New World comes to Children's Festival

Children’s puppetry companies have an advantage over mega theatrical shows — they can stage a show, pack it up when it’s run its course and reintroduce it half a dozen years later for a whole new generation of children.

As it celebrates its 35th anniversary, that is exactly what Théâtre de l’Oeil is doing with a visit to the International Children’s Festival from May 26 to 30. The Montreal-based company under artistic director André Laliberté is resurrecting A New World/Un Autre Monde, first staged only in French in 1990.

Penned by children’s playwright Réjan Charpentier, this 40-minute fairy tale explores the world’s creation and its aftermath as all the earth’s creatures must learn to live with each other. A New World/Un Autre Monde is appropriate for children three to seven years old.

“Réjan was a person that was very avant-garde. In a way, she was hoping everybody would share this land to not tolerate, but to accept everyone as you are,” says publicity coordinator Jocelyn Losier.

In the play, a tall Mother Nature-like goddess, lonely and tired of floating around in the dark, uses her magic to fashion a mountain peopled with different creatures. The goddess attempts to achieve equilibrium through diversity as opposed to conformity.

In her world a small dragon hunts for a cave, a squirrel searches for love, fish and birds quarrel and a snake whistles. But the silly critters are just tools promoting Charpentier’s deep vision.

In one charming scene a sweet-scented but vain rose and stinky, yet nosy skunk are wary of each other and ambivalent about sharing space. The thorny rose has a wonderful fragrance, but is rooted into the ground. The skunk, on the other hand, can explore the world but is smelly.

They strike a bargain. The skunk regales the rose with his tales of his explorations, and while the rose enjoys listening to his adventures, the skunk can bathe himself in her lovely scent. “Is there room for everyone? Is there room in the world for differences where sometimes you stink and sometimes you smell good? Of course,” says Losier.

Although there are no humans in the story, puppeteers Estelle Richard and Nicolas Germaine-Marchand will visibly manipulate the puppets.

“We don’t make shows to give lessons. We make shows to present the art of puppetry. But there is a message in the story, and this gives a child food for thought.”