CHILD-ish

About

Adults speak children’s exact words about love, life and the big questions in this fresh world premiere. Drawn from interviews with over 40 kids, Child-ish offers insights on everything from the climate crisis to what should really go into a dating profile. These unflinching conversations provide a grown-up audience with surprising insights into the world and our place in it. In collaboration with youth from the Eastside Story Guild.

“Usually adults make theatre for children. With CHILD-ish I’m excited to flip that script and have children participate in making theatre for adult audiences. During the script development process, our creative team was truly intergenerational: aged 6 to 77!” – Playwright Sunny Drake

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: CHILD-ish is a play intended for an adult audience. This show shares kids’ thoughts and feelings on a diverse range of subjects, from the whimsical to the serious, so expect to hear their insights on love, romance, how long it takes to build a spaceship, mental health – including anxiety and suicide – the climate, consent, and, of course, UNICORNS. Children are welcome to attend; however, even though the play consists of children’s words, it may not be suitable for all children. If you want to learn more about this show or have questions about bringing kids, please click here.

Artistic Team

 By Sunny Drake, with contributions from The CHILD-ish Collective.

Featuring James Yi, Sara Vickruck, Tasha Faye Evans, Tom Pickett, Craig Erickson, Maki Yi.

Directed by Lois Anderson
Assistant Direction by Heids MacDonald
Stage Management by Jethelo Cabilete

Set Design by Brian Ball
Lighting Design by Jonathan Kim
Sound Design by Mary Jane Coomber
Sound Design Assistance by Shona Struthers 
Costume Design by Brian Ball
Fight Coordination by Heids MacDonald
Kids Direction and Support by Jen Sneller and Volunteers from The Eastside Story Guild

Script Development Credits

Director of Child Engagement during script development process: Jessica Greenberg
Adult Dramaturg: Brian Quirt
Young Dramaturgs/ Core Collaborators: Julien Desrochers-Dioso, Elora Gerson, Ozzy Rae Horvath, Eponine Lee, Sumayya Iman Malik, Mia McGrinder, Sadie Kopyto Primack, Owen Ross
Script Consultant: Donna-Michelle St. Bernard
Cultural and children’s process consultants: Kusha Dadui, Bana Khoury, Rachel Mishenene, Eva Verity, J Wallace.
Language and cultural consultant: Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen
Transcription by Laura Barrett, Sunny Drake, Zoë Erwin-Longstaff, Kate Klein, Caleb Nault
Script development partners: Nightswimming, Necessary Angel Theatre Company, Theatre Passe Muraille, SummerWorks.
Key script funding partners: Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council.

Other financial support: National Arts Centre via The Collaborations, Studio 180 Theatre, Roseneath Theatre, Mammalian Diving Reflex, Crow’s Theatre and Toronto Fringe.

Showtimes

CHILD-ish plays Feb 9th – Mar 9, 2023

• Wed and Thu 7:30 pm
• Fri and Sat 8:00 pm
• Sat Matinee 2:00 pm
• Sun Matinee 2:00 pm

Special Performances

• Fri Feb 9 at 8:00 pm – preview
• Sat Feb 10 at 2:00 pm – preview
• Sat Feb 10 at 8:00 pm – Industry Mixer preview
• Wed Feb 14 at 7:30 pm – Date Night preview
• Thurs Feb 15 at 7:30 pm – Pay what you can
• Fri Feb 16 8:00 pm – Opening night
• Sat Feb 17, after the 2:00 pm show – Theatre Club
• Wed Feb 21 6:30 pm – Wine Wednesday
• Thurs Feb 22 at 7:30 pm – 2 for 1 night
• Friday Feb 23, after the 8:00 pm show – Artist Talkback

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