THEATRE PREVIEW

MARCH 2024 | Volume 237

 

Marionetas de las Esquinas and PHT launch Canadian tour  of Learning and Forgetting: exploring intergenerational love with warmth, laughter, and puppetry

A story of memories lost and found, and the love that remains

This spring, the Canadian tour of Amaranta Leyva's Learning and Forgetting commences at Presentation House Theatre (PHT) in North Vancouver on April 27 & 28, 2024, co-produced with Mexico's famed Marionetas de las Esquinas.

This joyful theatrical experience for kids explores intergenerational love with warmth, laughter, and puppetry. What makes this show unique is the unexpected element– with each performance, a new senior actor steps into the role of Grandpa, artfully reflecting the complexities of memory loss. Through playful theatrical devices, the audience and cast add fresh details to each performance, unknown to the actor portraying Grandpa. Like the character, the actor is guided through the story by the children.

In December 2021, Marionetas de la Esquina premiered the Spanish version of Learning and Forgetting in Coyoacán near Mexico City to critical and audience acclaim. Since then, the English-language production has been mounted twice at PHT in the spring of 2022 and 2023. This year, Learning and Forgetting will be kicking off a Canadian tour, starting in North Vancouver and traveling to Ottawa, St. Catharines, and Toronto in May 2024. 

"I am so excited to be taking this show on a national tour! Each performance is truly special, as it features a new senior actor each time. Going to Ontario, we will be working with some of Canada’s finest acting talent," shares director, Kim Selody. 

In the story, young Eva and her brother embark on a heartwarming adventure with their beloved Grandpa, whose memories often take flight like butterflies in the wind. Eva and her brother lift Grandpa’s spirits on moving day as he transitions into a new home. Together they learn to find joy in the moment, play in the present, and create new stories together.

Written by award-winning playwright Amaranta Leyva, Learning and Forgetting draws inspiration from her own family experiences, and the relationship between a young child and her grandparent who has dementia. 

"This is a tribute to my father, Lucio,” Leyva reflects, “When he began to lose his memory, his awareness became focused in the present, just as a small child’s often is. While one learns, the other forgets." Leyva's father, Lucio Espíndola, was the founding patriarch of Marionetas de la Esquina and passed away two years ago. 

"I know Lucio, who the role was created for, and was based on his relationship with his granddaughter, would be proud of how far this show has come," shares Selody, "His memory lives on with each actor we work with. This is truly a live theatre experience that will not be forgotten soon!"

Learning and Forgetting is on stage at Presentation House Theatre on April 27 & 28, 2024. Tickets are on sale at phtheatre.org/box-office/ or 604-990-3474. For more information and show details, please visit www.phtheatre.org/

LISTING INFORMATION

Learning and Forgetting Co-Production with Marionetas de las Esquinas and Presentation House Theatre

Dates and Times:

April 27 & 28, 2024 Saturday, April 27 – 1:00 PM & 4:00 PM Sunday, April 28 – 11:00 AM & 1:00 PM

Ticket Prices:

$24 / $20 / $17

Address:

Presentation House Theatre 333 Chesterfield Avenue (at 3rd Street) North Vancouver, BC V7M 3G9

Box Office:

phtheatre.org/box-office/ or 604-990-3474

Website:

www.phtheatre.org/

 

 

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