WINDSOR AND HALIFAX LAUNCH FOR MERMAID'S EXTENSIVE  TOUR

(Windsor, NS) Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia's whimsical adaptation of Leo Lionni's SWIMMY, FREDERICK & INCH BY INCH will again travel throughout Canada and the United States during the 2010/2011 season, with launch performances scheduled for MIPAC (the Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts Centre) in Windsor on Saturday, October 2nd, and the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium (Dalhousie University) in Halifax on Sunday, October 3rd. Shows are at 2:00 PM.  The performance in Windsor on Saturday, October 2nd marks the beginning of the third season for the Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts Centre’s popular Entertainment Series.
Mermaid's acclaimed production is drawn from three of Leo Lionni’s exquisite children's books, SWIMMY, FREDERICK & INCH BY INCH.  Swimmy is a tiny fish that uses ingenuity to fend off danger. Frederick, a poetic mouse, makes everyday life an artful experience. A lovable inchworm shares his facility for measuring absolutely everything. All these stories provide wonderful scope for translation to the stage through the gentle storytelling style, innovative puppetry and charming original music, which have earned international acclaim for Mermaid Theatre.  
 
Author Leo Lionni emigrated to the USA from Holland in 1939, where he embarked on a highly successful career in the worlds of both graphic and fine art. He subsequently earned worldwide popularity as the author and illustrator of more than thirty books, many of them translated into numerous languages.  Among other honors, Leo Lionni was a four-time winner of the prestigious Caldecott Honor Book award.  He died in Tuscany in 1999, at the age of 89, leaving a remarkable legacy for future generations.
Following its debut in 2006, to date 367 performances have been presented for more than 205,000 spectators throughout Canada and the US, as well as in Singapore and Taiwan where Mandarin as well as English-language versions were presented. The 2010/2011 tour will include more than 150 performances and reach an estimated 85,000 spectators in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, as well as visit 21 states ranging from Massachusetts to California, and Washington State to California.
 
The highly successful show (as well as Mermaid's THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR & OTHER ERIC CARLE FAVOURITES) earned UNIMA-USA's Citation of Excellence in July 2010, one of North America's most prestigious awards in the field of puppetry.  Founded in 1966, UNIMA-USA is the North American Center of Union Internationale de la Marionnette, the oldest international theatre organization in the world, established in 1929.  Mermaid's adaptation has been directed and designed by Jim Morrow, while the evocative soundscape is the work of composer Steven Naylor. Company members include performers Rhys Bevan-John and Andrea Lee Norwood, with Christine Oakey serving as stage manager.
 
Tickets and information for the Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts Centre (MIPAC) in Windsor, can be obtained from Moe's Place Music Sales, 129 Gerrish Street, Windsor, NS   902.798.5565 Tickets and information for the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Dalhousie Arts Centre can be obtained from the box Office: 902.494.3820/ 1.800.874.1669 or by using On-Line Ticketing: www.artscentre.dal.ca
                                                                                                                                                                  
For further information and downloadable images - please see www.mermaidtheatre.ns.ca/repertory/swimmy.shtml <http://www.mermaidtheatre.ns.ca/repertory/swimmy.shtml>