lmon Sa Illustrations by Kari Rust by Illustrations Girl April 6-14 at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island A Raven Spirit Dance production Created by Michelle Olson and Quelemia Sparrow carouseltheatre.ca|604 685 6217 carouseltheatre.ca Our Mission, Vision and Values Carousel Theatre for Young People empowers young people and families through playful, imaginative and accessible theatre experiences that develop emotional literacy. Our values are playfulness, accessibility, artistic integrity, empathy, mentorship and community Our Story Carousel Theatre for Young People (CTYP) has been creating theatre for young people since 1976. Located on Granville Island in the heart of Vancouver, CTYP is Vancouver’s professional mainstage TYA Company. We are a gathering place for artists, young people and families to embark on a journey where imagination, a dash of magic, and an abundance of play are the recipe for a theatrical adventure that has lasting impact. Our vision: to empower young people through the magic of theatre. Under the vision of Artistic Director Carole Higgins, CTYP stages vibrant stories that engage young people from the beginning of their development and continues to share stories that challenge young people through their formative years, empowering young people to become agents of positive change. Carole’s vision Stages of Play encompasses a full season that celebrates stories that explore rites of passage through our Family Stage at the Waterfront Theatre, explores Shakespeare’s canon through a contemporary lens every summer with our Teen Shakespeare Stage, and explores original Canadian creations for our BEE Stage. Young People are not simply audience members at CTYP; they are active participants at the very centre of all that we do. CTYP’s energetic year-round drama school teaches young people ages 3-17 to express their creativity and individuality through the theatrical form. Our drama school embraces CTYP’s organization’s core values, and is a central part of our mission to empower young people. Each year 35 000+ young people, educators and families attend CTYP’s effervescent theatrical experiences. Our playful approach to creation and collaboration, unwavering commitment to outstanding production values and exuberant attentiveness to mentoring emerging theatre artists are key principals of our artistic practice. A testament to the artistic quality of the productions we create, CTYP’s pursuit of excellence has been recognized with 87 Jessie nominations and 13 awards in the last ten years. In 2018, CTYP teamed with Boca Del Lupo to cofound the Granville Island Theatre District, with the shared vision to create a robust, diverse, theatre ecology in the heart of Vancouver. The GITD oversees three performance venues on Granville Island, with CTYP as artistic stewards of the Waterfront Theatre, which is now Vancouver’s first performance venue dedicated to youth and family programming. carouseltheatre.ca Artistic Director’s Message I am thrilled to welcome Raven Spirit Dance and their beautiful, thought-provoking story Salmon Girl to the CTYP Season and stage. This story explores themes and issues are so important for all of us to consider right now as we learn how crucial salmon are to the BC ecosystem, see how the beautiful Southern resident Killer Whales are struggling, and how plastic and garbage are piling up in the oceans and on land. Through Marjorie’s story we see the importance of balance, respect and moderation, and how intertwined human actions are with the health of our planet and the many beautiful residents who share the waters, the sky and the land. I hope this story inspires you and your family to think about how you can make changes in your daily life and routines to help take better care of our planet. Together we can all make a difference. Carole Higgins [email protected] Carousel Theatre for Young People 1411 Cartwright Street Vancouver BC V6H 3R7 604.669.3410 BOX OFFICE 604.685.6217 [email protected] carouseltheatre.ca @CarouselTheatre #SalmonGirl Charitable Registration #11883 9497 RR0001 carouseltheatre.ca 1 A Message from Raven Spirit Dance Artistic Director’s Notes I am delighted to share Salmon Girl with you all. A story close to my heart, it tells a tale of rivers, oceans, salmon and humans and how we are all beautifully interconnected. Our natural world is a source of great learning and reflection. Indigenous traditional stories encompass these teachings so as humans we can be in balance with our environment and act with honour and respect. It has been a lovely journey to this point and I am looking forward to what is next around the riverbend. Michelle Olson Director/Writer’s Notes When Artistic Director Michelle Olson asked me what I would like to write about I knew right away. I remember saying to her, “We all know the stories about Ravens and Bears. They’re always in the limelight. Let’s tell the