This gap is here to allow you to see the text tool bar for the header bar below. When site is published, the gap will disappear

Home    Buy Magazines     Join Us    FAQ

Voice K - A Machine for Smart Kids
  • Home
    • About Us
  • Kid Reporters
  • Buy Magazines
  • Courses
  • Writing tips for kids
  • Membership
    • Join Us
    • Journalist Ranking
    • Membership Payment
  • FAQ

Pinocchio at YPT Review

5/1/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture(L-R) Milva Ménard, Christian Perrault, Claude Tremblay (Geppetto & Cricket) and Marie-Ève Milot in a scene from Pinocchio: Set and Costume Design by Patrice Charbonneau-Brunelle, Lighting Design by Luc Prairie, Pinocchio and the Jolly Man Design by Marie-Pierre Simard, Mask Design by Marie-Pier Fortier, Makeup Design by Maryse Gosselin; Photo: Jérémie Battaglia
by Selena Xu (age 9)  and Raymond Qiu (age 10)

During the March break, Young People’s Theatre (YPT) was thrilled to welcome the Quebec theatre company Tout a Trac and their breath taking production of Pinocchio.  Hugo Belanger whipped up a play with dance, puppetry, music, and illusion at a hair rising speed.  It was a live, emotional, and just as imaginative as Geppeto himself, the kind old wood carver.

The seats were almost full when the play started.  We found a cottage right in front of us. It looked rather small, and had a broken window, a table, some wooden toys, and a log. The lights went dim; the lights only appeared on the broken glass window. The show had started and someone came out the back of the cottage.

I had expected the play to start with someone carving out Pinocchio.  But instead, Geppeto, the father of Pinocchio, came in with a loud, hilarious jump-in that brought shock waves of laughter through the audience.  Gepetto ran from the back of the cottage, looking very confused. He was cold and poor. He tried to burn a log for warmth, but the log started fighting back, shouting: “I WANT TO BE A BOY, I WANT TO BE LIKE YOU, LIKE EVERYONE! I’M NOT GOING TO REPEAT MYSELF!” and the log soon became the wooden marionette – full of happiness and energy.  Geppeto sent Pinocchio, who promised to work hard and bring riches into the family, to school.  On the way, though, he encountered a fox and cat.  The spotlights of the show were them, for they were a stunning pair that told lies that could build a stair case to the moon.  They led Pinocchio out of school, and into a life of lies.  With the assistance of the good hearted talking cricket, Pinocchio learned his lessons.  He bravely plunged into the ocean, and saved his father from a very large fish.  Because of his maturity, Pinocchio became a human boy – a gift from the legendary Blue fairy.  The lights dimmed, and the play was out.  Then, in the blink of an eye, the performers were back on stage, and took a deep bow.  The auditorium was soon filled with a thunderous roar of clapping and cheering. 

The Young People’s Theatre showcased Pinocchio, where four actors played ten characters with energy and fun as the wooden marionette met various characters from the moment of his creation until he became a human child.  Krystel Descary played the role of Pinocchio.  Using the machines on the inside of the old puppet, she allowed him to walk, and move.  Gabriel Desantis-Caron played the role of the fox, and a Jolly man.  He used his deep voice to project his authority to the audience.  Milva Menard played the role of the cat, Candle Wick, and the Blue Fairy.  Using body language, she had already stated the emotion of the story.  Claude Tremblay: the man who, in my eyes, added the most humor to the play, like Olaf from Frozen.  He played Geppetto, the talking cricket, Mangiafuoco, and a misbehaving boy.

In my opinion, Tout a Trac not only well featured the acting part of this show; the supporting team also did a great job building the scene.  The play act presented a spotlight on the characters they wanted us to notice.  While Pinocchio wished for the blue fairy to turn him into a human boy, the lights moved towards the fox and the cat that tried to steal the last gold coin, and so did my eyes.  It also showed the bright oil lamps and brought the thought of “fun” when Pinocchio was in the land of toys.  The music made me feel very involved, like a villager just following Pinocchio.  It was well composed, and gave the auditorium a touch of holiness.  The clothes that the people wore appropriately labeled their class.  For instance, the poor Geppetto wore torn and thin layers of clothing.  Pinocchio was held by Krystel and presented as an actual wooden puppet.  It was full of technology.  When Geppetto polished the wood, Pinocchio popped out.  This worked because of a spring that sent Pinocchio to burst out after the wood was carved.  His nose was extended to a surprisingly long length by using a remote control.    

