info@theatredirect.ca 1 Wiltshire Ave. Unit 127 Toronto, ON M6N 2V7

For Teachers: Old Man and the River

To inquiry about booking your class, click here or
contact Education Coordinator Lisa Alves, education@theatredirect.on.ca, 416 537 4191

Click here to access the Letter to Parents

Theatre Direct, an approved TDSB Education Partner, invites you and your students to experience our acclaimed production Old Man and the River, an engaging and heartwarming story about adjusting to change and making new friends.

In a forest where rivers sing, trees giggle, and curious dragonflies come to visit, a grumpy Old Man lives in his little house.
Every day is exactly the same and he likes it that way, until one day…a magical creature leaps into his life and everything changes!

Performed without words using artful tabletop puppetry and music, Old Man and the River was researched and created especially for young children. The use of symbols and patterns as well as gesture and action as a form of storytelling makes it a truly engaging and age appropriate experience.

The gentle, welcoming atmosphere, interactive pre-show program, and post-show demonstration makes Old Man and the River a perfect introduction to live theatre for your students.

Old Man and the River was a peak experience for children and teachers alike: the Director’s introduction; the exquisitely choreographed puppets; the tender, humorous and yet wordless story; the highly evocative sounds of the puppeteers; the music; the set; the engagement of the children after the performance. Overall, a tremendously artful and imaginative production perfectly executed.” – Educator

Old Man and the River is an accessible performance for young children of all needs and abilities and is supported by an on-line Social Story.

Old Man and the River is aligned with the Full Day Kindergarten Curriculum with particular emphasis on Belonging and Contributing and Self-Regulation and Well-being.

Themes:

  • Making friends
  • Offering play
  • Symbols and patterns
  • Empathy
  • Routine and adjusting to change
  • Communication without words

Appropriate for:

  • JK-2
  • English or French Immersion
  • ESL, ELL, ASD, DD, MID students
  • Autism-Friendly
  • Relaxed Performance Style

Connections to the New Kindergarten Curriculum
The most recent 2016 Kindergarten Program is based around the 4 frames: Belonging and Contributing, Self-Regulation and Well-Being, Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours, and Problem Solving and Innovating. The new curriculum also emphasizes an approach that integrates all 4 frames into classroom activities, inquiries, and experiences. This performance, associated study guide materials, and potential extension activities provides educators with an experience that ticks every box. For your convenience we have included below a link to a breakdown of overall and specific expectations met by bringing your Kindergarten class to Old Man and the River.

[button link=”https://theatredirect.ca/site/wp-content/uploads/Old-Man-and-the-River-Study-Guide-2017.pdf” bg_color=”blue”]STUDY GUIDE[/button] [button link=”https://theatredirect.ca/site/wp-content/uploads/OMATR-Curriculum-Expectations-2016.pdf” bg_color=”BLUE”]CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS[/button] [button link=”https://theatredirect.ca/site/wp-content/uploads/Old-Man-and-the-River-Unit-Full-Stephanie-Perry-June-2013-1.pdf” bg_color=”blue”]FULL KINDERGARTEN UNIT[/button]

“In the Kindergarten program, the arts provide a vehicle through which children can express their growing sense of self and their interpretations of the world. The arts transcend any single subject or discipline.”
– FDK Program 2016


Well-timed, engaging, touching, very creative! My students responded with compassion, intrigue and interest. The content was the perfect extension to our study on feelings and belonging.” – Michael Demeter, TDSB educator

“I enjoyed watching the expressions on their faces as they watched the play. I loved how the production was so accessible for them and that they could experience so much with their eyes. This was a wonderful introduction to puppetry for all our students and how a ‘leaf’, ‘trees’, can also be puppets and be a critical part of the story telling.

We particularly liked the theme of making friends and this topic is particularly relevant to all children who struggle daily to belong and to connect with children on the playground.” – Educator, Calgary

“Old Man River was a peak experience for children (grades 1 and 2) and teachers alike: the Director’s introduction; the exquisitely choreographed puppets; the tender, humorous and yet wordless story; the highly evocative sounds of the puppeteers; the music; the set; the engagement of the children after the performance. Overall, a tremendously artful and imaginative production perfectly executed.” – Educator