Recent Projects
Ward's island Fire Parade
TREE STORIES
Shadowland’s 40th annual performance spectacle on Ward’s Island will celebrate Trees and the miracle of resurgence.
"Tree Stories – Fire Parade" unfolds a poignant narrative, tracing a tree's life from fragile seed to nature's stalwart. The Spirit Tree puppet poignantly embodies the grief inflicted by human actions like clear-cutting and monoculture, underscoring the delicate web of forest life. Hope flickers through dreamlike shadow hoops, hinting at nature's capacity for healing. A vibrant lantern parade to the beach then celebrates the quiet importance of trees in our lives, urging collective action. Finally, personal tree stories shared under starlit skies and the soothing waves emphasize storytelling's power to connect us deeply with nature's wisdom. This performance educates, inspires care, and honors the earth's beauty and resilience. nature.
YOUTOPIA · OURTOPIA
DENTONIA PARK RESIDENCY
Youtopia/Ourtopia was a community-focused artistic residency and project led by Shadowland Theatre which explored the unique spirit and sense of community found in Toronto’s Dentonia Park.
We uncovered many things to celebrate in its history, nature, and the diverse community.
The core of the project was to artistically explore, using visual, musical, and the performing arts the communities sense of peaceful coexistence within a common public green space.
In the daily workshops the residents (community members - of all ages) shared their unique stories, perspectives, histories and personal journeys. The contributions from the workshops culminated in a collective celebratory performance on the final day.
There were bird costumes, traditional songs, a puppet show and a celebratory parade in the park.
The celebration of shared space, was the projects aim. We were able to to highlight and creatively showcase the communities diversity the park as a vibrant shared space that fosters community connections.
In essence, Youtopia/Ourtopia in Dentonia Park was a five-day artistic journey that brings together the community to explore, learn about, and artistically express their connection to the park, culminating in a shared performance. It's about listening to the stories of the land and the people who inhabit it.
Shadowland at Hillside
Shadowland artists are joining with the Grand River Community Play to create the Voice of the River parade for Hillside Festival on Saturday July 20 in the Indigenous Circle. All day workshops in puppetry, movement, flag choreography and music are open to all. The parade will wind through the festival grounds at 6.20pm.
SHADOWLAND
IN THE EAST END
The 4th iteration of Light it Up! in collaboration with East End Arts and the Crescent Town Club filled our hearts with light and hopes for Spring at the Equinox Parade 2024. We developed a series of lantern making workshops and culminated with a parade at Dentonia Park where the participants were able to showcase their beautiful lanterns and spend an evening in community spreading light.
We also kicked off Pride Month by participating in a beautiful project by the East End Kids Pride in collaboration with East End Arts. We developed a flag making and flag choreography workshop with the kids and rainbow families. The flags we created made it to the Kids Pride Parade at Dentonia Park, where the young participants showed their newly acquired skills and a colourful set of new flags.
Both these parades included Shadowland's spectacle techniques and visuals with our wonderful stilt walkers, lanterns and costumes.
Photos by Mafer Rodriguez, Chris Owyoung and Cass Rudolph.
light & shadow
workshop
Inspired by our video game, we're working with Access Point on Jane bringing arts and wellness activities to their newcomer youth group.
We even developed a unique version of the game Snakes and Ladders, identifying SNAKES: moments of shadows and LADDERS: moments of light in our lives. Each participant created game pieces and together we played on our giant community built board game! Special thanks to the youth for engaging so positively with this activity and Access Alliance facilitators for all their support.
ward's island fire parade parktopia
Welcoming the island community and city visitors, we shared PARKTOPIA as part of our annual Fire Parade, August 4, 2023.
PARKTOPIA was a theatrical exploration and shadow puppet show that celebrated parks as essential community spaces offering tranquil respite from urban intensity.
Chris Wilson, Jim Bish and the A'Rhythmics provided live music, Shadowland's interns and community participants performed the show, and hundreds joined us with hand-made lanterns for the parade.
PARKTOPIA was performed again on Ward's Island and at R.V. Burgess Park, in collaboration with the Thorncliffe Park Women's Committee.
Thank you to our many volunteers and participants!
Photos by Hannah Mittelstaedt.
