Welcome to the 2024/2025 Season
A message from the Executive Director of Prologue Performing Arts.
Prologue Performing Arts is excited to move into this new season with 7 new artists, with programs in Indigenous arts, theatre, dance, and music, along with returning artists who performed for over 330,000 students and youth throughout Ontario over this past year, supported in part by $15,000 in funding through Prologue’s Possibility Program.
We were excited to launch some new student initiatives including The Prologue Club in 12 different schools, and the Northern Residency Program; a week-long drumming workshop series with grade 4 & 5 students. We concluded the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind project, graining accessibility insights to explore for the coming year, documented by a self-produced podcast series featuring staff, students, and artists.
We’re thrilled to announce our new Leadership Through the Arts initiative, the Student Programming Committee, that will bring student voices from across the province to Prologue and help us to program artists that youth relate to and are inspired by.
After a second year of presenting Arts Break, our accessible performance series, this past summer at Evergreen Brick Works, where over 1,000 people enjoyed Prologue performances, we are thrilled to be returning this upcoming summer with Canadian Parents for French as our programming sponsor.
We are so grateful to our major supporters including the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council, as well as our donors and sponsors that help us provide different opportunities throughout the year to the community, teachers, and youth. And of course, we are forever grateful to the educators and parents who help Prologue advocate for arts education within schools. We all have a responsibility to encourage the next generation of arts lovers through the work we do, and we are so honoured to help provide the inspiration for that future.
We look forward to seeing you all for the 2024/2025 season!
Sincerely,
Maria Williams Executive Director
Table of Contents
Land Acknowledgement
From everyone here at Prologue, we would like to express our gratitude for the ability to work, live, and gather on this traditional territory named Tkarón:to; the place in the water where the trees stand; the land that is currently known as Toronto.
We would like to acknowledge that we are situated on the lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Wendat Peoples. We acknowledge them and the many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, and all other Nations who care for this land (recorded and unrecorded).
We recognize our responsibility to understand and disrupt the ongoing systems of oppression, and to reflect on the meaning of, and the path towards, reconciliation.
David Lane
Available:
Mar 4 – 7 (In-person)
Virtual by request
Grade Range: K – 8
Curriculum Connections: Music
French Education
Dr. Accordion
Available: Limited Year-round
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Musical Arrangements
Experiential Learning
From Humming to Mouth Drumming
In-Person or Virtual Workshop
An interactive workshop of vocal gymnastics, instrument imitation, and beatboxing. Participants will experiment making sounds of their own, and share with the group.
You Can Beat Box!
In-Person or Virtual Workshop
This interactive workshop kicks off with a short beatboxing performance, after which students learn to make a variety of beatbox noises of their own!
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
Follow the Feeling
In-Person or Virtual Performance
Written by Digital Accordion
Champion Michael Bridge (AKA Dr. Accordion), Follow the Feeling is a fun exploration of “all those feels” that music evokes! Students will learn about musical mindfulness, and using music as a force for good in the world. Audience members contribute as both musicians and composers with polyrhythmic clapping, and a live arranging session—where their musical decisions come to life in real-time!
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Fana Soro
Available:
Limited year-round
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Equity & Inclusion
French Education
Well Being
AKWAABA! Welcome to Africa! In-Person Performance
Fana Soro welcome’s you to the music, dance, and wise messages of the Senoufo people from the Ivory Coast. Learn about the continent of Africa, their instruments, and the love that Senoufo people have for their community. Fana will introduce Balafon rhythms, dance moves, and traditional songs. You are guaranteed to feel the beat!
Djembe drumming workshops are also offered in-person or virtually
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
Jeremy Fisher Music
Available:
Limited year-round
Grade Range: K – 6
Curriculum Connections:
Social emotional learning
Well Being
Sing with Jeremy / Chanter avec Jeremy In-Person or Virtual Performance
This social emotional learning (SEL) experience features Jeremy Fisher, the JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter behind CBC Kids series Jeremy and Jazzy. Jeremy and the students explore themes of science, nature, literacy and well-being through songs and movement in this interactive performance.
