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PREVIOUS YEARS
Look back at eleven years of The Thousand Faces Festival
2022
Come on down to Myth Country Fair! Revel in the festival's sights, smells , sounds and stories! See curious creatures and heroes from tales of yore! Drink in the harvest vibe in the October air, and chow down on mythic faire, and go on an adventure!
The Creature in the Dark follows Salmon as they venture away from their home in search of a mysterious Creature that has taken over the lands. Salmon must learn to be brave as they encounter other animals, some friendly and some not. Will they discover what or who this Creature really is?
A new mythic puppet adventure, written by Anishinaabe playwright Josh Languedoc (Rocko and Nakota: Tales From the Land). Drawing on the wisdom from many mythologies and featuring puppets designed by Edmonton Puppet Master Randall Fraser (Little Shop of Horrors, Urashima Taro). Directed by Maralyn Ryan and Mark Henderson.
In 2021, The Thousand Faces Festival put out a submission call to Edmonton Playwrights for short (10-20 minute) plays based in and around mythology. A blind jury then screened and selected five plays and were so excited to present workshopped versions to the Edmonton Arts Scene! Plays written by Liam Monaghan, Calla Wright, Samantha Fraughton, Kijo Gatama and Liam Salmon. Jurors included Amanda Samuelson, and Marina Mair-Sánchez.
CanNatyam offered performances by professional artists from across Canada in four distinct and enchanting styles, each originating from a different region of India. Curated by leading bharatanatyam artist Malavika Venkatsubbaiah, CanNatyam was a special initiative for the Thousand Faces Festival’s tenth anniversary celebration. Each show is a unique experience, only to be performed once.
Featuring:
Annanya Biswas, Roshni Kumar, Usha Dance Group, Natyam Ensemble, and Sopanam Canada
The string of mythic pearls was a night of luxurious mythic performance art, intertwined with a delectable multicultural feast. It took place October 15 and 16, 2021 at the Alberta Avenue community center. A
number of shows were presented:
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The Mythic Nature of Everyday Life, by Maggie Field. A series of poems performed. Poems included: "Poetry Goes to her Day Job", "Gryphons", "The Sapphire Morpho", "Books are Invertebrates", "At the Bus Stop Early One Morning", "Gratitude", "Ready to Toast the Spirit", "I Have Nothing to Say" & "Ready for my Date".
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Riya Mittal. A magnificent dance performance by Riya Mittal with choreography by Smt. Kumudini Lakhia, Usha Gupta, Pandit Birju Maharaji & Sudeshna Maulik
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Tales for a River God, by Ruoh-Yeng Chang, Elysia Jong, Vanessa Jong, Jessica Tran, Julia Tran, Kathy Huynh, Wilson Huynh, Jia Jia Yong & Siaw En Yong. When the mightiest of the river gods, the Golden Dragon King, is provoked by a foolish man, the enraged waters of the Yellow River threaten to overwhelm the village.
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My First Greek Sunset, by Amanda Samuelson. Performed by Amanda Samuelson and Josh Languedoc. Maia recalls her first night in Athens, Greece. She has travelled there, alone, for her fall break. Hoping to see the Acropolis, she takes a walk in the fading sunlight along a trail that goes through a small forest. It is here that she meets a man who at first chcharms and then irrevocably changes her.
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JeevadhaaIU, by the Natyam ensemble. It is a premier south-Asian dance company in alberta, nurturing and promoting excellence in bharathanatya.
2021
The Strings of Puppet Stories was an online festival streamed out of the National Stiltwalkers Society on November 5 + 6 in 2021. This was streamed on Facebook and YouTube, and featured a numbers of plays from a variety of playwrights.
Plays Included:
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Early One Morning, by Kate Ryan
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The Creature in the Dark by Josh Languedoc
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Party Animal by Andres Moreno, &
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Multiple Performances by DerRic Starlight
2020
Mohini:
The Enchantress
A Shivamanohari Dance Company Production, based on the book by Anuja Chandramouli. Set against the tumult and intrigue of a celestial quest for immortality, the Shuivamanohari Dance Company brings the extraordinary saga of Mohini to vivid life. Balancing delicately on the tightrope between mythology and reality, the viewer is taken on a dizzying ride through the shifting sands of time, gender, love, and desire, deftly intertwining the threads of the past and the present, blurring the lines between fact and fiction while spinning a deliciously entertaining yarn for the ages.
Sissy Thiessen &
Sebastian Barrera
A multi disciplinary art work exploring the similarities of cultural struggle, resistance and resilience through the powerful artforms of song, dance and spoken word. This piece weaves a story which invokes critical thought and invites viewers to reflect on common mythology around colonization across Turtle Island.
