Big Bad

Devised by Sherry J Yoon and Jay Dodge

The Vancouver International Children’s Festival (VICF) commissioned Boca del Lupo to create Big Bad a contemporary take on a fairytale for both children and adults.

Fairytales have an enduring appeal because they deal with universal themes and because they mean different things to us at different points in our life. This is never truer than when a parent is retelling a classic to their children like Little Red Riding Hood. While both the parent and the child understand the story is “not real” there are very real and very different associations happening with each. For the child, the story deals with notions of identity, deception and fear while the parent cannot help but see the obvious metaphor around child predators. For the child the story is a safe tool for real and complex learning and for the parent it is a portal into their deepest fear.

It is this dichotomy that Boca del Lupo explored in this intergenerational performance.  Using a contemporary retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and elements of interactive technology, Big Bad provides parents and their children with multiple platforms to engage in an experience that tackles one of the most sensitive and complex issues between a parent and child. Incorporating an online platform that can be experienced before or after the performance, it had two avenues to navigate based on whether it is the parent or the child engaging with the site.

Created by Sherry J Yoon and Jay Dodge Technical Director Carey Dodge Producer/Stage Manager Yvonne Yip
Performers Leslie Dos Remedios, Lucia Frangione Milton Lim, Ming Hudson, Raugi Yu

Video/Lighting Designer Cande Andrade Filmmaker Rob Groenboer Costume Designer Mara Gottler Costume Design Assistant Jessica Oostergo Composer/Sound Designer Stefan Smulovitz Lighting Designer Jay Dodge Paper Artist Valerie Thai Specialty Props Shizuka Kai

Big Bad was performed at the Arts Club Granville Island Revue Stage (Now Red Gate Revue Stage).