Larger-than-life outdoor theatre adventure Me & The Forest comes to Granville Island, May 29 to June 14
Boca del Lupo returns to the outdoor stage in partnership with Korean puppet masters for five-metre-tall spectacle
Conifer Mitig and his sidekick Sol, the central puppets in Me & The Forest. Photo by Jay Dodge
Me & The Forest, the latest performance from award-winning experiential theatre company Boca del Lupo, invites audiences young and old to connect with nature like never before. Featuring master puppeteers from Korea’s ArtstageSAN, the outdoor co-production is making its North American debut at Ron Basford Park on Granville Island, beginning with five performances as part of the Vancouver International Children’s Festival from May 29 to 31.
Join a cast of woodland spirits as they explore the humour and wisdom of the forest in this interactive adventure for all ages. Crafted in collaboration with ArtstageSAN (hosts of the Chuncheon World Puppet Festival), Me & The Forest presents larger-than-life puppets, including a five-metre-tall West Coast conifer named Mitig and his little sidekick Sol, in an exploration of humanity’s relationship to the natural world. Immersive audio, delivered via individual wireless headphones, draws audience members into direct conversation with nature, allowing them to listen in on the musings, jokes, and stories of the ancient tree-like beings.
This one-of-a-kind show marks Boca del Lupo’s much-anticipated return to outdoor stages. The project was conceptualized by Boca del Lupo co-artistic directors Sherry J Yoon and Jay Dodge and created alongside ArtstageSAN founders JiYun and HyunSan. Starring a vocal performance from Hiro Kanagawa, it features a script by renowned Algonquin playwright Yvette Nolan and music by Pietro Amato.
Founded in 1996, Boca del Lupo has made a name for itself with award-winning Outdoor Roving Spectaculars. In 2002’s The Last Stand and 2005’s Vasily the Luckless, performers were rigged up in the trees of Stanley Park, while 2008’s Quasimodo took place under the Burrard Street Bridge with actors scaling its structure. Me & The Forest, taking place at the water’s edge of Granville Island, is the trailblazing company’s latest outdoor performance in an unconventional location.
Initially taking place over just three days at the Vancouver International Children’s Festival, Me & The Forest is now receiving an extended run, with an additional 10 shows from June 5 to 14. The extended run is made possible through the support of RBC, Boughton Law, CMHC Granville Island, and several individual donors.
Tickets and more details are available online.
Post sponsored by Boca del Lupo.
Related Articles
Majid Tafreshi’s play intertwines Nezami Ganjavi’s 12th-century poetry with the lives of contemporary theatre actors
Christopher King directs the Tony Award–winning musical comedy about a college grad finding his way in the world
A new dance work by Kirsten Wicklund and Peter Smida, the world premiere of a musical, and more round out the lineup
Short works by D/disability-identified artists offer compelling stories, from a literally spirited cabaret to the time-spanning medical office of Anton Chekhov
Singer Krystle Dos Santos and her band celebrate the record label that brought us legendary performers including Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye
One-man show by Amsterdam-based Palestinian artist Alaa Shehada had already been postponed from last spring due to processing holdups
The show, produced by Theatre Conspiracy in association with Pi Theatre, finds contemporary resonances in Eugène Ionesco’s 20th-century works
Wug, Kravga, and Moog deliver a take on Sophocles’ Greek tragedy that, in addition to copious amounts of crude humour, has its share of chillingly effective moments
Ensemble Theatre Company taps into the humid haze of a Tennessee Williams classic where love and self-deception mingle
Standout performances and design bring infectious energy to Disney’s tale of love and self-discovery
Bold update by Kate Besworth brings mythic figures closer to us while continuing to ask the ancient questions posed by Sophocles
Fierce company transforms characters by committing to the popular musical’s blend of disco, soul, and gospel
Presented by the fest and Boca del Lupo, the multifaceted one-woman show carries long-standing reflections on workout culture and the life-altering effects of a pandemic
Now streaming on Knowledge.ca, John Bolton–helmed movie stars Niall McNeil, Marcus Youssef, Veda Hille, Nathan Kay, and more, in a mix of artists with and without Down syndrome
With live music and innovative touches, a collective of established Vancouver stage artists brings eco-horror play about disappearing bees to life at the Vines Den
Part of Ensemble’s summer festival, Jiehae Park’s play references Macbeth as it takes on the power dynamics of U.S. college admissions
Great performances and impeccable set design and stage management ensure that the comedy about a hapless theatre company is a chaotic mess in all the right ways
In playwright Kate Besworth and director Ming Hudson’s adaptation, contemporary language highlights the continuing relevance of Sophocles’ 5th century BC tragedy
Bold and bloody new take on “the Scottish Play” speaks effectively to an era of intense societal fears, with postapocalyptic atmosphere to burn
The Vancouver performer straps on the platform shoes and readies her powerhouse voice for musical based on the movies she grew up watching
Homage to Eugène Ionesco is presented by Rumble Theatre and produced by Theatre Conspiracy in association with Pi Theatre
