A Small Miracle (2001)
A tale set at Christmas in a modern town: an impoverished old woman witnesses the vandalizing of a nativity scene; she lovingly sets it back up and is wondrously rewarded for her generosity by the inhabitants of the Creche.
We adapted the wordless illustrated book by Peter Collington to the streets and shops of Enderby. Our production too had no words, and an angelic chorus ushered the audience through the story. More than 80 community members collaborated with our core of theatre professionals, and local business people played themselves in the production!
A reminder that miracles can take place anywhere, including right here!
Poster Design by: Molly March
A Small Miracle took place in 2001 in Enderby, BC and was adapted to the streets of Stratford Ontario in 2010 (in collaboration with “Pak ‘siu by” Theatre), and remounted in Enderby in 2013.
Written and illustrated by Peter Collington
Design based on Peter Collington’s illustrations by Molly March and Cathy Stubington
Original Direction by Kim Collier (2001); Director of remounted productions Varrick Grimes (2010, 2013)
The Old Lady: Lois Anderson (2001); Liza Balkan (2010); Julie Ross (2013)
Puppeteers (2001): Peter Hall, Murray Macdonald, Cathy Stubington, Kendra Fanconi; other cast Sue Kyle, Elaine Neilson, Cody Vigue; (2013:) Peter Hall, Zompopo Flores, Cathy Stubington, Jaci Metivier; additional cast Jesse Orr, Heino Peters
Many community members performed in the shops and sang in the angel choir!
Stage Manager: Uschi Eder, Beverly Peacock/Donlea McCombs; Set builder: Alan Bates
Funded by:
Canada Council, BC Arts Council, Youth Community Action, Hamber Foundation, Lon and Thea Koerner Foundation
Artistic Process and Style
Enchanted by Peter Collington’s exquisite book, and mystified by how it reminded us of our own puppetry, we challenged ourselves to setting the story theatrically and in an actual town. We were thrilled to have the author/illustrator’s permission to experiment with this.
Director Kim Collier, Puppeteer Cathy Stubington, Scenic Designer Molly March, and Actress Lois Anderson comprised the original creation team. Shop Owners of Enderby came on board, allowing us to rehearse and perform in their stores. The City of Enderby arranged for streets to be closed to accommodate the story.
Starting and ending in an indoor theatrical setting of the woman’s tiny caravan home, the woman was portrayed by a live actress, and the Creche figures by marionettes and rod puppets manipulated by angels.
Like the book, our play was wordless, with a soundscape that included the accordion music played by the old woman in the street, the voices of angels singing traditional carols without words, and the sounds of the street and of the inside of the supermarket, as the story overlapped with the actual town and its inhabitants, with recognizable community members going in and out of shops and cafes, and shopping in the grocery store.
The puppets allowed us to play with scale in both directions. At one point in the story, the old woman collapses in the street. In our production, she transformed into a giant figure, and the Creche characters were portrayed by actors in mask running from the distance to rescue her.