Quebec's Théâtre Motus brings multisensory theatre to Vancouver International Children's Festival
A copresentation with Boca del Lupo, Tree and Tree: A World in Itself offer immersive experiences for babies and neurodiverse children at Carousel Theatre May 28 to June 2
TREE: A World in Itself.
Boca del Lupo and Vancouver International Children’s Festival present Théâtre Motus’s Tree for babies from May 28 to June 2, and Tree: A World in Itself for neurodiverse young children on June 1 and 2
ABOUT FIVE YEARS ago, Hélène Ducharme, the co-artistic director of Quebec’s puppetry company Théâtre Motus, was invited to do some theatrical workshops with kids on the autism spectrum. She admits she had doubts about just how much she’d be able to execute among this particular demographic; the children were mainly nonverbal and had intellectual disabilities. Her experienced proved transformative.
“I invited friends that are artists, who are dancing, doing painting, doing puppetry, doing music, and we went there and I really fell in love and discovered I could do so many things with them,” Ducharme says in a phone interview with Stir. “I could really find ways to connect, to create, to invent, to discover. From that, we started to do a lot of workshops with older ones in specialized schools in Quebec. We found out many possibilities and we thought we should do a show especially for them.”
Ducharme connected with Tim Webb, a leader in sensory theatre, and together they created Tree: A World in Itself in 2022.
“We are five actors and we interact with five kids and I thought we would just perform five shows, but we’re going on over 100 now,” Ducharme says. “I know it’s lot of work for every presenter to really think how to welcome those kids, how to make them comfortable, but I think it’s just wonderful. Most of the time we’re crying at the end of the show feeling that we are doing what we have to do in life. That’s why we continue.”
Developed initially for children on the autism spectrum, Tree: A World In Itself has been adapted to also accommodate those with intellectual disabilities and/or reduced mobility. Boca del Lupo and Vancouver International Children’s Festival are copresenting the show, for neurodiverse children aged four and up as part of Boca’s Micro Performance Series. The production also gave rise to Tree, for babies aged zero to two years old, which will also be performed at Kids’ Fest.
Both intimate multisensory performances incorporate puppetry, soft lighting, gentle music, and more, all employed in ways that suit its young, diverse audiences.
“For those kids, sometimes human faces are very complex to understand,” Ducharme notes. “With puppetry, it’s more simple: ‘I understand it so I can interact with it.’ We integrate a lot of lights into it, a lot of textures so they can touch things; there are some smells they can smell with essential oils. I think this interaction is very, very interesting. All the work with the music—the songs, the human voices—all this is to make them feel comfortable. We take time to make them feel comfortable. We’re getting very, very good reactions.
“Even if they have really great challenges, we are doing everything we can to welcome them, to make them feel comfortable and cozy,” she adds. “They can run around and scream and shout or stay silent.”
As an example of the way audiences can be accommodated, Ducharme recalls a recent show Théâtre Motus performed at Lincoln Center in New York City. One little boy didn’t want to enter the theatre space, so the creative team propped open the door so he could watch from afar. He stayed, rapt, the whole time. “I don’t think he felt he was not part of the show,” Ducharme says. “It was the way he was ready to watch it, and it’s okay.”
TREE.
Tree for babies, grew out of the success of the multisensory theatre that is Tree: A World In Itself. The show accommodates 20 tiny viewers and their accompanying adults. A piece of plastic that’s used in Tree: A World In Itself has been replaced with a large piece of silk; the didgeridoo that’s in the show for older kids has been replaced with a flute. Plants, insects, and animals visit the young audiences, while a majestic starry sky also appears.
“We found that a 37-minute show was perfect for parents and babies, and they are totally involved,” Ducharme says. “Babies can crawl, walk, they can go around; the babies are all on the set with us. They are really part of the show. We have cushions that look a little bit like nests. In the centre is a tree where all the puppets come out of.
“Parts of the show are more theatrical and others are more one-on one,” she adds. “Five persons for 20 babies gives us time to connect and to interact, and parents are so involved.”
Boca del Lupo’s Micro Performance Series launched in January with Dear Laila, presented as part of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. The Théâtre Motus works mark a new long-term collaboration between Boca del Lupo and the Vancouver International Children’s Festival, which will see one element of the Micro Performance Series being presented at the festival each year from 2024 to 2026.
Ducharme says the Tree performances are filling a gap within the theatre world.
“Parents shouldn’t be afraid to bring their kids on the spectrum, because we are always adapting and we are really aware of their sensitivity. We want them to be really comfortable. Parents are saying ‘I never thought this would be for my kids.’ Or sometimes they’ll say, ‘It’s the first time I really feel welcome.’ I think the most important thing is parents know they will be welcome no matter how their kid is feeling or having really great challenges to go out; we will take the time and they will feel they are part of community. Those kids are mostly invisible in our society and it’s really important to open our theatre for them. We are doing everything we can to make them welcome.”
Tree will be presented at Carousel Theatre for Young People on May 28, 29, and 31 at 10 am and 12 pm and on June 1 and 2 at 10 am. Tree: A World In Itself will run at the same venue on June 1 and 2 at 12 pm. 
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