Kaleidoscope's mission is to create original, innovative and relevant theatre experiences that stimulate and inspire young people and their communities.
- To provide high quality in-house professional drama for families and young people of elementary, middle and senior high school age, principally in the Greater Victoria area.
- To provide high quality professional touring productions for young people of elementary, middle and senior high school age throughout British Columbia, and whenever possible, across Canada and around the world.
- To explore the art form of theatre through the development of new and innovative works.
- To produce and present theatre that reinterprets the classics and/or explores our history or current social issues.
- To provide professional outreach and educational activities to the Greater Victoria community including classes, workshops, and a young playwrights competition and festival.
- To produce works that allow young people to perform with, and be mentored by, theatre professionals
Established in 1974, Kaleidoscope has created and produced more than 90 original plays / original adaptations for young audiences. It is the only professional theatre company on Vancouver Island offering programs designed specifically for youth and families, with full production values. Kaleidoscope has performed to over 2.5 million around the world.
Some recent highlights include:
- The Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal awarded to founding Artistic Director Elizabeth Gorrie for her work in Children's Theatre.
- Touring a series of productions titled "Kaleid-O-Phonics" (a children's introduction to the orchestra) to major orchestras across the continent.
- Collaboration with National Museums Association of Canada through About Free Lands which accompanied an exhibit on tour to museums.
- Directing adaptations of Snowgoose and Unicorns in Hebrew for the National Children's Theatre in Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Collaborating with a Japanese director to create bilingual production, Hajimari no Hajimari, which toured to Japan, U.S. and Canada.
- Tour, by invitation from the Canadian consulate, of The Ant & the Grasshopper to international schools in Brunei; this same tour featured in the Singapore International Children's Festival.
- Breaking Box Office records in Victoria with The Hobbit, which saw over 10,000 audience members come through the McPherson Playhouse doors over a period of only 10 days.
- Continuing to break records with The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe in 2003 (over 11 000 in attendance)
- National Tour (2003/ 4) to Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), Geordie Theatre (Montreal), and the Calgary International Children's Festival.
- Kaleidoscope commission of Adventures In the Rouge Trade by Robert Clinton was declared a winner of the Petro-Canada Theatre Calgary Play Advancement Competition in 2004
- Premiere of our most recent touring production The Boy Who Learned To Fly at the Vancouver International Children's Festival in May 2007
- Critically and audience acclaimed multi-media production of Shakespeare's Macbeth recorded for a feature length documentary to be broadcast nationally in 2010
- Tour of The Boy Who Learned To Fly to the Saskatchewan International Children's Festival in 2009
- Commissioning and producing professional in-house productions or tours of 17 new scripts / adaptations within the last 8 years
