Annual Report

2016

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Report from Katharine Carol, Artistic & Executive Director

What an exciting year 2016 has been!

The 39th annual Vancouver International

Children’s Festival (VICF) was a great

success. The artistic quality of the

performances this year was outstanding

and the performing artists engaged our

young audience through spectacular

performances in music, puppetry, theatre,

storytelling and circus. Artists from

Mexico, the USA, and the Netherlands

as well as Canadian artists from, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia

helped us to celebrate our 39th year! Every age group that attended the

Festival was thoroughly entertained. Even little babies had their own

performance to take in. Further developing our offerings for families with

very young children, we presented Asoma, a baby show specifically for

babies and toddlers ages 6 months to 2 years old. This was such a hit

that some families returned a second time!

We continued to build our outreach work through our various programs

and in particular further developed our Youth for Youth (Y4Y) Program.

The program has grown since it’s inception in 2002 and has especially

flourished in the past 5 years with the addition of a new mentorship

component. In 2016, the VICF engaged professional artists to mentor

participants in site-specific work for the Festival. Visual artist Tamara

Unroe mentored a group of emerging puppeteers in the building and

performance of two giant Dragon puppets for the Festival named

Beatrice and Brutus. Actor & Musician, Vanessa Richards mentored

youth from the Little Lantern Society to create their own artistic activity

providing our young audience with a creative journey of discovery

through stories, music and origami from various Asian Cultures. This

program introduced our youth and emerging artists to the world of

performance created specifically for young audiences while assisting

them in their artistic development in creating site-specific work.

The VICF had an excellent year financially with 68 of our 88

performances selling out. We surpassed our projected revenue

expectations due to the incredible talent of our marketing and school

sales department. This Festival is the success it is due to the large

group of smart, dedicated people who make it happen. A huge thank

you to the Board of Directors, the staff, the production & technical crew,

the artists, the volunteers and all our donors, sponsors and Government

funders.

We look forward to seeing you at the 40th annual Vancouver

International Children’s Festival in 2017 for more delightfully, inspiring

and creatively beautiful artistic experiences!

Sincerely,

Katharine Carol

Artistic & Executive Director

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2016 HighlightsThe Children’s Festival has entertained audiences for

over 39 years with high quality programming. This year

was no exception:

11 featured performances from companies as far

reaching as Mexico, the Netherlands and the United

States

68 out of 88 shows sold out!

25,879, the number of kids, teachers & families

who attended the Festival this year, 25% higher than in

2015!

Families give the Vancouver International Children’s Festival: 4 out of 5 stars

96% of Families plan to return to the Festival next year

“The performance was amazing! So many happy and unforgettable

memory-making experiences…we’re inspired to keep tapping into our

creativity. The Festival gets better and better every year!”

Festival attendee and parent

HistoryThe first of its kind in North America, the Vancouver International

Children’s Festival began in 1978 as a theatre festival for young

audiences presenting international performances. Today the Festival

is multi-disciplinary presenting theatre, music, dance, circus, puppetry

and storytelling. Over the years the Festival has been an inspiration to

major cities throughout Canada and abroad, where annual children’s

festivals now take place. Families come to the festival from near and

far to experience an extraordinary arts festival created specifically for

children and their families.

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Arts EducationWith arts funding in schools continuing to decline, now more than

ever experiences like the Children’s Festival play a pivotal role in

the arts education of BC children. A visit to the Festival may be the

only live performance a student experiences all year or the first. The

benefits of art in childhood are well documented and that’s why

educators return with their classes year after year.

45% of Teachers at the Festival have attended 4 or more years in a row. Delivering new and diverse world-class live performances, allows

us to open a world of creative possibilities, a world in which future

generations build on the passion for art and performance we share

with them today.

“My class will most remember the quality of the act

we saw. It was superb. Absolutely memorable for

Kindergarteners. They laughed their heads off.”

BC Educator and Festival attendee

Over 9,500 school children, or 330 school classes, attended the Festival this year.

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Building a CommunityThe support of donors helps us enrich the lives of

children and ensure the Festival remains affordable

and accessible to everyone through our community

programs such as:

Hospital Outreach ProgramEach year we are proud to bring Festival

highlights to children in treatment or care at

B.C. Children’s Hospital, Canuck Place and Sunny Hilly Health Centre.

