australia's leading acrobatic clowns. He tells the tale of the clumsy, larger-than-life Mr. Fixit, who despite his best efforts, always ends up in some sort of hilarious catastrophe.
*Ache Brasil: A Brazilian acrobatic group. Tues., 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.; Wed. 11:00 a.m., 2 p.m.; Thurs. 9:30 a.m. , 12:30 p.m.; Fri. 1:30 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 6:45 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m., 11:45 a.m.
*James and the Giant Peach: Performances by the St. Albert Children's Theatre. Tues., 11 a.m.,2 p.m.; Wed., 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.; Thurs., 11 a.m. , 2 p.m.; Fri., 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.; Sat., 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.
*The Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre: In the Vietnamese tradition, this is theatre puppetry performed under water. Tues. 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.; Thurs., 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Fri., 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
*Swing: Swing offers fast fiddling, rock 'n' roll and R & B music. Tues., 11:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.; Wed., 9:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Thurs., 11:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.; Fri. 9:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Sat., 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
*Dan Zanes' Song Gusto Hour: A Grammy-award winner, singer songwriter. Tues., 9:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Wed., 11:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.; Thurs., 9:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Fri. 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
*Magical Munsch, Six adorable Muppets tell outrageously funny tales by author Robert Munsch. Tues., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; Wed., 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.; Thurs., 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m.; Fri. 1:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Sat. 10:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
*Under the Stars: L'Illusion Theatre de marionettes: and the story of Hansel and Gretel. Tues. 12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m.; Wed. 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m.; Thurs. 12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m.; Fri. 9:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m.; Sat. 3:45 p.m.
