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Event
Beneath the Banyan Tree Performances
Recommended For Grades 1 6 | Ages 4 & Up
Written by Emil Sher with choreography by Lata PadaBanyan tree poster - Crop Illustration
Directed by Lynda Hill
Costume and Set Design by Cheryl Lalonde
Lighting Design by Michael Kruse
Music by Edgardo Moreno
Theatre Direct's acclaimed production, BENEATH THE BANYAN TREE, returns to the stage in 2015 in a special 10th anniversary tour. This beautiful and engaging production for young people blends theatre with classical Indian and contemporary dance to tell the story of Anjali, a young girl trying to adjust to her new life in Canada. As she makes her way through a day in her new school she meets those who are welcoming and those who are not.
Anjali draws strength from her vivid imagination and the stories filled with the colourful animal characters of the Panchatantra fables who teach Anjali the nature of friendship and trust, the power of kindness and courage and the importance of being proud of your roots.
Written by award-winning playwright Emil Sher (Hannah's Suitcase), Directed by Theatre Direct's artistic director Lynda Hill and choreographed by respected Bharatanatyam master Lata Pada, BENEATH THE BANYAN TREE has, since its premier in 2005, toured across the country and overseas in theatres and schools where it has been enjoyed by thousands of young people. Now, a new generation will be treated to this important story.
BENEATH THE BANYAN TREE study guide connects the show directly to the Primary and Junior Curriculum: including Language Arts, Drama/Dance, Music, Social Studies, Health and Guidance.
Nominated for Dora Mavor Moore Award (Outstanding Production).
"In every possible way, this country needs its immigrants to retain the variegated colours and tastes of home. That's one of the lessons of Beneath the Banyan Tree, an appealing production for kids from the venerable Theatre Direct. To be a kid, set adrift, solo, in a foreign culture is to be a kid in need of stories. And like the emblematic tree of India, which puts its roots down wherever its branches hit the ground, Stories are always part of your luggage, no matter how far you travel. That's the central metaphor in Lynda Hill's beautifully designed production" - Liz Nicholls, The Edmonton Journal
"At an hour long, it gripped both children and adults, enabling us to see both points of view and delight in their reconciliation." Peter Lathan, The British Theatre Guide
"It reaches out in such an admirable fashion. It draws children and their parents in and they are thoroughly absorbed. There is vivid, exciting colour in the costumes and the props such as an adorable peacock fan, and sweet exhilaration in the free ranging physicality." Kevin Berry, The Stage
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LocationWychwood Theatre in the Artscape Wychwood Barns (View)
76 Wychwood Ave., Studio 176
Toronto, ON M6G4C7
Canada
Categories
| Minimum Age: 4 |
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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