Lisa Marie DiLiberto wants you to know the amazing JUNIOR festival is for EVERYONE!

Lisa Marie DiLiberto is an artist with a passion for art and children. As co-curator of the JUNIOR festival, she has found an ideal outlet for both. JUNIOR, held May 20-22, 2023 at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, is a multi-disciplinary event for kids of all ages that features music, visual art, film, theatre, circus, acrobatics and culinary arts.

As the Artistic Director of Theatre Direct, a company dedicated to theatre for young audiences, DiLiberto is well-equipped for her role as co-curator. She and  Nathalie Bonjour, who founded the festival and has a wealth of experience in curation, have put together an incredible lineup of events, activities, and performances to capture the imagination of young and old alike. DiLiberto explains that she has “really enjoyed looking through work from around the world created just for kids, as I consider what matters to them, and what I hope they will gain from their experience at the Festival. Art creates memories. And I believe it can be so powerful for children if it’s presented in a way that connects with them.”

In DiLiberto’s words, JUNIOR is an “adventure for kids”: “Around every corner, there is programming – mural making, dance and circus workshops, tipi making, music, parades and more!” Just a few of the many diverse offerings during this long weekend festival are:

• The visually stunning Pinocchio from Copenhagen’s award-winning Teater Patrasket
• The interactive performance ZOOOM, inspired by the iconic children’s book Harold and The Purple Crayon, from Australia’s Patch Theatre
• The participatory experience Bees, in which Australia’s Polyglot Theatre will map delicate patterns across the festival grounds in collaboration with young audiences
• The moving video installation Family Portrait from Scotland’s Barrowland Ballet, which follows Artistic Director Natasha Gilmore and her three children through choreographed sequences across Scotland’s majestic landscapes
• A culinary workshop led by Black chefs, who share their culinary and cultural knowledge
• A daily parade and daily mainstage performances
• An interactive dance workshop for all ages,  bodies and abilities, led by Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli.

“Something literally unmissable is the GIANT interactive ocean map on the lawn by the stage in the park, and on that stage will be music and dance performances all day long!” DiLiberto enthuses. She encourages attendees not to miss the Lemon Bucket Orkestra on the Concert Stage (they will also parade through the grounds) and breathtaking shows from Australia, Denmark, and the UK that will play inside the theatres. JUNIOR is packed with fun, and her ultimate counsel is for families to explore and discover their own favourites. 

There should be something for everyone because JUNIOR is presenting curated work by artists from diverse backgrounds. Featured stage artists include Luca “lazylegz” Patuelli, a disabled breakdancer whose motto is “No excuses, No limits”; a Persian percussion ensemble led by Iranian-Canadian musician Naghmeh Farahmand; and two tipis filled with Indigenous programming, the All Nations JUNIOR Drummers and Fire Dancers, and an Indigenous film program curated by imagineNative.

An exciting addition to the festival this year is the Noir Experience Food Workshops. DiLiberto credits Bonjour with the idea: “she was talking to a chef at a restaurant in her neighbourhood about the scarcity of young Black chefs in the city, and so together they came up with this program.” Three black chefs will teach kids how to make their favourite dish, “inspiring new food ideas and introducing cultures through gastronomy.”

The festival’s commitment to diversity and accessibility is rooted in DiLiberto and Bonjour’s philosophy that “art should be for everyone”. DiLiberto is proud that “this year at JUNIOR, we’re making a huge effort to create more access for kids who need it.”  Activities are being supported with ASL interpretation, audio description, a new venue guide, a chill-out zone, and a sensory area. JUNIOR is also offering on-site childcare to make it easier for parents with toddlers to enjoy the festival.

So who, exactly, should come to this amazing-sounding festival? “EVERYONE!” replies DiLiberto – because the festival is multi-disciplinary and diverse, and offers so many ways to experience it. She urges visitors and potential visitors to take a good look at the website, reserve some tickets for the indoor shows, and then come down and wander . . .  and see where the adventure leads. “No matter what path you take, you’ll discover something exciting! There’s no one way to go about it.”

Browse the full event schedule of JUNIOR on harbourfrontcentre.com.

© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2023