Youth ProjectsStories of Our IslandIsland young people participate in weekly theatre sessions in acting, improvisation, stiltwalking, acrobatics, video making and music. The Stories of Our Island program is directed by Anne Barber with guest artists. It creates a place for self-expression, learning theatre skills and connecting with each other.
Regular Monday night sessions have created music videos, mummer's plays and masked performances for indoors and on the streets. Our dynamic stiltwalkers are often seen at festivals and street parties around the city entertaining crowds with high-flying performances of beauty and daring. Mummers PlaysShadowland's Youth troupe creates a Mummers play each year based on the traditional mummers form. Stories depict the the cycle of winter and spring told through a topical theme. A cast of outlandish stock characters – Battling Knights, Quack Doctors, Everyman and woman entertain in rhyming couplets to audiences at Wassails and in the annual Kensington Solstice Celebration.
Kensington Market Festival of LightsShadowland Youth Troupe's annual Mummers play follows an ancient form that tells of the battle between Winter and Spring. Comical stock characters, outrageous costumes and rhyming couplets combine with topical themes in a fun-filled show that has become an annual tradition. The Mummers plays are performed at the kith&kin concert at the Music Gallery, Kensington Market's Solstice Celebration with Red Pepper Spectacle Arts and the Wassail at St. Andrew’s-by-the-Lake Church, Toronto Island.
Shadowland is very grateful to the Hilary Kilbourne fund, St Andrews-by-the-Lake for their support of our Toronto Island youth programs. |
Young Islanders have been centrally involved in the development and performance of Shadowland’s large-scale summer productions.
Shadowland artists have many years of experience conducting workshops for young people in schools, community centres and in collaboration with other organizations. We are available to bring our unique brand of arts programming to you! Please contact Anne Barber for workshop information. 
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Youth Projects
Christmas Unplugged - Mummers Play, 2014
Mally Masket and Johnny Jack's children are quite happy reading books, being in nature and playing together under the protection of the Green Knight. Enter Devilty Doubt who beats the Knight and tempts the children with flashy battery-powered toys, trashy plastic products and pricey computer games. Soon everything breaks down, the Geek Squad are no help, and the people have to unearth their own resources to revive the Green Knight and bring back harmony.
Photos by Gregg Sepetdjian
Photos by Gregg Sepetdjian
The Austerity Dragon and the Bright Knights - Mummers Play, 2012
In this year's Mummers Play, Good Knights battled the fearsome, all-devouring Dragon. Quack Doctors came to the rescue of the wounded, and the people stood strong against the destruction of their most precious environment, community, and arts.
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Occupy the Hearts and Minds – Mummers Play, 2011
Shadowland's youth theatre project performed their topical and humourous take on the seasonal battle between winter and spring, The cast of outrageous characters included representatives of the 1% fat cats who were soundly defeated by our young occupiers with the assistance of, who else but Princess Warrior Marj-ority! Island Mummers Play – a staged video of Shadowland youth theatre’s battle between winter and spring with a local, contemporary twist! The People and the Knight of Hope and Light, spurred on by the ‘Obby ‘Oss, overcome the forces of greed and selfishness.
Checkmate - Film, 2007