Children, with their families and caregivers, share the magic of the

Festival and benefit from the healing power of music and laughter.

310 kids experienced the Festival through our Hosptial Outreach Program this year.

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“We loved the entire event! The characters were a great warm

up and Splash’N Boots had such amazing energy. It was a

wonderful intimate event and we enjoyed every minute of it.”

Ryan Murphy, Parent, Sunny Hill Health Centre

“Thank you very much for the chance to attend the International

Children’s Festival. It was a really nice opportunity for me and my

family because we all had fun together. We enjoyed the singing

and dancing at the show. It is a great event for the entire family.

We feel more involved in Canadian society because of your

generosity.”

Samira, from Iran a recent immigrant and student with the

Windsor Neighbourhood Learning Centre and a participant in

the Festival’s Good Neighbours program.

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Good NeighboursFor too many families, a day at the Children’s Festival is just not possible.

Our Good Neighbours Program shares the magic of the Festival with

children and parents who otherwise would not be able to attend.

175 families received tickets to attend the Festival thanks to the

Good Neighbours program. Some of these families were immigrants or

recent refugees to Canada.

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Adopt a Class

This program provides a day filled with laughter, awe and learning for elementary school children attending inner city schools across Metro Vancouver.

60 inner-city school classes came to the Festival this year.

“I think everyone came out of the theatre with much to think about.

For most in my class this was the first time they had ever seen live

theatre. It is so much better than a movie. Thank you so much.”

Greg Canning, Educator, Nightingale Elementary

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“At the beginning of the Festival you

told us that we would form friendships

that would last a lifetime. Admittedly,

I didn’t believe you. However, after

a week of working with an amazing

group of hosts and other volunteers, I

now know that what you said was true.

Thank you!” 2016 volunteer“I was a shy and not-that-confident girl who didn’t

believe that I could achieve big things like network

and start conversations with strangers…. but I

learned a lot during the Festival and I can’t believe

I did it!” 2016 volunteer

VolunteersIn order for an event of this size to be successful,

the Festival relies on a large team of volunteers.

At this year’s Festival, we had approximately

1,200 volunteers on-site dedicate over

16,000 hours of their time and energy to make

the Festival come to life.

The majority of the Festival’s volunteers are

high school students and volunteering

with the Festival provides them with an

invaluable transformative experience that

develops their confidence, job skills, social

skills and independence. They might start

volunteering at the Festival as a teenager

but afterwards, they return home as young

capable adults and tomorrow’s leaders.

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Youth for Youth Program

For over 5 years, the Festival’s Youth for Youth program (Y4Y) has been providing outstanding mentorship to emerging artists and young people ages 15-24. The program develops the artistic skills of young artists and gives them the opportunity to showcase their work at the Festival.

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“Participating in the Youth for Youth Program was a pivotal experience for me. I learned so much about my capabilities as an artist, collaborator and performer. It

has created new connections for me in a field of art I had not explored before (performance arts) and connected me to the great group I worked with, leaving me

with invigorated ideas for new projects and collaborations with this team and other artists.... Plus I got to play with Dragons! How does it get any more fun than

that?” Bronwyn Schuster, Youth for Youth 2016 participant

Vancouver Christmas Tree LightingBack for its 9th year, the Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting was a

magical event where four magnificent holiday trees, one of which is

50 feet tall, came alive with hope and light. This free family-friendly event

features live entertainment and music, free cookies and hot chocolate,

local food trucks and fun activities for kids!

December 4, 2015

Jack Poole Plaza

1,500 attendees

Vu by Etienne Manceau

In January, we were thrilled to present this fun and engaging production

along with the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. It was a

delightful, giddy and suspense-filled mix that could only come from the

mind of the eccentric and endearing clown that Manceau created.

January 20–24, 2016

Performance Works

1,005 attendees

Special EventsIn partnership with other organizations and Festivals, the Festival is

involved with many special events throughout the year. It’s an

opportunity to provide the Festival’s intelligent, thoughtful and

quality programming all year long.

