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Arts Council crows about new theatre project

Crow Theatre is designed to be an outdoor street theatre, with multiple applications for community engagement

The Campbell River Arts Council will be showcasing its Crow Theatre in the Canada Day Parade.

Crow Theatre is designed to be an outdoor street theatre, with multiple applications for community engagement. The Arts Council has contracted Heather Gordon Murphy of Raincoast Productions to guide the development of Crow Theatre. Future plans include the performing of various street antics around the city, alongside the development of a Crow Crier (Town Crier), Crow Cops, a Puppet Theatre and Educational Crows working with various grade level classrooms on social justice issues.

Crow Theatre also aims to have value added benefits for the community of Campbell River in that it promotes cultural tourism and supports current cultural initiatives in the City. This project is sponsored by a B.C. Arts Council ABCD Grant.

Crow Theatre has tremendous potential to be inclusive of all cultural narratives. An extremely intelligent bird, crows are interpreted as both serious and playful, a joy or a pest depending on context.  The Crows can have multiple personalities, ranging from the Shakespearean ‘Fool’ (acting as the conscience of the community) to slapstick entertainment to pantomime to educational teachers. Scripted vignettes will be designed to be flexible enough to adapt to various performing contexts as well as to the skills of the performers.

Crow Theatre aims to create a ‘branding’ aspect of Campbell River. The Crows visibility on the streets or popping up in surprising places, has the potential to become a presence that contributes to the positive experience of living in or visiting our City.

“Did you see the Crows?” is a question they hope to instill within locals and tourists alike.  Watch for them in the Canada Day Parade.