traditional stories about Salmon.” We decided to create a contemporary play based on traditional stories we grew up with. Michelle and I exchanged the stories that we knew and then decided to do some more research from both our territories. Michelle is from the Tr’ondek Hwech’in Nation in the Yukon and I’m from the Musqueam Nation here in Vancouver. I grew up fishing on the Staulo river. I’m a sherman’s daughter. Salmon are integral to our communities and have been for thousands of years. Salmon Girl was created out of the strong desire to share the important teachings passed on through storytelling and to protect and care for our environment and the salmon runs. My grandmother used to tell my sister and I traditional stories when we were young. It was a special time that we spent with her. We would sit at my Grandmother’s feet and she would tell us stories that her Great-grandmother told her. In keeping with that tradition, we share Salmon Girl with you. Enjoy! Quelemia Sparrow 2 carouseltheatre.ca Salmon Girl A Raven Spirit Dance production Created by Michelle Olson and Quelemia Sparrow Creative Team Director/Writer Quelemia Sparrow Director/Choreographer Michelle Olson Stage Manager Louise Currie * Assistant Stage Manager Erica Wilson Acting Coach Cole Alvis Sound Designer Kate de Lorme Composer Wayne Lavallee Lighting Designer/Technical Director Brad Trenaman Costume Designer Jessica Oostergo Original Set Design Shizuka Kai Additional Set Design Brett Roach Original Puppet Design and Shadow Puppet Design Tamara Unroe Additional Puppet Design: Shizuka Kai and Jessica Oostergo Additional Props and Puppet Build: Heidi Wilkinson Outside Eye Kim Selody Video Support Chimerik似不像 Apprentices Tai Amy Grauman, Ashley Chartrand, John Cook and Darylina Powderface Dance Party Music “Stick Gambling Jam” by Inez Jasper Performers Tasha Faye-Evans* Mink/Water Spirit Jeanette Kotowich Moxy/water Spirit Gloria May Eshkibok Grandmother River Donna Soares* Margie/Salmon Girl Taran Kootenhayoo* Staqwi * Appears courtesy of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association Running time: Approximately 50 minutes. There will be no intermission. FOR THE SAFETY OF THE ACTORS AND FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS PHOTOGRAPHY AND RECORDINGS ARE NOT PERFMITTED DURING THE PERFORMANCE. For the enjoyment of everyone, please keep phones off during the performance. Carousel Theatre for Young People is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and employs professional actors, directors and stage managers who are members of Canadian Actor’s Equity Association under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement. Thank you to Presentation House Theatre Carousel Theatre for Young People creates and performs on the beautiful unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh people. carouseltheatre.ca 3 Carousel Theatre for Young People A fundraiser for two of Vancouver’s & Touchstone Theatre most cherished theatre Proudly Present 9 companies! Music & Lyrics Book & Lyrics Mark Hollmann Greg Kotis BOX OFFICE 604.685.6217 MAY 8-11, 2019 or visit tickets.carouseltheatre.ca The Waterfront Theatre $80 for all performances ($45 tax receipt) 1412 Cartwright Street on Granville Island 4 carouseltheatre.ca Synopsis Grandmother River explains that she cares for all the salmon in her waters. Sitting by a river is a girl called Margie who is fishing and throws her plastic food wrapper into the water. Grandmother River says she was once clean and bountiful, and decides Margie must learn from her, so pulls Margie into the water transforming her into a sockeye salmon. Once in the water, Margie meets another salmon called Staqwi. They are both confused by this sudden transformation, and Margie is frustrated because she can’t swim very well in her new body. In order to get back to her village she must swim upriver, against the force of the water that is pushing them downriver and away from home. Staqwi tries to help Margie become a better swimmer but it’s very difficult. They stop to eat, and Staqwi points out that sometimes humans can be too greedy when fishing from the water. Two mink called Moxy and Ceciqen bump into Margie and learn about her struggle to get home. Their advice is to swim to the ocean to practice and become a stronger swimmer, and they agree to help her learn. As they enter the ocean a large school of fish greet them with warnings about the ocean where there are traps and nets, big boats, and killer whales. Margie and her new friends practice swimming together and come into a floating mass of plastic bags where Margie gets trapped. They realize Moxy is lost. Staqwi goes to eat some floating plankton, but Ceciqen stops him because it’s really just small particles of plastic floating in the water. Soon, Margie frees herself and Moxy returns. Ceciqen tells every one of the giant plastic patch of human trash that ends up in the water.