Milk is Good for Kids

Italian talent at the 23rd international children's festival

The 23rd annual edition of the Milk International Children's Festival of the Arts returns to Harbourfront May 23-30, 2004. The festival hosts performances by artists from North America, Europe and Africa. In addition to the 12 shows, the festival also features workshops for children in a variety of activities. These "Artshops" show children the basics of blues guitar, DJ mixing, drumming and more.
The impressive range of performance and activities reflects the vision of the festival's artistic director, Jeremy "Boomer" Stacey. Stacey believes it's important to choose activities that will not only entertain kids but challenge them as well.
"I look for things that are a little bit different, and that are pushing the edge beyond traditional entertainment or even what kids and families might traditionally see in a school or community setting," he says.
"I think we have a responsibility to show things that are pushing the art of theatre but also things that are pushing the traditional experience of theatre."
The process of choosing what performers to invite to the festival begins with the question of artistic merit. Stacey feels this is more fruitful and rewarding for children than confining the festival's scope to acts that define themselves as child entertainers or shows that conform to a prescribed curriculum.
"I think a lot of people sell kids short," says Stacey. "They kind of soften up and think 'oh it's for kids, they'll really like puppets or they'll really like bright colours,'" he says.
"A lot of the companies that we've invited this year wouldn't necessarily call themselves a children's theatre company. They're a company that makes strong theatre that happens to be applicable to a young audience," he says.
Romanzo d'infanzia (A Childhood Tale), performed by Milan-based dancers Michele Abbondanza and Antonella Bertoni, is a perfect example. "It's primarily contemporary dance, which I myself often have a hard time relating to, and I think a lot of children do too," says Stacey. "But it's very accessible, very easy to follow, and it's nice that a traditional art form like that opens itself up and makes itself accessible and people can relate to it."
Romanzo tells the story of Tomaso and Nina, a brother and sister who are neglected by a family too preoccupied with the pressures of their everyday lives. To compensate for this neglect, the two children form an inseparable bond and cling to the hope of a better life. Bertoni and Abbondanza perform multiple roles in the production.
Some of the festival's shows are more typical of what we generally think of as children's theatre. The Belgian show Coâ, for example, features a toad named Jeremy, who tells his story from his lily pad. Another example is Typo, performed by Montreal master clown Jamie Adkins, which is suitable for all ages. But even these more conventional shows were chosen because they appeal to the whole family. "I think shows always work best when there are multiple layers of meaning," says Stacey.
Aside from Romanza dell'infanzia, the festival features another Milan-based production entitled Chaos. Recommended for a slightly older audience (ages 12 and up), Chaos is a kind of postmodern update of works like Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times.
"The piece is based on videotape that was taken in Milan, set up to tape aspects of ordinary everyday life - in subways and cafes - and they recorded commuters rushing for the train, couples interacting at a café," says Stacey.
"They just took some of those basic elements that you see over and over again, and translated them into movement and dance."
Chaos uses movement, dance, theatre and video loops to humorously lampoon the frenetic pace of modern living. Milan, at the heart of Europe's most industrialized zone and a major centre of the fashion industry, is the ideal subject for Chaos' vision of modernity.
"It pokes fun at how everyone is caught up in saying the right thing and doing the right thing - you have to follow the crowd and if everyone's going one way then you better be going the same way, and they definitely play on that," says Stacey.
Stacey says the festival is pleased to welcome both Italian companies to this year's festival. "Both of these companies create great theatre or great art, and there's a definite vision there, and yet kids can look at it and take a lot away from it," he said.
"Both are also very dynamic - lots of movement, great music - which I think is going to be really appealing to a young audience."
This year's festival also includes the Gemini award-winning documentary, Hockey Nomad. The film follows the Toronto musician, author and filmmaker, Dave Bidini, as he traverses the globe in pursuit of hockey culture. He finds it in some unlikely places, like Transylvania, Mongolia and the United Arab Emirates. Bidini, who is best known to rock fans as the rhythm guitarist for the Reostatics, delights in discovering strange and humorous aspects of culture. His most recent book, Baseballismo, chronicles the summer he spent touring with a minor league baseball team from southern Italy.

Publication Date: 2004-05-23
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3995