FROZEN RIVER
Where: Langham Court Theatre, 805 Langham Ct.
When: Oct. 20 through Oct. 30
Tickets: $30.44 from
Kaleidoscope Theatre for Young People returns to the stage Thursday, with the first of 21 performances of Frozen River kicking off the company’s first full season of activity since 2020.
It will do so at the 177-seat Langham Court Theatre and not the McPherson Playhouse, where the majority of its previous seasons were held. Executive director Pat Rundell said he made the decision to skew small based on feedback from the Kaleidoscope faithful, who have supported the company over the past two years and will ensure it has a successful 49th season in 2022-23.
“There is still so much hesitancy in returning to live theatre, especially with children,” he said, adding that the company will return to the playhouse next year. “The McPherson is a 750-seat venue and that is daunting for many people still. Our audiences wanted something smaller, and this opportunity arose. It’s a nice way to reintroduce audiences back into live theatre.”
The pandemic was a period of growth for Victoria’s oldest professional theatre company, which kept busy by staging outdoor touring shows last year. The company also relocated its administration, rehearsal studios, and youth theatre school into a new home on Pandora Avenue, just steps away from where the company staged its first production almost 50 years ago.
Rundell said the opportunity to open with Frozen River (nîkwatin sîpiy in Cree), a play about relationships and culture both broken and repaired, was an unexpected treat after two years of change. The production tells the story of two children, born under the same blood moon but in different parts of the world in 1850, whose descendants later meet in Manitoba. Themes of reconciliation are woven throughout, which roots the production starring Krystle Pederson, Keely McPeek, and Mallory James in the present day and teaches young audiences about actions and their consequences.
Kaleidoscope Theatre is staging 12 public performances, in addition to nine educational performances as part of the company’s school matinee program, over the course of October — the first run of shows created by Manitoba Theatre for Young People ever produced on 91原创 Island.
“I was hooked from the moment I read it,” Rundell said. “It’s a timely piece, and important storytelling. It really serves our new focus of bringing new voices to our stage, and to showcase stories for young people that explore issues of truth and reconciliation.”
Kaleidoscope Theatre’s upcoming season will feature other productions that deal with serious topics and social commentary; Clementine, which runs Feb. 21-26, tackles divorce. Rundell said the company, founded in 1973, has never shied away from challenging young audiences, having entertained and inspired over three million theatregoers during its lifetime.
Rundell wanted to stay true to the company’s vision a it prepares for its 50th anniversary next year. “This being our first season back, I really wanted to return with courage and heart. I wanted to find shows that challenged our audiences, but still celebrated family or play, and looked at issues. That is what’s so exciting about theatre for young audiences — it can explore complex issues for young people.”
