Current Touring Productions
Goodnight Moon & The Runaway Bunny
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
presents
GOODNIGHT MOON & THE RUNAWAY BUNNY
Autumn 2011
Stories by Margaret Wise Brown
Pictures by Clement Hurd
Adapted by Jim Morrow
Director/Production Designer: Jim Morrow
Associate Director: Jesse MacLean
Composer: Steven Naylor
Narrator: Deborah Allen
Stage Manager: Tammy Faulkner
Performers: Kaitlin Morrow, Seann Murray, Robin Toller
Puppetry Coach: Struan Robertson
Associate Designers: Jonathan Ford, Deborah MacLean
Video Design: Windoverdaun Films
Animation: Bob Williams
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, Mermaid has performed for more than 4.5 million spectators on four continents. The company was founded in 1972.
About the Production
Goodnight Moon is a celebration of familiar nighttime rituals, while The Runaway Bunny’s pretend tale of leaving home evokes reassuring responses from his loving mum. Both feature endearing rabbit characters, and the soothing rhythms of bunny banter and dream-like imagery never fail to infuse young readers with a reassuring sense of security. Mermaid’s staged adaptation brings a new sense of appreciation to stories that have delighted several generations.
About the Author
Few writers have been as attuned to the concerns and emotions of childhood as Margaret Wise Brown (1910–1952). Brown, a former teacher, believed that very young children could be fascinated by the simple pleasures of the world around them. Few had previously attempted to write specifically for children aged two to five, and Brown created some of the most enduring and beloved children’s books of all time as well as developed the concept of the first durable board book.
About the Illustrator
Clement Hurd (1908–1988) graduated from Yale University and studied painting in Paris in the 1930s with Fernand Léger and others. His engaging semi-abstract style became world-famous with the publication of The Runaway Bunny in 1942 and Goodnight Moon in 1947 - collaborations with Brown that became two of the 20th Century’s best-known children’s books.
About the Creative Team
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, and Swimmy, Frederick, Inch by Inch, 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 Stuart Little, Just So Stories, Gulliver's Travels, Very Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favourites, Guess How Much I Love You & I Love My Little Storybook, and Swimmy, Frederick & Inch by Inch. 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.
About the Company
Deborah Allen, Narrator
Deborah began her theatrical career in Halifax, NS as Neptune Theatre’s first apprentice in 1965. Since then she has made a successful career as an actor, director, producer, radio broadcaster and voice specialist. Deb toured with Mermaid Theatre’s production of The Journey in 1974, which played to First Nations communities throughout Nova Scotia. Since that time she has had extensive experience in theatre; film/television and radio. Deb has lent her voice to countless documentaries for the National Film Board and TVO; commercials and museum installations. Among her very favorite narrations would have to be for those little people in her family.
Tammy Faulkner, Stage Manager
Tammy is originally from Labrador but now lives in New Brunswick. She has worked as a Stage Manager at several theatres in Atlantic Canada, including Theatre New Brunswick, The Montgomery Theatre and Ship's Company Theatre. She also had the once in a lifetime opportunity to tour with Leonard Cohen for part of his 2008 World Tour. Besides Stage Managing, Tammy also works as an electrician at The Playhouse in Fredericton, NB. She originally joined the Mermaid team for the 2006-07 tour of Swimmy, Frederick and Inch by Inch.
Kaitlin Morrow, Performer
Born and raised in Port Williams, Nova Scotia, Kaitlin has spent her whole life surrounded by the art of puppetry. She joined Mermaid Theatre in 2009 after completing the ANIMOTION intensive training program, and toured with Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny through Canada, the U.S. and China. Kaitlin lives in Toronto, where she graduated from George Brown theatre school, and where she has been active in Toronto’s puppetry scene. She has organized puppetry workshops, staged puppet shows at local venues, and most recently, participated in Puppetmongers’ “Fresh Ideas In Puppetry” conference.
Seann Murray, Performer
Seann was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where he began his theatrical career with Theatre UNB and the NotaBle Acts theatre festival. After touring the Fringe with NB's Theatre Free Radical, he moved to Toronto to enter the George Brown College Performing Arts program. While in Toronto, he was active in the local theatre scene, working with Soulpepper Theatre Company, Puppetmongers, Stagecraft Company, and performing with an award-winning improv troupe. Seann joined Mermaid Theatre in the Summer of 2009 after completing specialized training with the Mermaid Institute of Puppetry Art’s ANIMOTION program, and this will be his third tour with Goodnight Moon and the Runaway Bunny.
Robin Toller, Performer
Robin was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, where he attended Canterbury High School for the Arts. After spending three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in England, Robin now makes his home in Toronto where he performs improvised comedy and storytelling. He has acted with The Great Canadian Theatre Company, The National Arts Centre of Canada, and BBC Radio. This is his first time working with Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia.
Adapted with permission
Goodnight Moon Copyright © 1947 by Harper & Row. Text copyright © renewed 1975 by Roberta Brown Rauch. Illustrations © renewed 1975 by Edith Hurd, Clement Hurd, John Thacher Hurd and George Hellyer, as Trustees of the Edith & Clement Hurd 1982 Trust.
The Runaway Bunny Copyright © 1942 by Harper & Row Publishers. Text copyright renewed 1970 by Roberta Brown Rauch. Illustrations copyright © 1972 by Edith T. Hurd, Clement Hurd, John Thacher Hurd, and George Hellyer as Trustees of the Edith and Clement Hurd 1982 Trust.
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
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia staff:
Managing Director: Sara Lee Lewis
General Manager: Lisa Gleave
Artistic Director: Jim Morrow
Artistic Advisor for Music and Sound Design: Steven Naylor
Logistics Co-ordinator: Peter F. Smith
Director of Youtheatre: Christopher Heide
Administrator: Cathy White
Administrative Assistant: Jason Tucker
Production Manager: Deborah MacLean
Institute of Puppetry Arts Director: Jesse MacLean
Production Associate: Struan Robertson
Technical Director: Mike Jamieson
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, 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.
