Old Man and the River » WeeFestival

Photo Credit Naz Afsahi

A heartwarming and hilarious tale for children and their grownups!

In a storybook world where a river sings, trees laugh, and curious dragonflies come to visit lives a grumpy little old man. Every day is the same and he likes it this way – until one day, a magical creature leaps into his world and everything changes!

This March Break, make a date to share the joy of theatre with your children with Old Man and the River, a heartwarming and hilarious tale about making new friends and adjusting to change, told with the magic of puppetry.

Old Man and the River has been nominated for multiple Dora Awards and has toured extensively across Canada.

JOIN US for MARCH BREAK at the beautiful Assembly Hall-Lakeshore and Kipling

👏 Interactive pre-show and post-show to enrich you and your child’s theatre experience
👏 Meet the artists and puppets after the show
👏 Stay for post-show activities and complimentary snacks

Affordable and fun for the whole family!

👏 Buy 2 get 1 free for weekend performances until March 15
👏 Weekend and weekday performances starting at $10
👏 Children under 3 are free

A production of WeeFestival of Arts & Culture for Early Years
Presented in partnership with the City of Toronto

Made possible with the support of the Government of Canada

What children say about Old Man and the River

The old man kept saying “shoo” to the bugs and the leaves, he was so funny
The best part was when the old man was saying “sweep sweep”
The flying fish did such a cool flip, it looked like magic
I liked it when the old man saw a flying mermaid
I laughed then the old man said “uee uee” to the sun
The trees were funny when they dropped leaves on the man’s head
The sun went into the man’s house when he was sleeping and I laughed so hard.
That was the best play in my whole life

What Parents say:

Our family LOVED Old Man and the River. Before JK this morning my 4 year old son said, “Maybe after school today we can go to Old Man and the River again. Thanks for another great performance.

In December I took three young friends (ages 2 1/2, 5 and 8) to see Old Man and the River. The venue was intimate and the story very moving and funny. My three charges were mesmerized by the puppets, especially the ancient grumpy old man. It is rare to see a tiny perfect play for very young children at such a tiny perfect price. Congratulations.

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: Photo Credit Quinn Roy

: Photo Credit Quinn Roy

: Photo Credit Naz Afsahi

Old Man and the River
Created by Lynda Hill and Thomas Morgan Jones
Inspired by the story by Thomas Morgan Jones
Concept, Dramaturgy and Direction by Lynda Hill
Original Design by Kelly Wolf
Original Music by Nicky Phillips
Lighting Design by Jennifer Lennon
Puppetry by Mike Petersen and Eric Woolfe

Performed by Shaharah Gaznabbi, Kira Hall, Andrew Young and Afsaneh Zamani
Stage Management by Mya Martinez

View all the credits

Tour dates

Sunday March 8 – Razzamataz Kids’ Shows (Haliburton)

Tuesday March 10 – Centre for the Performing Arts (Richmond Hill)

Thursday March 12 – March 21 – School and Public performances (Assembly Hall, Etobicoke)