Sculptural Lantern Masterclass
with myra Rasmussen
Shadowland brought accomplished lantern artist Myra Rasmussen, of Polka Dot Dragon Arts Society, to share a unique lantern-making technique, which she learned from master artist Chiba Sakuryu at the Aomori Nebuta Lantern festival.
Workshop participants designed and created special lanterns which added light and beauty to the Ward's Island Fire Parade.
Photos by Hannah Mittelstaedt.
'Walk With Amal Toronto' was produced by The Walk Productions and Luminato Festival Toronto in association with Handspring Puppet Company.
On Friday, June 9 we collaborated with the Thorncliffe Park Women's Committee and the Luminato Festival to welcome Amal!
Amal is a 12’ high puppet of a ten-year-old Syrian refugee girl who has travelled the world in search of home and family, bringing awareness of the journey of those who have fled their homes across the globe.
"Scents of Home" started at the Thorncliffe Library where a book about the world’s most fragrant rose – the Damask Rose sparked a familiar memory of Amal's Syrian home. Led by a hummingbird, birds and butterflies, Amal went on a journey through the community to find the elusive scent of her homeland.
Thousands of community members, schoolchildren and enthusiastic participants joined us in this parade.
Artistic Directors: Anne Barber & Brad Harley
Stage Manager: Maddy Smart
Creative Team & Artists: Cindy Dzib, Madeleine Gagnon, Joanna Grace, Rose Mohammadi, Brenna Nanie, Aryana Rizvi
Balaklava Blues Musicians: Mark Marczyk, Marichka Marczyk, Oskar lambarri, Anna Arkhipchuk
Syrian Musicians: singer Rahaf Alakbani, percussionist Samih Tarris, Buzuk player Esmaeel Abofakher
Members of The Waard Ward Collective and The Garden Representatives: Hanen Nanaa & Shoruk Alsakni
Toronto Public Library staff Karl Nicolas and Carrie Dawber, SEW TO, Sabina Ali and the Thorncliffe Park Women's Committee
Stilt walkers: Holli Butrimas & Nat Lister
Volunteers: Amin Bhanji, Betsy Canfield, Angela David, Vijaya Gowri Mohan, Emma Rooney, Moddasir, Bibi Fatima, Bibi Fathia, Anipa and the many children and youth from the community
Photos and videos captured by Martin Lister, Christopher Tyrrell and Shadowland Staff.
thank you to our designers, makers, artists & volunteers
Scents of Home
walk with amal Toronto
AS YOU LIKE IT
Shadowland designed the set, props, costumes for Anand Rajaram’s production of As You Like It for Canadian Stage’s Dream in High Park. We brought the pastoral comedy to life with a multitude of flora and fauna in a garden of earthly delights.
Show Photos by Dahlia Katz
Design Drawings & process shots by Brad Harley
On July 30, 2022 we gathered for the first Ward's Island Fire Parade since 2019. It was a low key affair with lanterns and music swirling around the dusk, taking the annual event back to what it used to be many years ago.
We gathered at the WIA Clubhouse on the eve of Gala Weekend. The A'Rhythmics gathered slowly, assembling their many drums, our keenest stilt walkers put on their long legs and the lanterns were lit from above and below.
Lighting the night with their golden glow.
As always a huge thank you to the island community for being our fiercest, most photogenic supporters.
Photos captured by Hannah Mittelstaedt.
Ward's Island Fire Parade
Migration Celebration
In June 2022 five communities came together on Toronto Island to celebrate birds and their return to our skies.
A collaboration between Shadowland Theatre, Birds Canada, MabelleARTS, Thorncliffe Park Women's Committee, Toronto Island SUP and the Waterfront BIA, Migration Celebration honoured the role birds play in our lives and ecosystems.
Shadowland Theatre artists, Indigenous teachers and musicians lead a series of weekly workshops in each community to bring awareness of the diverse bird life that swoops into Toronto every year.
The celebration culminated in a spectacular parade that wound its way from Centre Island to St Andrew by-the-Lake Church for a final flock flutter followed by festive feathered fun.
Check out the video here!
Light It Up
On Spring Equinox, day and night are equal, light and dark are in perfect balance. On March 20, 2022 we celebrated the return of the sun by filling the east end with light! In collaboration with Workman Arts, and East End Arts we ran two lantern making workshops at the Crescent Town Club that resulted in so many wonderful lanterns being made by community members, who then joined us for a spectacular parade through Dentonia Park and the Crescent Town community.
