Suitcase Theatre

We had a wonderful day at Sick Kids yesterday, with Piper leading all of the fun.

Tessa stepped in as co-star to help with our suitcase items reveal and was a great support. We also introduced our new friends “Showy” and “Telly” (thank you Morgan) to help us answer the phones. We had a great time together.

Our super fun session was all about Canadian animals. We used mime to pretend that we were different kinds of Canadian animals that are out for springtime (geese, beavers, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, moose). This inspired us to sing and act out a repeat-after-me “Moose Song” about a great big moose who liked to drink a lot of juice.

This made us wonder “what do Moose eat?” So we read “If you Give a Moose a Muffin”. We acted out all the moose activities and ate a lot of pretend muffins.

After all those muffins Piper needed a break so our puppet friend Melody showed up and told some punny jokes about owls, moose and polar bears. Then Piper and Melody led everyone in a song about grey squirrels, where they shook their bushy tails like all the squirrel family members, under water, fast and slow.

We finished up with our "It’s you I like" song and waved goodbye to all our friends. Piper and Melody felt so lucky to share their love of animals with all of our friends at Sick Kids.

We can't wait to meet our campers! Summer camp starts in less than three weeks and our hardworking crew is behind the scenes cleaning costumes, sharpening pencil crayons, gathering art supplies, making playlists and trying to contain their excitement!

There are almost no spots left, but if you're lucky you might snag one. Here are the times and locations:

The Kingsway
All Saints Kingsway Church
July 6-10
July 13-17
July 20-24
July 27-31

Bloor West Village (SOLD OUT!)
St. Olave’s Church
August 17-21
August 24-28

Register or get on the wait list today! www.suitcasetheatre.com.

Congratulations to Suitcase Theatre's Board Chair, Dr. Bernard Lawless, on his appointment to the Order of Ontario!

For more than two decades, Bernard has transformed trauma surgery and critical care medicine in Ontario, revolutionizing the delivery of care for countless patients. For the past 10 years, he has also played an integral role in enriching the lives of children through his work with Suitcase Theatre.

Congratulations, Bernard! We are incredibly proud of you and grateful to have you at the helm of Suitcase Theatre. Enjoy this well-deserved recognition.

Here's more about the amazing Bernard Lawless:
Dr. Bernard Lawless is Ontario’s leading authority in system level strategies for trauma surgery and critical care medicine strategy. For over two decades, he has revolutionized care delivery through real time data platforms, surge capacity protocols, ventilator reserves, and virtual critical care models, which were vital during severe acute respiratory syndrome and the coronavirus pandemic. His expertise in health system planning and care delivery has been applied to trauma care, transplant, adult critical care, pediatric critical care and neonatal care. His contributions have led to strengthening healthcare resilience and saving countless lives.

At Suitcase Theatre camps and workshops, children work together through the arts towards a variety of common goals.

Sometimes they need to generate ideas for a large art installation, and agree on the types of materials, colours and subject matter.

Every week-long camp ends with a performance that is created together by the children. Campers come up with the plot, write the script, decide on the props and costumes, and then practice and perform their creations.

The arts provide a great opportunity for children to develop their collaboration skills by working together toward a common goal, learning to share materials, taking turns, and respecting diverse perspectives. All of these skills will set them up for success later in life.

🎭✨ Get ready for a magical PA Day on June 5th! Join us for fun and creativity!

Register today at www.suitcasetheatre.com/pa-day-registration

Kids

Crayon scribbles.
Outlines of little hands.
Drips of glue.
Lopsided smiles on stick figures.

May your Mother's Day be filled with the perfectly imperfect artistic expressions of love from your little ones.

Jackie was back with her friends at Ronald McDonald House Toronto in April. This time, the students explored voice work, specifically focusing on commercial voice-overs.

The workshop began with familiar and new tongue twisters. Students then broke down a script together with Jackie. They looked at the script for clues like punctuation marks, and practiced together out loud before recording the commercial individually. The students even sat in a waiting room, aka their classroom, while waiting their turn to really capture the feeling of an audition! Everyone worked so hard and did a fantastic job on the recordings. There was a choice between a 15-second script, a tagline, and a 30-second script. Jackie was so proud of them! Each student heard their voiceover in real time; it's always an interesting experience to hear your voice on microphone!

Any guesses what the commercial was for? Hint: something used in creative projects.

Ronald McDonald House Toronto

What a great day we had at Art City Toronto yesterday! Ella, Arielle, Naomi and Heather had so much fun working with the kids on their end-of-year show that they will perform for family and friends!

Did you know that we offer these workshops for free through our "Play it Forward" program? A huge thank you to our sponsors and donors who help us provide fun and meaningful programs to kids at Art City Toronto, as well as the Ronald McDonald House Toronto and Sick Kids.

Did you know that when children participate in the arts, they are building a multitude of soft skills that will serve them well throughout life?

Through visual arts, music, storytelling and drama, kids can freely explore their identities, process feelings without judgment, and build confidence in their unique perspectives. Children often lack the vocabulary to articulate complex or overwhelming emotions. The arts allow them to "let out" what they are feeling. A child can paint a storm to show anger or use a fast-paced rhythm to express excitement, making their internal world visible and easier to process.

We love providing our campers, and the children we work with through our outreach programs, this vital and constructive outlet for self-expression!