It’s when take to the streets and accomplish some tasks
And today on this journey there’s some things we will ask…“
Urban Detectives was a site-specific promenade play presented by an ensemble of children in the Fall of 2024 in Toronto’s Junction Triangle neighbourhood. The child-led performance invited its audience to traverse streets and sidewalks, with scenes taking place outside storefronts, under bridges, in alleys, parks and parking lots along the way.
photo by Dahlia Katz
The form and content of the Urban Detectives performance was based on a series of missions that the ensemble members carried out in nearby neighborhoods. Likened to a scavenger hunt, these missions were made up of relational prompts generated by the children, inviting public interaction. The material generated through the missions was married with inspiration gleaned from the performance sites themselves. The play was devised by the ensemble of children working alongside a team of professional artist facilitators.
Created and Performed by the Artistic Team
Director: Lisa Marie DiLiberto
Co-Facilitators: Anthony Perpuse & Sarah McVie
Performance Ensemble:
Simon Showman, Arthur Showman, Louis Sabourin, Giselle Sabourin, Jonah Silk, Tristan Silk, Duncan Sibley, Emma Sibley, Ben Nigroni, Zevon Ketchabaw, Carmel Ketchabaw
Urban Detectives
“We’re the Urban Detectives and we’re here to say
All we wanna do is PLAY PLAY PLAY
Come on, follow us, we’ve got a mission to do
And today we’re gonna share our mission with you
A mission’s when we wander around these parts
Exploring a neighbourhood but using some art
It’s when take to the streets and accomplish some tasks
And today on this journey there’s some things we will ask…“
Urban Detectives was a site-specific promenade play presented by an ensemble of children in the Fall of 2024 in Toronto’s Junction Triangle neighbourhood. The child-led performance invited its audience to traverse streets and sidewalks, with scenes taking place outside storefronts, under bridges, in alleys, parks and parking lots along the way.
The form and content of the Urban Detectives performance was based on a series of missions that the ensemble members carried out in nearby neighborhoods. Likened to a scavenger hunt, these missions were made up of relational prompts generated by the children, inviting public interaction. The material generated through the missions was married with inspiration gleaned from the performance sites themselves. The play was devised by the ensemble of children working alongside a team of professional artist facilitators.
Created and Performed by the Artistic Team
Director: Lisa Marie DiLiberto
Co-Facilitators: Anthony Perpuse & Sarah McVie
Performance Ensemble:
Simon Showman, Arthur Showman, Louis Sabourin, Giselle Sabourin, Jonah Silk, Tristan Silk, Duncan Sibley, Emma Sibley, Ben Nigroni, Zevon Ketchabaw, Carmel Ketchabaw
Technical Direction: Charles Ketchabaw
Documentation: Meryl Ochoa, Sid Malcolm