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Joaquín Núñez & Rumberos
Available:
Year-round
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Equity & Inclusion
Well Being
Cuba Brazil Carnival Experience In-Person or Virtual Performance
In his energetic and interactive performance, Joaquín showcases World Music and Latin rhythms. Students will have the opportunity to participate in percussion exercises, vocal chants, and traditional dance steps, and learn about percussion instruments used in styles such as Samba and Conga.
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
Krystal Dos Santos
Available:
Virtual only, by request
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Equity & Inclusion
Music History
More than Motown
Virtual Performance Watch Preview
Krystle and her 4-piece band take audiences back to the peak of Motown Music to learn about its historical and significant impact on soul music.
BLAK | Canadian Women in Music
Virtual Performance Watch Preview
Embark on a powerful musical journey celebrating notable Black Canadian women in music that weaves in important stories about the underground railroad and civil rights movement
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
Available: Year-round
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections: Equity & Inclusion Experiential Learning
Mike Ford
Available: Limited year-round
Grade Range: 4 – 12
Curriculum Connections: French Education Cross-Curricular Connections
Together! A Global Music Experience
In-Person or Virtual Performance Watch Preview
A celebration of Canada’s cultural diversity and pluralism, Kuné showcases music from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and North America. Students will learn about where each artist is from, what languages they speak, and see and hear the sounds of the Oud, the Cajon, the Dizi, the Ngoni and more.
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TROUBADOUR
In-Person or Virtual Performance
Ford's hilarious original songs combine audience participation and storytelling to explore Canadian history, sustainability, and treaty responsibility.
Les mots qui chantent/Canada Needs Songs - In-Person or Virtual Workshops
Groups are guided through stages of improv, brain-storming, song structure, rhyme & rhythm and editing, to provide experience in lyric-based song creation.
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Njacko Backo
Available: Year-round
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Equity & Inclusion
French Education
African Voyage/ Voyage Africain
In-Person or Virtual Performance
In this interactive performance, students will learn the important role that music, dance, and storytelling play in everyday life in Cameroon. Students will experience and participate in traditional dance and drumming, listen to a traditional story, and learn about the importance of community in Central Africa.
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Razzmatazz for Kids
Available: February 24March 7, 2025
Virtual by request
Grade Range: K – 3
Curriculum Connections:
French Education
Experiential Learning
Razzmatazz for Kids
In-Person or Virtual Performance
Weaving songs and stories together, the award-winning Razzmatazz for Kids has been delighting young audiences for 25 years with their original children’s music and traditional songs in English and French. Their interactive concerts engage students with singing, wordplay, and actions. Some volunteers also play shakers and spoons to accompany the little wooden “limberjack” dancer. Their concerts are full of funny antics and joy, and address the elementary school curriculum in Music, Language Arts, and Social Studies.
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
Sitar Fusion
Available:
December 16 - 19, 2024
May 26 - 29, 2025
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Equity & Inclusion
Character Development
French Education
Sultans of String
Available:
Limited year-round
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Diversity through music
French Education
In the Footsteps of the Great Medieval Traveller Ibn Battuta
In-Person or Virtual Performance
Watch Preview
In this performance and workshop, participants will experience the music and dance of some of the countries that Ibn Battuta travelled to: Morocco, Greece, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China. Inspired by this journey, Anwar Khurshid will play a variety of instruments and sing while Geneviève Beaulieu dances.
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Sultans of String: A WORLD OF MUSIC
In-Person or Virtual Performance
3x JUNO Award nominees and Billboard charting artists Sultans of String take you on a musical journey around the world! Led by Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient and violinist Chris McKhool, this thrilling performance presents a sonic tapestry of world music that explores styles, harmonies, and melodies from around the globe. The group combines Arabic folk from Chris’ heritage, Spanish flamenco, East Coast fiddling, Cuban rhythms, and Django-jazz.
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Will’s Jams
Available: Feb 24 – 28 (In-person)
Virtual by request
Grade Range: K – 6
Curriculum Connections: Well-Being French Education
Will’s Jams| En haut, en bas, on y va ! In-Person or Virtual Performance
JUNO-nominated musician and educator Will Stroet offers interactive concerts with his 3-piece band, featuring sing-along choruses, signlanguage, and witty word play. Will’s original music explores the themes of literacy, imagination and creativity, and living a healthy and active lifestyle.
