Mask-wearing actors of Victoria’s Wonderheads theatre company return to Surrey with a wordless story about a couple’s missing tree and unusual creatures in a nearby forest.
Aimed at families with kids aged eight and older, “The Wilds” will be staged twice at Surrey Arts Centre’s Studio Theatre, on Friday, Feb. 23 and Saturday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. nightly. There’s also a workshop to explore the Wonderheads mask work and storytelling, noon Saturday.
The show, presented by Surrey Civic Theatres, features the company’s signature masks, puppetry and a story of how love knows no bounds.
When Wendell discovers that his wife Tilda and their beloved tree have vanished from the backyard, he must venture into the nearby forest to bring them home. Confronted with shifting landscapes, unusual creatures and a mysterious lurking presence, Wendell soon learns that the key to finding Tilda is to first unlock the mystery of “The Wilds.”
Previously in Surrey, Wonderheads brought its version of “A Christmas Carol” to Bell Performing Arts Centre in December 2022, on tour. The re-imagined holiday classic, described as “Pixar meets Jim Henson,” featured puppets designed by company co-founding artistic directors Kate Braidwood and Andrew Phoenix.
For “The Wilds,” a show promo video is posted on wonderheads.com/thewilds, along with B.C. tour dates.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
CBC called it “a profoundly moving story of love, loss and hope.”
The run time is 55 minutes (no intermission) for a show featuring Pedro M. Siqueira as Wendell and Loreto Espinoza as Tilda/Creatures of the Wilds.
Tickets range from $34 to $39, depending on the theatre “zone,” on tickets.surrey.ca, or call 604-501-5566.
The fee is $95 for Saturday’s four-hour Wonderheads workshop, for people 18 and older. “Journey into the world of visual storytelling and mask performance,” says a post on the City of Surrey’s website, surrey.ca. “Gain understanding into physical expression, improved body awareness, what it means and how it feels to bring a fully realized character to life through mask and movement exploration.”
The Feb. 23-24 weekend will be busy at Surrey Arts Centre with “The Wilds” in the Studio Theatre and two concerts by different tribute bands in the 402-seat Main Stage auditorium.
First up Friday is a performance by West Coast Chicago, playing music made famous by pop-rock hitmakers Chicago, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. Saturday night, tribute band Coast to Coast debuts with the hard-rock music of The Scorpions, UFO and Michael Schenker Group. Mountain Entertainment presents the concert, a fundraiser with net proceeds to Surrey Food Bank.
• READ MORE: All-Chicago concert in Surrey to bring hits of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers.