Grindrod’s best secret

A giant head and hands made in 2009. (Photo courtesy Runaway Moon)

In the heart of the rich farmland of the Shuswap River valley, near Enderby, BC, lies the tiny community of Grindrod. You won’t see a whole lot as you drive past it, but Grindrod holds a secret. On a 5-acre organic vegetable farm called Curly Willow Farm, lies the Runaway Moon Theatre, a critically-reviewed, professional Puppet Theatre and Puppet Museum.

In 1998, the Enderby and District ‘Community Play’ created a new interest in local cultural activity. Soon afterward, a large-scaled theatrical event called ‘Out of the Ordinary’, involving two hundred local residents, inspired the idea of the Runaway Moon Theatre.

The theatre was formed in 2002, with the mission “to create innovative puppet theatre and community arts experiences that engage the imagination and offer alternate perspectives.” They have done this with the development of a distinctive multi-layered style of theatre, combining the talents of a variety of associate artists. In the years since their beginning, founding Artistic Director, Cathy Stubington has taken the artists on a journey in which they have explored and developed the art of puppetry through the Picardi Marionette Theatre in Montreal, a series of productions at the Caravan Farm Theatre in Armstrong, BC and many other collaborative projects in the province.

From serious Shakespeare with actors and puppets sharing the stage to a chorus of a hundred brightly-costumed community performers singing in 4-part harmony, their inventive performances are unforgettably magical!

Runaway Moon shows combine puppets of different sizes with live actors, exploring the dramatic and often comedic dynamics between the different sizes of the characters on the stage. The line becomes blurred between real and imaginary as real people and puppets interact. Children delight and adults remember the magic of their own childhoods and perhaps are reminded that everything is possible when you believe in magic.

Another side of Runaway Moon is their large scale community-based events, with themes such as local food or water and which climax with an outdoor community ‘spectacle’ celebrating the environment and our place in it. The community is encouraged to participate in these events and often experience their own long-forgotten creativity.

The company has created numerous productions and events in and around Enderby and draws eager audiences from all around the Shuswap, the Okanagan and Kamloops areas.

During productions or by appointment, visitors can enjoy the small puppet museum on the farm, with hundreds of puppets, masks and set pieces from across the country.

For further information about Runaway Moon Theatre, you may send an email to info@runawaymoon.org or visit the website at http://www.runnawaymoon.org

Puppets on the banks of the Shuswap River, from a 2005 community show. (Photo courtesy Runaway Moon)