After the show, Voice K was pleased to have an interview with most of the actors.

Descary loves playing Pinocchio because it gives her a possibility to experience new things and emotion. “At first, Pinocchio is rude, so I can explore rudeness. Later on, I learn about friendship and love.” She thinks that what makes Pinocchio a lovable character is that he is naïve and naïve is fun because she doesn’t have to see the mean things that the fox and the cat are doing. Descary is a girl, but she was casted to play the role of a young boy because it is difficult for a grown man to sound like a 7 or 8-year-old boy.  

“I would be the cat, because the cat makes me laugh a lot,” said Descary. “I think [the cat] is the sweetest character in the play.”

“My favourite scene is the ‘Gospel Scene’,” said Gabriel DeSantis-Caron, the fox in the play. “It’s when the cat and the fox steal the last coin. We finally [got] the last gold coin!” The challenge for DeStantis-Caron is to sound mean and slimy. Bad guys would sound slimy if they want to trick someone in the play, but nobody is really doing that in real life. He also likes his character because it’s rapid tempo during the scenes, and he has to sing, move, and do lots of physical movements all at the same time. 

Milva Menard enjoyed her parts of the play a lot too.  Her favorite character was the cat.  “I think the cat is the hardest part of the play.  I have three characters: the cat, Candle Wick, and the blue fairy.  It’s really the cat that’s my favorite because it is very physical, since I’m wearing a mask,” said Menard.  “So I need to put the emotion in my body, and it’s hard.”  The cat also just wants to be in the gang with the fox, and really, he’s innocent. 

Tout a Trac is a company from Montreal, and Pinocchio was brought to the stage in two different languages: French and English.  It created a challenge for the actors to rehearse and perform the amazing show. 

From 1883 to now, the story Pinocchio still brings jaw dropping adventures.  Born from a talking piece of wood, the nerve racking Pinocchio earns his heart’s desire from his amazing quests.  As Hugo Bélanger says, "We still need Pinocchio because telling the story of a small block of wood dreaming to become human brings hope to a world that is losing its humanity and becoming increasingly dependent on machines."  Pinocchio developed his achievement of becoming a human being, an inspiring fact to everyone around us.  So there you go, lights, camera, action!


Picture
L-R Gabriel Desantis-Caron (Fox), Krystel Descary (Pinocchio), Raymond Qiu, Selena Xu, Milva Menard (Cat, Blue Fairy, Candle Wick)
0 Comments

Review of James and the Giant Peach at Young People's Theatre

1/1/2015

0 Comments

 
James and the Giant Peach at YPT

Watch out for the falling peach! James and the Giant Peach rolls into Young People’s Theatre (YPT) from November 24th to January 4th. This performance was inspired by Roald Dahl’s original story. This version has a few plot twists. This performance is focused on building family values, such as kindness, caring, empathy and respect. This play was brought to stage by Allen MacInnis because all of this year’s plays are about fairness.

Plot of the Play

The play is about a boy named James who lost his parents. James is forced to live with his horrible aunts, Aunt Spiker and Sponge. One day, James meets a mysterious man that helps him to make crystals that will brighten his life up. James drops the crystals near a peach tree. Marvelous and peculiar things start happening.

Characters

- James, the main character. James is shy and always has ideas. James is energetic and active.

- Aunt Spiker, James’s horrible aunt. Aunt Spiker is tall and skinny with a tall hairdo.

- Aunt Sponge, James’s other horrible aunt. Aunt Sponge is fat and lazy.

-The Mysterious old man, whom James meets in his garden, gives James a Bag of magical crocodile tongues that will give him a happy life. The mysterious old man only appears once in the story.

- The Ladybug, one of the creatures James found in the magical peach. The ladybug is very lady-like and has nine spots on her back. The ladybug is nice to James all the time.

- The Spider, one of the creatures in the peach. The spider is energetic and nice to James.

- The Grasshopper, one of the creatures in the peach. The grasshopper loves music and is very gentle with James.

- The Centipede, one of the creatures in the peach. The centipede doesn’t like James at first but realizes James could be his friend.

- The Earthworm, one of the creatures in the peach. The earthworm is very “cute” and doesn’t really talk to James at first but finds his way to being in James’ family.

