Outdoor family theatre at the Town Beach

Tim Brody - Editor

Sponsored by FIREFLY, Here & Now Theatre Arts Collective presented Outdoor Family Theatre on the afternoon of July 28 at Farlinger Park (the Town Beach).
Jade Benoit and Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller of Here & Now Theatre Arts Collective, based out of Kenora, led children in an afternoon of free fun which included a puppet creation workshop, puppet parade, kids family theatre show, and a dance party.
Asked what she hopes her audience will take away from the afternoon, Benoit said, “Something really huge and important to Fateema and I is after COVID-19 we really believe that kids should have free, accessible programming and we want to bring the magic back. We want kids to be having fun, being interactive, meeting other kids from the neighborhood that they may not necessarily know, so we want to have a space where people can come in, have fun with their families and just walk away with a lot of laughs.”
Michaela Gilhooley, FIREFLY Counsellor, said the event was all about getting children and their families involved in some fun art during the summer.
“They do have lots of experience working with children and working in the arts, so being able to marry those two in a way that we can facilitate was something we were really looking for and wanting to participate in. They’re very creative. Having a puppet show is definitely something that is age appropriate for the kids that are coming out today in a fun and interactive way and it’s something they can take home as well,” Gilhooley concluded.