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
Candy Bones Theatre
Available: April 28 – May 2, 2025
Grade Range: K – 8
Curriculum Connections:
Character Development
Well-being
Oopsie
Candy Roberts uses character, physical and improvised theatre, tap dance and shadow puppetry to explore the question, “Is it OK to make mistakes?” and to investigate the neuroscience of failure, growth mindset, creativity and well being. Part workshop, part performance, the program includes interaction, the intention of this performance is to support a culture of celebrating mistakes and creative risk taking, and create mistakefriendly environments.
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Catch Me in the Kitchen
Available:
Limited year-round
Grade Range: K – 3
Curriculum Connections:
Character Development
Early French vocabulary
Catch Me in The Kitchen Story Adventures
Who will outsmart “the most handsome, most daring, most petrifyingly feared wolf in all the province of Ontario?” Canadian storytellers Ginette Mohr and Stephen LaFrenie present two reimagined classic tales from their repertoire. Each tale features delightful characters and surprising twists. The performance is a blend of storytelling and physical theatre, told in English with occasional offerings of French words and expressions for introductory-level French learners.
Story-building workshops are also offered
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
DuffleBag Theatre
Available: Year-round
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Character Development
French Education
M. John Kennedy
Available: Year-round
Grade Range: K – 6
Curriculum Connections:
Literacy
Character Development
Fairy Tales & Classics
In-Person Performance
DuffleBag Theatre brings classic fairy tales and folktales to life in their signature funfilled and humorous fashion, using audience members as the stars.
Available Shows:
• Beauty and the Beast (BIL: La Belle et la Bête)
• Cinderella (BIL: Cendrillon)
• Peter Pan
• Robin Hood
• Snow White (BIL: Blanche Neige)
• The Three Musketeers (BIL: Les trois mousquetaires)
• A Christmas Carol
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Fireside Munsch
In-Person Performance
M. John Kennedy’s hit solo show
Fireside Munsch is a high-energy performance featuring four of Robert Munsch’s classic stories performed as one wacky storytelling play. There are three zany shows to choose from based on four beloved Munsch stories:
Fireside Munsch: Put Me in a Book!, Andrew’s Loose Tooth, Alligator Baby, and Swamp Water. MORE Fireside Munsch: Seeing Red, The Sandcastle Contest, Give Me Back My Dad, and Smelly Socks
Fireside Munsch Classics: 50 Below Zero, PIGS, Something Good, and The Paper Bag Princess.
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
Puzzle Theatre
Available: January, 2025
Grade Range: K – 6
Curriculum Connections: Storytelling Environmental Sustainability
Shoestring Opera
Available: Magic Flute: February 17 - 21, 2025
Schoolyard Carmen: May 5 - 9, 2025
Grade Range: K – 6
Curriculum Connections: Character Development
French Education
Woods / Bois
In-Person Performance
In keeping with its artistic approach, Puzzle Théâtre draws inspiration from a whole new medium to create an atypical, colourful puppet show, full of humour and unexpected situations. Pieces of wood come together to form strange creatures... some hostile, some comical, to create a curious world that surprises and amazes, and inspires. A world that also makes you think and wonder.
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The Magic Flute / La flute enchantée In-Person or Virtual Performance Watch Preview
In this adaptation of Mozart’s most famous opera, Allegra and Papageno embark on an adventure of sharing and self-discovery.
The Schoolyard Carmen Watch Preview
In this adaptation of Bizet's opera, Carmen is a little girl who stands up to the “coolest kid in school”. It’s a story of schoolyard bullying, resiliency and personal independence.
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Artists in Motion
Available: February 3 – 14, 2025
Grade Range: 1 – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Storytelling through dance
Black in Canada
In-Person Performance
Black in Canada Dance Theatre
Production is an episodic performance that uses dance, spoken word, and recorded archives to reinforce the powerful impact that Black people have had on the social and cultural fabric of our land. The work interprets the hurtful consequences of systemic racism and aims to educate the audience about the true histories and contemporary climate of hate speech and racial oppression within Canada.