Costumes

What would a play be without costumes!? The costumes used in this play looked splendid! As a journalist, I got to interview Milena Radeva, who makes props for YPT. Milena enjoys using different materials and exploring what different materials can be used for. Milena thinks helping out with the costumes can be stressful at times because she only has a short amount of time to make the costumes.

Lighting

The lighting made this play look amazing! The most important part of lighting in this play was the shadows. I interviewed the lighting designer, Jason Hand. Jason goes to rehearsals and decides the lighting. Jason loves to play make-believe with shadows. The most interesting shadow in the play to me was the scene of James’ mother and father’s accident. Their shadows looked realistic and clear.

Director

The director of James and the Giant Peach is Sue Miner. Sue thinks being the director of the play is fun but stressful at the same time. “It’s stressful because a lot of decisions are up to me,” said Sue. I think Sue did a wonderful job directing the play.

Alessendro Costatini-James

The main character of this play was James of course who is acted by Alessendro Costatini. “I’ve been acting for ten years so far,” said Alessendro. He really liked being on stage when he was little. Alessendro became inspired to act with a love of stage. Alessendro is trying to convey courage through his performance in this show as that is what he believes this play is about.

Dale Miller-Centipede

Dale Miller, who acted the centipede, told me, “The most difficult part for me is memorizing lines.” Dale was inspired to act by his love of stage and singing. Dale thinks this play is about family.

Jacob MacInnis-Earthworm

The earthworm, in my opinion, is the cutest character in the whole play!  “I did my first musical when I was 15,” said Jacob. Having a love for music inspired Jacob to act. Like Dale for Centipede, Jacob thinks that memorizing lines is the most difficult part. Jacob thinks this play is about discovering where you belong.

Audience-Jenny Weisz

I was pretty surprised to see Jenny, the actress I interviewed before who played the title character in the Annie musical at YPT last year. “I love to hear James singing,” said Jenny. Jenny thinks the play was all about being part of a family.

As the play ended, I felt sad because it was time to leave. I thought the show was amazing and fun. I hope to visit YPT again!!!!

0 Comments

To Kill a Mocking Bird at Young People's Theatre

10/28/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Sarah Ning (age 12)

What are you waiting for? Hurry up, or you'll be late for the "To Kill a Mocking bird" play at the Toronto's Young People's Theater (YPT)! From October 6 to November 2, the successful 1960 classic was turned into a play, by artistic director Allen Macinnis.

"This whole season is about fairness," says director Macinnis, "This play, and all the plays in this season have some idea of fairness. This is a play that's all about that."

The play is set in 1935. It is about a young girl named Scout who, while growing up, learns more about the way of life. She lives with her brother Jem, her widowed father Atticus Finch, and her maid Calpurnia. During the summer, she and Jem befriend a boy named Dill. They all share an obsession with the Radley house, because of a mysterious man who lives there: Arthur Radley, but the kids call him Boo. Soon after, the children's father, who is a lawyer, takes on a difficult case that includes a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white woman. Scout and Jem go on a journey which will teach them about racism, injustices, and simply, the ways of humanity and life.

Macinnis really likes the part where the jury reveals that Tom Robinson is guilty and the children was shocked by the ruling. He loved that because children should be shocked and outraged and that this is what racism can be like. His favourite part of being the artistic director is casting for the show. Macinnis says that trying to find the right people to play each character is difficult, but it’s really fun to do.

The opening night has full house and the theatre is packed with people. The show in my opinion is a very creative, original work of art. I personally liked the setting ─ how they made the beautiful trees  ─ because it's extremely unique and imaginative. I also really liked how Scout is both the main character and the narrator of the play. It's really cool that while everyone is acting their own part in the scene, Scout is simply just narrating the story; it's as if the cast pretends she's invisible!  The YPT turned the novel into such an amazing play!

Picture
Courtroom scene
PictureSarah Ning with Lisa Berry (Calpurnia)
"I really liked the courtroom scene. I loved the staging of it, and I loved the use of the space," says Dustyn Wales, one of the audiences who really loved the play. Wales says that being Scout in the play would be an eye-opening experience; it would really change the way you looked at the rest of your life and the world. When I asked about the way he felt about racism and injustices in our society, he replied that it was still a big issue today, and that it's something that we're always dealing with.

"We've come a long way, but there's still a long way to go. And I think that's why this show is important; it's important to teach younger people that racism is still an issue," says Wales.

