Harbourfront Centre: GEEK OUT!

Amazing performances and interactive activities at Harbourfront Centre's family celebration of GEEKS this Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend, October 12 & 13. Admission is free.

TORONTO, Friday, September 19, 2008 ’Äî Harbourfront Centre is excited to present its free family celebration of GEEKS with two jam-packed days of creativity and plenty of fun on Sunday and Thanksgiving Holiday Monday, October 12 & 13. HarbourKIDS: GEEK OUT! includes Beakman Live!, a live stage spectacle, based on the Emmy-winning show, Beakman's World, featuring large-scale, wacky science demos with lots of audience participation; Darwin, a brilliant show where electroluminescent creatures light up the stage; incredible theatre and music performances; Lego Invention Connection; the Laurentien Clubhouse; the Natrel Robot Reboot Station; a spelling bee; plus awesome interactive activities.



The BiG idEA for October's edition of HarbourKIDS (Harbourfront Centre's new family programme) is the celebration of GEEKS with a weekend of non-stop fun. GEEKS are those that march to the beat of their own drum, and can be artists or designers or architects or astronauts or anyone else with a passion for doing what they do. In other words, GEEKS are cool and amazing people! HarbourKIDS: GEEK OUT! is a chance for kids to do the things they love to do. Maybe they are ace spelling champs. Or master builders. Maybe they are amazing illustrators or video game whizzes.



HarbourKIDS: GEEK OUT! takes place on Sunday & Thanksgiving Holiday Monday, October 12 & 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West. Admission is free. For information, the public can call

416-973-4000 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/harbourkids.



HarbourKIDS: GEEK OUT! Highlights

Beakman Live!

Paul Zaloom (USA)

Sunday, October 12, 2:15 & 4:15 p.m.

Monday, October 13, 11:45 a.m. & 4:15 p.m.

Based on the Emmy Award-winning children's science TV show Beakman's World, Beakman Live! features Paul Zaloom as the eccentric, wacky scientist Beakman, who amazes his fellow humans with a series of death-defying and unbelievable demonstrations of intriguing scientific principles. See Beakman lie on a bed of needle-sharp nails! Watch Beakman make a flying bat materialize from thin air!



Marvel as Beakman breaks the sound barrier in front of everyone's eyes! Ponder the impossibility as Beakman makes a roll of toilet paper fly! Witness Beakman fearlessly stand in the path of a speeding bowling ball as the audience wonders in suspense if it will smash his really big head! Called "one of the most original and talented political satirists working in the theater" by The New York Times, Paul Zaloom is an award-winning performance artist, puppeteer and political satirist, who has written, designed and performed over 10 solo shows. Recommended for ages 5 and up. (For additional details on Beakman Live!, visit www.washingtonsquarearts.com/theatrical-beakman-live.asp.)



Darwin

CORBIAN Visual Arts and Dance (USA)

Sunday, October 12, 11:45 a.m.

Monday, October 13, 2 p.m.

Darwin, a Canadian premiere, is an amazing show where electroluminescent creatures light up the stage. Darwin takes audiences on a journey with Darwin, a dinosaur built by the hands of a great artist, Henslow. Kids follow Darwin from his origination as he stumbles over joy, creativity, fear, danger, victory and most importantly love’Äîand like kids, in the process of growing up, learns life lessons and begins to make decisions for himself. CORBIAN brings together dance with the visual arts to present dinosaurs in an innovative and visually striking way’Äîmaking this performance accessible to younger audiences, while also giving a creative spin on dinosaurs, which many kids are already geeks for!



CORBIAN is dedicated to entertaining and educating using new, interesting and often-simple theatrical methods and materials. Much of CORBIAN's content includes sculptures of wire and/or epoxy rods lit over black space bringing forth living crayon-like creatures and characters. In addition to the story, this production has a Q&A that gives audiences the opportunity to learn about the company's use of electroluminescent wire to bring the characters to 'life.' Recommended for ages 7 and up. (For a video clip of CORBIAN Visual Arts and Dance, visit

http://www.iancarney.com/images/PROMO_G_web300.mov.)



O is for Ogre

Waterwood Theatre Projects (Canada)

Sunday, October 12, 11:15 a.m.

Monday, October 13, 11:15 a.m. & 1:45 p.m.

Waterwood Theatre Projects presents O is for Ogre, a performance about the joy of reading! It's a tale about a young boy, Owen Osborne and his love of books. A stubborn Ogre begins to take Os out of some of Owen's favourite books. Kids are invited to follow along as Owen figures out how to get them back. Beautiful table top, hand, rod and shadow puppets, along with music make this fun-filled and enchanting show come to life. Waterwood Theatre Projects has been presenting original shows for children and family audiences for over 20 years. Recommended for ages 5-9.



Annabelle Canto (Canada)

Sunday, October 12, 1 p.m.

Bilingual performance in English/French

From Montreal, soprano Christina Tannous becomes Annabelle Canto, the young opera singer who loses both her voice and memory on the morning of an important concert. Annabelle and her pianist, played by Dominic Boulianne, set out on a quest for this magical voice. Annabelle Canto, part of the Music with Bite ongoing family concert series, is a co-production with Jeunesses Musicales Ontario. The performance is also part of Quˆ©bec Now!, a Toronto-wide celebration of contemporary Quˆ©bec arts and culture. Recommended for ages 5 and up.



A is for Awesome Spelling Bee with musical guest Bob Wiseman

Sunday, October 12, 3:45 p.m.

Calling all amazing spellers! It's kids vs. adults. Participants receive ribbons and trophies designed by local artists. Participates must be 7 years of age or older. All ages are welcome as audience members.



Laurentien Clubhouse

Kids make artist cards that they can trade with other kids, and their own geek button at the Get your Button On station.



Lego Invention Connection

Geeks are great inventors. Kids are invited to get inspired by LEGO experts' models of famous inventions and then build their own.



Natrel Robot Reboot Station

Kids create their own robot costume out of Natrel milk cartons, crafts and their imagination. Afterwards, they are invited to join a huge robot dance party.



Electricity Lab with InterAccess

Adding electricity to one's favourite things isn't only easy’Äîit's fun! InterAccess is an artist-run centre that invites people to explore art and technology. For additional details on InterAccess, visit interaccess.org.



Other not-to-be-missed activities: HyperStory with author Emily Pohl-Weary who enlists the help of participants to create a huge choose-your-own adventure story; cool comic book workshops with Zach Wartan; Impossible Project Institute by Swintak; Dungeons and Dragons; and video games.



HarbourKIDS: GEEK OUT! is supported by the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, Enwave, Sirius Satellite Radio, Pawsway, Queens Quay Terminal, Natrel, Aquafina, Laurentien and LEGO.



FOCUS: Pause

Harbourfront Centre wants you. to. slow. down. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information and images, what happens when someone really takes the time to reflect? From September to May, Harbourfront Centre wants you to pause and make a connection to art, technology, the world. Find time for yourself by taking one of our Courses and Workshops; reflect while you wait for the World Stage curtain to rise; indulge in a great book during Authors at Harbourfront Centre. Harbourfront Centre’Äìtime well spent.