La Grande Tortue

Sixtrum's youth program
How Great Turtle Rebuilt the World co-produced with Jeunesses Musicales of Canada

Great Turtle is washed up on the last tip of land spared by the flood. Suddenly, he hears a strange voice: the Totem Tree who reigns on this island informs him that he has been chosen to rebuild the world that the storm has destroyed.

Great Turtle must create a world that is better than the previous one, a world full of music. But how might he go about building a world that is harmonious and well organized while avoiding noise and pollution?

Inspired by various indigenous North American legends, these mythical characters and their adventures come to life in the form of percussion instruments with surprising and spectacular personalities.

The mytheme of a giant turtle supporting or containing the world occurs in Chinese mythology and in Native American mythology. (The Great Turtle is the “continent-vessel” that shelters humans in Chinese and North American mythology). In our story, he is guided on his mission by the grumpy Totem Tree, a musical structure whose branches hold a multitude of sonic surprises, and whose physical features are represented by musical instruments which evoke the masks and totems of indigenous civilizations of Western Canada.

The Sun and the Moon, two frame drums from Ireland (no comma here) and North America, watch over the world and keep it in good order. They complete the company of mythical characters who all speak through the voice of the narrator, as well as through their own musical voices.

How Great Turtle Rebuilt the World is a musical show for children, created by Sixtrum with director Michel G. Barette. Created in the Fall of 2009 in co-production with les Jeunesses Musicales du Canada, the show has already been presented to 5000 audience members in schools and theatres.

This show has been created in the form of a theatre of objects, which leads to the discovery of the diverse personalities of the percussion instruments – and their performers! – in an atmosphere that alternates between moments of quiet intimacy and frenzied rhythm. Our hero is also represented by a percussion instrument, the hang, similar in form to the actual animal.

Two versions of this program are offered, depending on available space and needs:

• a version involving 3 players (Joao Catalao, Kristie Ibrahim and Farbrice Marandola)
• a version involving 6 players and lighting (Joao Catalao, Julien Grégoire, Philip Hornsey, Sandra Joseph, Kristie Ibrahim and Fabrice Marandola)

More information on this show can be found on the Jeunesses Musicales of Canada web site.