the adventure of young turtle
The Adventure of Young Turtle is a new queer-led & trans-led musical for Young Audiences combining large-scale puppetry and music in a whimsical undersea odyssey of self discovery.
Young Turtle stuck between land and sea, feels as if they will never belong. But when Young Turtle gets lost, they set off on a journey where they meet a diversity of sea creatures: a misunderstood shark, a disco cuttlefish, a perpetually frightened eel, and more. They teach Young Turtle lessons about kindness, bravery and the strength of community. With these new friends, Young Turtle navigates the vast and uncertain ocean to find their way home. Using puppets made of entirely recycled and repurposed materials and original songs by Rae Spoon & Ruaridh MacDonald, The Adventure of Young Turtle is charming adventure about finding yourself in a sea of possibilities.
Developed by a team of prairie queers, the show was first presented at Azimuth Theatre’s Expanse Festival (Edmonton) in March 2024 where it picked up 2 Sterling Award wins: Outstanding Production for Young Audiences and Outstanding Artistic Achievement in Theatre for Young Audiences for Puppet Design. It was also nominated for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Original Score. In March 2025, the show will premiere at Persephone Theatre as part of their 2024/2025 season.
This is a vital story for young audiences as the waters grow only murkier for young people’s explorations of gender and queerness. Multiple provinces have passed or proposed bills that restrict youth and teens’ abilities to express gender diversity. While the piece is intended to uplift queer and trans youth, it provides access points for all audiences to celebrate their uniqueness and engage in conversations about building happy, healthy communities that look after their own.
