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Montreal children's puppeteer Isabelle Payant to return with new show, Fire ... Stones ... and Stories

To kick off this year's summer programming, SpringWorks - PuppetWorks is bringing back Théâtre des Petites Âmes’ puppeteer Isabelle Payant with her new, interactive and pandemic-friendly show, Fire ... Stones ... and Stories, starting July 5.

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Montreal’s Théâtre des Petites Âmes’ will soon be returning to Stratford to perform a new, pandemic-friendly puppet show, Fire … Stones … and Stories, as part of SpringWorks – PuppetWorks.

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Following a pause in programming last year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SpringWorks indie theatre and arts festival is back this year with offerings planned throughout the summer instead of a condensed period in August, as has been the case in the past.

Following her imaginative and interactive performances during the 2019 SpringWorks festival, puppeteer Isabelle Payant’s engaging new show is perfect for families with children ages three to eight who are looking for a safe and fun return to live entertainment, artistic producer Eileen Smith said .

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“Isabelle Payant has been here several times with us. … She has been amazing because, through the height of COVID, she’s figured out how to present outside. She’s done this show all winter and then has made a summer version of it that she’s presented to daycares and small families,” Smith said.

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“It’s interactive. The children get to help pick the stones that tell the stories. They decide which direction the story will travel. They help create a song and all that.”

With a total of 19 Stratford shows running 45 minutes in length in the afternoons, evenings and on some mornings between July 5 and July 11, each performance will be limited to an audience comprising three physically distanced household pods of between two and five people.

To keep the number of onlookers to the provincially mandated outdoor gathering limit of 10 people, each show will take place around a campfire in a surprise location somewhere on the Gallery Stratford grounds.

“Those pods will be two metres apart and two metres away from (Payant),” Smith said, “and we’re putting it at a secret location at the gallery since it’s not meant for other people to see it. It’s meant to be private and safe.”

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Though SpringWorks – PuppetWorks is once again offering tickets through its pay-what-you-choose pricing model, those who contribute more than the suggested $20 per family will also receive a tax receipt for the charitable donation.

“This is an opportunity to do something as a family, and it’s a creative and interactive kind of puppetry,” Smith said. “This lovely, wonderful artist is a specialist in family programming and the gallery is a beautiful place to be out in their gardens and parkland, so it’s got all those perks for you and we’ve made it safe.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.springworksfestival.ca or email communications@springworksfestival.ca.

gsimmons@postmedia.com

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