During the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, six Calgary schools—Willowpark, Franklin, Bowcroft, St. Dominic Rosedale, and Rosemont—participated in the project. Partnered schools had the chance for their students to attend performances at their sister school. Following each performance, Trickster conducted talk-back interviews with the students, allowing them to compare and discuss their experiences.
The schools that collaborated on this initiative worked with identical props, objects, and sometimes even shared music. Despite sharing common elements, each class crafted distinctly unique stories. This highlighted the diverse perspectives within each school’s community while also emphasizing their collective creativity and collaborative spirit.
The Igniting Wonder project involved Trickster collaborating with three sets of schools, totaling six residencies. Each class was given a specific object and tasked with creating a story that explored its past, present, and future. This initiative aimed to foster creativity among students by encouraging them to develop detailed narratives around everyday objects, blending imagination with learning. Furthermore, an interactive video component was integrated into the project. By employing green screens and advanced editing techniques, these productions underwent a complete transformation. Children were transported into the mystical, magical realms of their narratives, where they interacted with objects that expanded beyond the confines of their school gymnasiums.