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Little Pear Garden Dance Company
Available: April 28 - May 9, 2025
Grade Range: 1 – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Asian Heritage / History
The Tales of Goddesses and a Painter
In-Person Performance
This story follows the Chinese Empire's best painter as he travels the Silk Road, creating cave paintings inspired by the many cultures along the way.
Virtual workshops are also available
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
3 Crows Productions
Available: May, 2025
Grade Range: K – 8
Curriculum Connections:
Indigenous Education Equity & Inclusion
Raven In-Person Performance
Indigenous storyteller Dallas Yellowfly brings a light hearted, high-energy version of “How Raven Stole the Sun” to life using interactive theatre. The audience will learn some traditional names of locations on Turtle Island using Indigenous words and languages as well as the holistic values of some Indigenous Peoples. The audience will also gain an understanding of Indigenous Oral Traditions, the power of laughter in storytelling, and the importance of respecting the environment.
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The Chimera Project
Available: June 10 – 13, 2025
Grade Range: K – 6
Curriculum Connections:
Indigenous Education Equity & Inclusion
Silly Billy In-person Performance
Silly Billy is a story about a rare white buffalo, unhappy with his uniqueness, who goes on a quest to find the magical Unicorn in the hopes of emulating this mythical creature. Through adventures, obstacles, misunderstandings and mishaps, Billy discovers his own self-worth, embraces his difference, and takes his place alongside the Unicorn as the legendary great white buffalo of the plains.
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Kung Jaadee
Available: May 4 - 9, 2025
Virtual by request
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Indigenous Education Equity & Inclusion
Haida Stories
In-person or Virtual Performance
In her storytelling performance, Kung Jaadee shares a few famous Haida legends about Raven (Yaahl), the creator of the world, and their universal teachings. She also shares some traditional Raven songs while using her drum, teaches some basic words in aad Kil (Haida language), and shows X̱ her traditional regalia. A post-show Q & A includes a discussion about Haida culture and history.
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Mestre Sérgio & Suzanne
Available: Year-round
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections:
Indigenous Education Equity & Inclusion
From Pernambuco to TKaronto: a cultural movement & musical voyage! In-Person or Virtual Workshop(s)
Join Mestre Sérgio Xocolate for an authentic Capoeira workshop, featuring rich traditional movements, music, songs, dance, drumming and important stories of cultural expression and preservation from the North East of Brazil. Suzanne Roberts Smith provides facilitation in English and/or French as well as movement & percussion accompaniment.
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Tribal Vision Dance
Available:
Year-round
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections: Indigenous Education Equity & Inclusion
Visions of Turtle Island
In-Person or Virtual Performance
Explore First Nations history and traditions in Tribal Vision’s high-energy performance! The artists will explain the history and significance of their dances and illustrate the cultural experience of First Nations peoples in Canada. This show is an introduction to the powwow culture of North American Indigenous people.
First Nations Dance
In-Person or Virtual Workshop
Students will be moving and dancing for the duration of this high energy dance workshop. They will learn about the history and meanings of the dances that they participate in.
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Contact us to learn about Tribal Vision Dance’s professional development workshops for teachers
All Star SLAM
Available: May, 2025
Grade Range: 5 – 12
Curriculum Connections: Literacy
Experiential Learning
Brendan McLeod
Available: Limited year-round
Grade Range: K – 7
Curriculum Connections: Literacy
Experiential Learning
All Star SLAM
In-Person or Virtual Performance
Slam is a poetic competition in which the audience rates each poem with a score of 1-10, just like in the Olympics. In this case, the judges are the students! And the poets? Former Canadian SLAM champ Brendan McLeod, Second City alum Justin Carter, and Julia Course—a 14-year veteran at the Shaw Festival. They present a wide-range of poetic styles and subject matter: high-octane original poetry, classical dramatic monologue, silly standup and improv.
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
Holy Guacamole! (It’s a Poetry Show!)
