Enter the Timeless Forest in a marionette show at this weekend’s Theatre on the Edge.
Runaway Moon Theatre’s artistic director Cathy Stubington says Robin and the Timeless Forest is the product of a mentorship program involving several young people.
“They have been working on creating a string marionette show,” she says. “They created the story, the script and they’ve been making the puppets and designing and making all of the sets.”
Participants Aidan Sparks of Salmon Arm, Forrest Eliot from Tappen, Leif Saba from Armstrong and Hana Friedman from Vernon are now rehearsing with Nikki Shaffeeullah, a young director from Toronto.
“Aidan has been asking me for years to be part of a marionette show and he’s getting as much out of this as he can,” says Stubington, noting her daughter, Rosa Saba, and Clare MacDonald are not performing but have been working equally diligently behind the scenes.
“Hana and Leif have been part of Runaway Moon for a long time and Aidan has been involved somewhat.”
Stubington says the group has worked hard to create Robin and the Timeless Forest, with the help of a few mentors.
“It’s a very particular type of theatre – an operatic scale but in miniature,” she says. “We can have any number of magical and surprising special effects.”
Robin and the Timeless Forest is a story about village in the middle of the forest that is surrounded by a wall.
While nobody remembers why the wall was originally built, villagers are afraid to go beyond the walls into the forest.
The townspeople are completely dependent on the time that is dictated by a clock, which is located beyond the village walls.
One day the clock stops and the people in the village decide somebody has to go out into the forest to start it up again, says Stubington.
“It should be really fun and interesting for all ages,” she says. “It is designed for family audiences but everyone will enjoy it.”
The program has been made possible by BC Arts Council Youth Engagement Program.
Robin and the Timeless Forest performances are at 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday at Shuswap Theatre.
The play is one of seven productions that will be performed at Shuswap Theatre from 3 p.m. Friday, July 22 to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 24.
Theatre productions from Vernon, Kamloops, Kelowna, Vancouver and the Shuswap will be featured and will offer comedy, cabaret, puppetry and one-act plays.
For a full lineup and schedule, go to the theatre’s webpage at shuswaptheatre.com.
There will be a one-hour turnaround time between performances.
In between shows, enjoy a selection of food and drink including wines from Marionette Winery and beer from Crannog Ales on the Edge Patio.
There will also be entertainment between shows.