A huge thank you to our partners and the community members that came out and joined us for the workshops and event.
Catch the photos here captured by the ever-talented Hannah Mittelstaedt.
Dragon Claws is Coming to Town
Mummer's Play 2021
This year we're back, at least in part,
To restore the beating heart.
Our Mummers couldn't stay away,
And so we let them put on a play.
A fearsome beast lies in wait,
Eating children, loving the taste.
Will they find a knight to champion their cause?
Or will they one by one be victim, to the dragons jaws.
Home Follies
Using highly visual, non-verbal theatre techniques the show’s story revolved around the spirit of community cooperation prevailing in the face of age-old and 21st century threats. The show opened with a choreographed flag display representing the Four Directions and the world in balance before the central character of a Home puppet was set upon by three stilt-walking Terrors – Disease, Climate Change and Greed, portrayed in carnivalesque costumes. Badly beaten, Home was attended by buffoons masquerading as Learned Doctors until the Hero of the People, a Carpenter who, utilizing the spirit of community, restored the heart of the Home, ending the show with a celebratory parade involving the community participants.
We were delighted to gather with the local communities in Fountainhead Park, Rustic Park, Dentonia Park and Parma Park this summer.
Huge thank you to our community partners, the Toronto Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Foundation for supporting this project!
Dearly Departed
Another pandemic summer upon us, and once again unable to undertake our usual Fire Parade festivities, we imagined another grand community art exhibit to celebrate the island community. Dozens of community members contributed works that celebrated and recognized people, pets and long-lost items. Camp children filled the washing line of single socks, and flowers for the Rose Wilson Memorial Garden to honour the oldest Islander, an accomplished gardener, who died on July 10, eight days short of 105.
Shadowland’s youth troupe featured in the finale performance to cap off a beautiful evening of solemnity and joy. Many thanks to Shadowland’s musical director Chris Wilson, who with Jim Bish, Bruce Mackinnon and Brad, created the First and Second-line funeral processional music for our “dead” Home puppet.
Shadowland Theatre Sizzle Highlights
The Home-Oji Project
In the summer of 2020, when we were all house-bound, Shadowland Theatre called on Toronto Island residents to create a 2D or 3D personification of their home. The resulting 60+ pieces of art were displayed at an outdoor exhibit/celebration on Ward's Island, commemorating 40 years since Island residents fought against eviction at the Algonquin Bridge.
Watch the video below to see how it all panned out!
Corona Goes Viral - Mummer's Play 2020
Oh, woe were we, what were we to do?
The lockdown stopped us from doing our show.
That nasty pandemic had all the clout,
And we'd already got our costumes planned out.
We had to figure a new form of play,
To keep our audience from going away.
Well, puppets are often a solution, in lieu,
So, out came the cardboard, some rods and some glue.
We’re sorry our Mummers, were 2D this year,
But we wanted to bring you our unique brand of cheer!
This ancient tradition tells something new,
So, thank you for letting us entertain you!
NORfolktales Shorts
NORfolktales Shorts
Three digital puppet shows that evolved from the highly acclaimed outdoor show NORfolktales at Backus Heritage Village in 2017, premiered online on November 26, 2020.
Artists Brad Harley, Ian Bell and Sally Gable worked collaboratively (and remotely during Covid-19) to craft the songs and imagery illustrating three colourful tales:
Abigail: Angel of Long Point - based on the life of Abigail Becker and her heroic efforts saving the lives of sailors off the shores of Lake Erie.
The Big Bonfire - during the War of 1812 the marauding American military were thwarted by a clever Ruse de Guerre at the Backhouse Mill.
Dr. Troyer: Witchdoctor of Long Point - a multitalented Pennsylvanian that came to Norfolk County in 1789, one fateful night his fascination with witches took a dark turn.
Moving House, Finding Home
Home and adversity battle it out in a spectacular theatrical parade! Giant puppet, stilt walkers and music.
This socially-distant parade visited six communities in and around Neilson Park (Etobicoke), Rustic Park, Dentonia Park, Guild Park, Beverly Glen Park and Maidavale Park this August. Delighting audiences from afar, our band of merry marchers took these neighbourhoods on a journey of love and resilience in the face of adversity.
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