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WinterruptionThe VICF was a part of Granville Island’s uplifting Winterruption Festival

in February. The KidsZone offered free arts activities and performances

from face painting and live music to stilt-walkers and colourful

processions. The Festival presented the spectacular moves of Project Soul

who also performed at the 2016 Festival and a Hamelin inspired puppet

workshop.

February 19–21, 2016

Granville Island

71,000 attendees

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LunarFestIn 2016, we celebrated the year of the monkey at LunarFest.

This free three-day festival is steeped in lunar traditions, featuring

culinary delicacies, crafts, traditional lunar performances,

art installations and more.

February 12–14, 2016

Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza

50,000 attendees

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FESTIVAL PARTNERS

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

MEDIA SPONSORS

THANK YOU to our sponsors & supporters!

GOVERNMENT FUNDERS

FRIENDS OF

THE FESTIVAL

KPMG Foundation,

RBC Asset Management

Pacific Place Financial

Management

Aqueduct Foundation

Kal Tire

Kidsbooks

IBI/HB Architects

Employees

MacDonald, Dettwiler &

Associates Ltd.

Fidelity Investments

Connor, Clark & Lunn

Foundation

Deloitte

Dynamic Funds

Sentry Investments

Manulife Financial

Lantic Inc.

Pan American Silver

Corp.

FOUNDATIONS

Diamond Foundation

Highbury Foundation

Lohn Foundation

The Christopher

Foundation

Lutsky Families

McCarthy Tetrault

Foundation

Vancouver Foundation

DONORS

Dethsak Arounnothai

Katharine Carol

Christine Cress

Jody & Harvey Dales

Hilary Davis

Louise DeGagne

Rosemary di Bernardo

Paul Dumontet

Barbara Fousek

Sara Getz

Carole Higgins

Chris Hodgson

Wentworth Hotels

Gerardine Keane

Jen Krasteva

Peter Lang

Salvatore Lucia

Wilfrid & Sally Mennell

Mary Jane Morita

Gerald Murenbeeld

Jennifer Perozak

Jean Riou

Leslee Silverman

Erwen Smith

Deborah Sonner

Peter & Rosa Steinberg

Tom Stulberg

Teresa Sutherland

Sarah Thorsen

Diane Trovato

Christina Winterlik

Hing-Kin Wong

Nicole Yeasting

Victoria Yee

Paul Hippel

Shana Alexander

Efrat Gal-Or

Jeffery Nairn

Emily J. Brine - In

memory of Evelyn

Huberman

COMMUNITY

SUPPORTERS

Arts Umbrella

Canadian Parents for

French

I.S.S. of BC

Origins Coffee

Granville Island Brewing

Nature’s Path

Cloverdale Paint

Knotty Toys

Whole Foods Market

Vancouver Sun

Children’s Fund

Greek Day

The Muffin Granny

Terra Breads

Lee’s Donuts

Little Lantern

Book Warehouse/Black

Bond Books

Vancouver Foam

Aché Brasil

Federation of Canadian

Artists (FCA)

Vancouver Latin

American Cultural

Centre (VLACC)

Asian-Canadian Special

Events Association

(ACSEA)

Enchanted Princess

Kingdom

Rock The Arts

QUEST: Queneesh

Extreme Super Team

Drummers

A&B Partytime Rentals

Lazy Gourmet

Make

Salmons Event Rentals

Apex Tents

Go Wireless

Granville Island Ferries

Kids Upfront

Carousel Theatre

Shizuka Kai

BOARD OF

DIRECTORS

Paul Hippel, Chair

Jen Krasteva, Treasurer

Nicole Yeasting,

Secretary

Louise DeGagne

Jeffery Nairn

Shana Alexander

Efrat Gal-Or

Karan Basran

Staff CreditsArtistic & Executive Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katharine Carol

Education & Volunteer Manager . . . . . . . . . .Diana Stewart-Imbert

Development Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michelle Cronier

Communications & Marketing Manager . . . . . . . . . Joanne Da Silva

Audience Services Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kirsten Mellin

Production Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Kerr (DK)

Technical Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeremy Baxter

Artist Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Leanne Zacharias

School & Information Administrator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Marr

Book Keeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ewa Borkowska

A huge shout out to our fantastic crew.

Many thanks to our awesome interns and volunteers.

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