I also interviewed a younger kid in the audience. 13-year-old Sebastian Dal Belo said that he thought it was a good play and that it was pretty interesting. He said that if he was part of this play, he would want to be Jem, because he is like the leader of the play. Sebastian’s favourite part of the play is also the courtroom scene; because he thought it was the most upbeat part of the play. Belo also said that racism and injustices is bad and unfair.

Last but not least, I interviewed Lisa Berry, who plays the role of the black maid Calpurnia. She

"I love being a part in this play! It’s an important play, with a beautiful message that leaves people thinking about their own lives in a different way." says Berry.

Berry loves being an actress, because she simply loves being an artist. She says it really forces you to get to know yourself more.

"It gives you an opportunity to stop and smell the roses, and appreciates the little things, because you’ll have to play those moments,” says Berry about her life as an actress. “It [Acting] lets you see life from a lot of people’s perspectives because you’re building these three dimensional characters.”

Berry and the rest of the crew rehearsed for 3 weeks, 6 days a week, and 8 hours a day for the play. That’s a lot of work! One of the most challenging obstacles she faced was playing a character that was older than she is. Calpurnia, the character she was playing, is in her 40’s, but the 40’s in our era is different from the 40’s in 1935. Berry’s favourite part of the play is working on the scene where she really takes care of the kids when the mad dog threat happens, because it really shows how important she is in the family, and how important the kids are to her, even though she isn’t blood related to them.

In my opinion, this was a very interesting play to watch! It was a very good experience for me too, to learn what it was like to live in the 1930s, learn what the life of an actor was like, and learn more about racism and injustice! I would love to go back to the YPT and watch more of these plays anytime, and I hope you will feel the same way too!

Picture
From left: Dana Osborne, the Set and Costume Designer of Kill a Mockingbird, Allen Macinnis, Artistic Director of YPT, Sarah Ning, Voice K Journalist
Picture
Picture
Hi! My name is Sarah, and I'm 12 years old. I am currently in grade 7, and go to  Erin Center Middle School. My favourite colour is yellow, which I think is a very unique colour, because not many people choose it as their favourite. During my free time, I like to read, draw, play video games, hang out with my friends, and write my own little short stories. My favourite sports are badminton and volleyball. I have a 3 year old cat named Lily, and if you've seen her, your heart will melt! I honestly can say, I am very proud of my amazing talent: the piano. I've won multiple awards in many different competitions. In the nationals for piano, I've won 3rd for 2 years in a row, and last year, I won 5th! I've even been to some international competitions, though I don't actually win much outside of the country! Anyways, that's really all you need to know about me so... BYE! 
0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Alex Hu
    Alex Zhou
    Amelie Zhou
    Astronomy Days
    Blueberry Festival
    Butterfly Festival
    Cne
    Daniel Zheng
    Dea Yu
    Dundas Square
    Earth Hour Concert
    Edward Wang
    Emma Zhang
    Go Game
    Grace Zhang
    Gratiana Chen
    Harbourfront
    Issue 1
    Issue 10
    Issue 2
    Issue 3
    Issue 4
    Issue 5
    Issue 6
    Issue 7
    Issue 8
    Issue 9
    Jeffrey Li
    Katie Wang
    Kidzfest
    Kieley Mcquaker
    Leo Yin
    Markham Children's Festival
    Michelle Zeng
    Michelle Zhou
    Ontario Science Centre
    Political Events
    Raymond Qiu
    ROM
    Sarah Ning
    Selena Xu
    Selena Zhou
    Summer Camp Trip
    Sunni Zhou
    Tiff
    Tina Tian
    Tom Yang
    Toronto Humane Society
    Vivian Wang
    Wendy Wang
    William Yang
    Young People's Theatre

    Archives

    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Subscribe

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    $19.99 Yearly Subscription 

Drag & drop footer content here

Quick Links

Read members' articles

Contact Us

Buy books and magazine created by children
Voice K Membership Details
Voice K Training Programs & Smart Kids Trips
General FAQ
Picture
Picture
Picture
3558 Erindale Station Roads
Mississauga ON, L5C 1P1
(905)896 7600
voicek.mag@gmail.com

Magazine

Subscribe
Advertise 
Read Articles

Voice K

About Us
Contact Us
FAQs

Join Us

Meet the Journalists 
Become a journalist
Become an intern
Copyright © 2013| Voice K All rights reserved.