URASHIMA TARO
Rewarded for his kindness to a turtle, a Japanese fisherman is transported to an undersea kingdom. While he enjoys his stay, above the waves centuries speed past. What will he find when he returns?
Written by Tololwa Mollel and directed by Maralyn Ryan
A Virtual String
of Mythic Pearls
A Virtual String of Mythic Pearls was an online iteration of our annual mythic, multicultural cabaret, featuring:
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Anthem of the Decades: A Zulu Epic, by Helen Belay and Mazisi Kunene is an excerpt dealing with the final battle between humanity and the goddess Nokufa.
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MahaMaya - The Goddess Within, by Malavika Venkatsubbaiah and Dr. Deepak Paramashivan, is a story of the birth of ultimate energy that enables us to overcome the demons of our own nature.
A String of Mythic Pearls
An epic feast of myth and food. Featuring:
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Pachakuteq Espinoza – Music of the Earth
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Excerpt of Shakepsepeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Theatre Prospero
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A Kathak Terrana – Usha Kala Niketan
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Rabindranath Tagore’s Freedom from Fear – Mark Henderson
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Stone Blood – Playwright Samuel Twinn reads an excerpt of his coming play.
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Somos Las Raizes (We Are The Roots) – Lady Vanessa Cardona and Sebastian Barrera
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Excerpt of Tololwa Mollel’s play Urashima Taro – The Thousand Faces Ensemble
• Virahi Chitra – a dance-drama adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s Chitrangada, Malavika Venkatsubbaiah with Dr. Deepak Paramashivan, Prof. Michael Frishkopf, Michael Frishkopf Abhishek Iyer, Abhisek Iyer and Helen Belay.
Shiva – Usha Kala Niketan • Purple Dragon Burlesque – Arabella Allure • NUKE – Written and performed by Gabby Bernard • Fruity Mambo – Performed by Arabella Allure with • Willka Pacha – Latin Rock and other styles
2019
Mythic Family Jewels
Featuring:
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Family Quest for the Ultimate Jewel
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Urashima Taro
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Bengali Folk Dance – Usha Kala Niketan
There was also free ice cream!
2018
Mythic Family Jewels
A sumptuous multicultural banquet of food & mythic art, dance, theatre and more! Featuring:
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Rocko and Nakota: Tales From the Land, a new play by Anishinaabe playwright/improvisor/director/storyteller Josh Languedoc. Rocko and Nakota explores the interplay between stories of the present against the long forgotten stories of the past.
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The Nightingale, by Kaybridge Productions. The Emperor of China’s greed for beauty lays waste to his kingdom and happiness until he learns to hear the song in his heart.
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EPIC?! by Gabby Bernard and Joel David Taylor is a performance experience where students took on central roles from the hero's journey, guided by able and fun facilitators, and cheered on by their peers.
A String of Mythic Pearls
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Indian Folk Dance, presented by Usha Gupta
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Waijo African Drummers & Booming Tree Taiko
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The Sapphic Whore of Olympus. Amid a tense clash of love and friendship with a goddess and a warrior, Medusa sets out to enact revenge on those who wronged her and reclaim her life.
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The Hermaphrodite and the Pouncing Nymph, Directed by Mark Henderson, is a collection of Greco-Roman poetry performed by festival artists.
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Sedna and the Sea, by Joel David Taylor and Gabby Bernard, is the story of the Inuit Goddess of the sea, performed through entrancing shadow puppetry
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Kathak - Dance of the Temple and the Mughal Court, Presented by Usha Gupta, is the story of the rhythmic journey of Kathak through the ages.
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The Rocks Hit the Sea, An adaptation of a Norse myth about the Goddess of skiing, winter and the mountains. After the death of her father, the giant Skadi seeks vengeance.
2017
Mythic Family Jewels
Featuring:
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Story House
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Mythic Adventure
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The Monkey King
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Bollywood Dance
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A Great Big Kiss
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Mythic Art
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Myth-dances from India
A String of Mythic Pearls
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The Monkey King, An interactive performance
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The Fisherman and his Wife, by Kaybridge Puppet Theatre
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Sebastian Barrera
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Tololwa Mollel
2016 +
2015
Mythic Family Jewels
Featuring:
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Anthem of Life, a Zulu Epic, by Tololwa Mollel, is an adaptation by South African author Mazisi Kunene's story of the same name.
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Kita No Taiko, One of North America's oldest Japanese drumming groups enthralled you through the powerful, beautiful sound of the taiko.
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Natyam Dance Academy, Presented by Malavika Venkatsubbaiah
A String of Mythic Pearls
2014
