Program Notes, Spring 2012

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favorites

Author: Eric Carle
Director/Production Designer: Jim Morrow
Composer: Steven Naylor
Narrator: Gordon Pinsent
Stage Manager - Shawn Sorensen
Performers - John Allen MacLean, Emma Slipp

About The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites:
On tour continuously since 1999, Mermaid’s compilations of five Eric Carle stories have generated remarkable statistics and earned considerable praise from audiences on several continents. Featuring innovative black-light puppetry and evocative original music, the fifty-minute production includes three beloved stories: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Little Cloud and The Mixed-Up Chameleon.

To date more than 2200 performances have been presented to more than 1,475,000 spectators throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Japan, Holland, Vietnam, Ireland, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong. To date, presentations have been offered in Dutch, English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and French.

About Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia ranks among North America’s most respected theatres for the young, and plays an important ambassadorial role for Nova Scotia and for Canada. The company regularly crosses the continent, and has represented Canada in the United States, Japan, Mexico, Australia, England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Holland, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea and Taiwan. Mermaid Theatre has earned Export Excellence awards from both the Governments of Canada and of Nova Scotia. Based in the town of Windsor, Nova Scotia, Mermaid has performed for more than 4.5 million spectators on four continents. The company was founded in 1972.

Eric Carle, Author
Eric Carle, internationally acclaimed author and designer, has written and illustrated more than seventy books for young children. Born in Syracuse, NY, he spent his youth in Germany where he studied fine art in Stuttgart prior to returning to the US in 1952 to work as a graphic designer for The New York Times and later as art director of an international advertising agency. His delightful books, which combine stunning collage artwork with an imaginative approach to learning, have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. Eric Carle maintains a studio in Northhampton, MA.

Jim Morrow, Director/Production Designer
Jim creates puppets for stage, television and film. He's directed numerous
shows for the Theatre, including Very Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favorites, Guess How Much I Love You, I Love My Little Storybook, Swimmy, Frederick, Inch by Inch, Goodnight Moon & The Runaway Bunny as well as designed many others. A gifted performer, Jim has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. He serves as director of puppetry for Symphony Nova Scotia's production of The Nutcracker, and frequently conducts master classes in puppetry in North America and abroad. Jim is Mermaid Theatre’s Artistic Director.

Steven Naylor, Composer
Steven has created the music for more than a dozen Mermaid shows, including Very Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favorites, Guess How Much I Love You , I Love My Little Storybook, Swimmy, Frederick, Inch by Inch, Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. His many other professional activities include original film and television scores; contemporary music and 'musique actuelle' performance; university teaching and curriculum development; and a long-term international involvement with electroacoustic concert music. Steven is Mermaid Theatre's Artistic Consultant for Music and Sound Design.

Gordon Pinsent, Narrator
Born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, Gordon is an actor, director, writer and singer of great versatility, and one of Canada's most beloved artists. His work for more than three decades in theatre, film, radio and television has earned him international recognition, as well as honorary doctorates from three universities. In 1999 he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest award of merit.

About the Company:

Shawn Sorensen, Stage Manager
Shawn is a stage manager and sound designer from Vancouver, BC. Following his studies at Langara College's Studio 58, he undertook stage management duties with a number of West Coast companies, including Leaky Heaven, NeWorld Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars and Zee Zee Theatre. He has worked as well at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, where he served as Assistant Director to Daniel MacIvor. He joined Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia in the Fall of 2011 and has toured with The Very Hungry Caterpillar throughout England.

John Allen MacLean, Performer
John Allen moved to Halifax, NS from his native Prince Edward Island after completing his B.A. (Psychology) and B.Ed. degrees at UPEI. He has since performed at the Halifax Feast, Neptune Theatre, Festival Antigonish and Live Bait Theatre. His screen credits include Emily of New Moon, Street Cents and Liocracy, as well as the CBS movie Catch a Falling Star. John Allen has been touring with this production since September 2005 and has performed it all over the world in locations such as England, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.

Emma Slipp, Performer
Emma was born and raised in Wolfville, NS. She graduated from both the pre-professional theatre program at The Neptune Theatre School in Halifax and Studio 58 in Vancouver, BC. Recent engagements include roles with the Belfry Theatre in Victoria as well as Solo Collective, Bocca del Luppo, Mortal Coil and Carousel Theatre in Vancouver, and Two Planks and a Passion Theatre in Nova Scotia. Emma has received the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame award for emerging talent and The Vancouver Sun's "One to Watch" spotlight. She’s an alumna of The Mermaid Institute of Puppetry Arts training program, Animotion. She joined Mermaid Theatre in 2008, and has toured nationally and internationally.

 

Mermaid Theatre staff:
Artistic Director: Jim Morrow
Managing Director: Sara Lee Lewis
Director of Youtheatre: Christopher Heide
Artistic Consultant for Music and Sound Design: Steven Naylor
General Manager and MIPAC Coordinator: Lisa Gleave
Administrator: Cathy White
Administrative Assistant: Jason Tucker
Production Manager: Deborah MacLean
Production Associate: Struan Robertson
Technical Director: Michael Jamieson

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia is represented by
KIDS' ENTERTAINMENT
For booking information, please contact them at:
500 St. Clair Avenue West, Suite 808
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6C 1A8
Tel: 416 971 4836
Fax: 416 971 4841
email: info@kidsentertainment.net
website: www.kidsentertainment.net

For general information, please contact:
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
P.O. Box 2697
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada B0N 2T0
Tel: 902 798 5841
Fax: 902 798 3311
email: puppets@mermaidtheatre.ns.ca
website: www.mermaidtheatre.ns.ca

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Copyright © 1969 and 1987 by Eric Carle. All Rights Reserved. Published by Philomel Books.
Little Cloud by Eric Carle. Copyright © 1996 by Eric Carle. All Rights Reserved. Published by Philomel Books.
The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. Copyright © 1975 by Eric Carle.
All Rights Reserved. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia gratefully acknowledges the support of the
Canada Council for the Arts, and the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage. Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia is a member of the Professional Theatre Association of Canadian Theatres and engages professional Artists who are members of Canadian Actors' Equity Association under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement.