After engaging thousands of Tasmanians in Launceston, Queenstown, Hobart and Burnie, Tasmania’s premier theatre company, will tour I Think I Can to prestigious festivals and venues in Canada and the United States this coming May/June. At the same time it being staged in Canada, it will simultaneously be staged at the Come Out Children’s Festival in Adelaide.
I Think I Can is a live and interactive artwork where the audience participates by being allocated a tiny puppet that lives in a miniature model railway town. The puppet is then animated in front of a video camera and seen live on a big screen above the miniature town. The stories of the participants are developed into news articles and published in an online newspaper that can be viewed at www.thinkicanonline.com
The production will be seen at the Calgary International Children’s Festival, the Vancouver International Children’s Festival, and at the Walton Arts Center in Arkansas USA.
I Think I Can’s Director, and co-creator, Sam Routledge, said “we are absolutely thrilled to once again be representing Tasmania on international stages. I Think I Can has now been staged in most Australian states, and in major festivals such as in Perth and Sydney. Terrapin is now in a unique position to be taking this production to the world. The surprise and joy we see on the faces of children as they immerse themselves into the miniature community is priceless, and we can’t wait to see how Canadian and American children engage with the artwork.” In addition to the upcoming tour of North America, Terrapin is currently negotiating with presenters in Europe.
The Calgary and Vancouver festivals are the two major events for children in Canada, held annually each May. The Walton Arts Center is the major presenter of theatre and events in Arkanasas, and this will be Terrapin’s second visit to the Center, and its fourth to the USA. It is the first time the company has toured to Canada.
Terrapin Puppet Theatre is the Helpmann Award-winning company that performs to over 10,000 Tasmanian children annually, and then tours its productions to the mainland and internationally.
Kevin O’Loghlin Terrapin Puppet Theatre
