THEATRE PREVIEW

OCTOBER 2026 | Volume 268

Water Words
by Mamby Mawine and Hélène Ducharme
Motus & Djarama
Presentation House Theatre, North Vancouver
Oct. 27
$18-$45
www.phtheatre.org or 604-990-3474
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STEP INTO A WORLD OF MUSIC AND MOVEMENT WITH WATER WORDS AT PRESENTATION HOUSE THEATRE

Presentation House Theatre (PHT) is delighted to present Water Words, a dreamlike exploration of the magic of water, created in co-production by Senegal's Compagnie Djarma and Quebec's Motus Theatre, in collaboration with Dramane Dembélé of Burkina Faso.

Mamby and Hélène are friends who live a world apart. While one burns her feet on the hot sand of Senegal, walking to gather water in a bucket each day, the other's toes tingle in winter boots while she is surrounded by an abundance of water, snow, and ice in Canada. These differences only fuel their imaginations, as the two friends discover that water flows through and connects everything. Designed for children aged 6 and up, Water Words is a poetic, dreamlike exploration of the one element that flows through and connects every living soul on Earth. Water bridges cultures, continents, and history, altering landscapes and creating entire societies, and Water Words wonders, what if it could tell its story?

Over years of friendship, co-creators Hélène Ducharme (Canada) and Mamby Mawine (Senegal) shared their day-to-day lives with one another, quickly noticing the stark differences in their relationships to water. With its perceived abundance in one part of the world, and its scarcity in another, the seeds of a story were planted. "With Water Words, I want to depict the lives of thousands of women and little girls in many countries, particularly in Africa," says Mawine. "To show that not much has changed since the 1980s when I was about 10 years old and had to walk for miles to fetch water. We are still there, in our village, with women and girls responsible for this challenging task. I drew the words for the show’s sometimes painful, sometimes funny stories by diving into the well of my memories."

While Mawine and Ducharme share a goal of helping children understand the ecological and societal need for water, as well as the urgency of its loss in many parts of the world, they also wanted to build a world of magic and play for children: "With Water Words, we want to break away from a didactic discussion of water and take the children on a deep dive into all the shapes water takes in our lives!" says Ducharme, "See and hear water laugh, scream, jump, boil, rain, be cold and melt in the sun. We want the children to identify directly with water as a main character, never seeing it the same way again. If we can make our audience fall in love with water, then a true inner change can begin."

Called "An ode to wonder" by Jeu revenue de theatre, Water Words is a gentle and thought-provoking afternoon of live music and storytelling designed for children aged 6 and up, and their families, to leave feeling inspired, joyful, and a little closer to the world we share.

"Water Words is a gentle, dreamlike work of music and movement that begins with something very small that grows into a magical shared experience," says Presentation House Theatre Artistic and Managing Director, Keltie Forsyth. "A single drop of water becomes the starting point for friendship, imagination, and change."

ABOUT THE CREATORS:

Mamby Mawine began her career in theater in 1994, and in 2005 she founded the DJARAMA association with her husband, Alessandro Fanni. DJARAMA is a youth arts center dedicated to research, training, and creation in the fields of circus arts, theater, and puppetry, located in Ndayane, near Dakar. Today she is the artistic director of the Djaram’Arts Cultural Center, a director, and a trainer for theater for young audiences.

Hélène Ducharme is the co-artistic and general director of her company Motus, founded 25 years ago. As a writer, director, actress, and puppeteer, she has written, co-written, or co-adapted all of the company’s productions and directed the majority of them. She presents bold texts to young audiences and explores, through her productions, her passion for puppetry, dramatic performance, and shadow theater.

ABOUT PRESENTATION HOUSE THEATRE:

Nestled in the heart of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale, Presentation House Theatre is a home for the arts, a neighbourhood creative cultural centre providing the community with a dynamic mix of professional performing arts productions and programs — all just a Seabus away from downtown Vancouver. We are the North Shore's professional theatre company and home to the PHT Creative Hub. We proudly offer programming for children and youth, adults young and old.

CREATIVE TEAM

Written, directed, and performed by Mamby Mawine and Hélène Ducharme
Music by Dramane Dembélé
Live Music by Dramane Dembélé or Lasso Sanou
Puppets and Props by Jean Cummings and Claude Rodrigue
Character of Earth and Water by Alessandro Fanni
Costumes by Valentina Sartori
Lighting by Jérome Bérubé
Dramaturgy by Jennifer Tremblay
English Translation by Leanna Brodie
Coaching for English by Jon Lackland-Stuart et Sabine Massoma Toco
Assistant to the English Version Danaëlle Ducharme-Massé
Creative Contributors: Koffi Mens, Isabelle Chrétien and Claudine Rivest