Watch Preview
In-Person or Virtual Performance
Holy Guacamole offers students the opportunity to revel in the thrill of word play while offering practical lessons about rhythm and figurative language. Featuring a dinosaur rap, songs about planets and pets, and hilarious haikus and poems, the show delivers content that’s both entertaining for the ears and challenging for the mind.
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Britta B.
Available: Limited year-round
Grade Range: 4 – 12
Curriculum Connections: Equity & Inclusion Anti-Bullying Awareness
Keosha Love
Available: January 7 – 31 + limited dates in February, 2025
Grade Range: K – 12
Curriculum Connections: Equity & Inclusion Well-being
Rebel with a Rhyme
In-Person or Virtual Performance
How do you find your voice and turn it into a career? In her performance, Britta B. uses poetry performance and conversation to discuss how she came to recognize her voice through spoken word poetry and turned it into her career. Her talk explores themes of identity, diversity, women’s empowerment, and resiliency as a platform for creative and thriving communities.
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
The Power of Storytelling In-Person or Virtual Performance
This presentation explores the roots and origins of Poetry & Spoken Word and the impact storytelling has in a modern context. Spoken Word elements can be found in Hip-Hop, Rap, Jazz, Theatre and more. Our words and stories matter, whether they are about love, culture, or social change. Poetry is a powerful outlet to use our voice and in this workshop we will seek to discover ours, how to own it and use it through our creative writing.
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Rukhsana Khan
Available: Year-round
Grade Range: K – 8
Curriculum Connections: Equity & Inclusion Literacy
Stories for Building Bridges
In-Person or Virtual Performance Watch Preview
Critically-acclaimed author Rukhsana Khan shares stories from behind the scenes of her highly acclaimed books. Exploring South Asian culture and issues surrounding poverty, immigration, and family, Rukhsana shares her inspiration and writing process.
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
Contact us to learn about Rukhsana’s professional development workshops for teachers
Squirrel Suit Productions
Available: Limited year-round
Grade Range: 4 – 12
Curriculum Connections: Inclusion & Neurodiversity Anti-bullying Awareness
Well being
The ADHD Project
In-Person or Virtual Performance
Storyteller/Comedian Carlyn Rhamey shares the trials and triumphs of growing up with ADHD and learning to embrace what makes us different. From her diagnosis and placement in a segregated classroom to navigating her “superpower” now as an adult, this is an intimate and honest journey exploring ADHD and celebrating neurodiversity.
View Artist Page Submit an Inquiry
The Programs listed here are available to book in French or bilingual
Click on an artist’s image to navigate back to the full program description.
DuffleBagTheatre
Fana Soro
David Lane
Jeremy Fisher Music
Dr. Accordion
The Programs listed here are available to book in French or bilingual
Click on an artist’s image to navigate back to the full program description.
Razzmatazz for Kids
Njacko Backo
Mike Ford Mestre Sergio & Suzanne
Puzzle Theatre
The Programs listed here are available to book in French or bilingual
Click on an artist’s image to navigate back to the full program description.
Sultans of String Will’s Jams
Shoestring Opera
Sitar Fusion
The Possibility Program
The Possibility Program is inspired by the founding vision of Prologue – that every young person in Ontario should have access to performing arts experiences.
The Program subsidizes performances and workshops in schools that are identified as underserved to address issues of equity caused by limited school arts budgets.
Successful applicants will receive $500 per school year that can be used to subsidize a Prologue performance or workshop.
Leadership Through the Arts
The Leadership Through the Arts Program (LAP) is an initiative designed to foster youth leadership among students across Ontario through the arts.
LAP includes The Prologue Club, which brings students into the planning process of bringing performing arts to their schools; LAP North, a mentorship program in Northern Ontario; and The Student Programming Committee, a group of students who will provide input on our company of artists each year.
Support Us
Not only was the performance engaging but it was immensely educational! My students and I were in awe and we learned so much. After the performance, as a classroom, we discussed our understanding… Our classrooms’ biggest takeaway was that the performance was more than just dancing and singing but First Nations peoples’ culture, history, storytelling. My students made further connections in their own lives by also sharing their traditional clothes, music, beliefs, food, and other customs.
– Cherokee Public School, TDSB
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