Watch the Baobab trailer!
Get a sneak peek at the show.

Baobab: Sensory-Friendly

Motus and the SÔ Company
from Longueuil, Canada and Bandiagara, Mali

March 15, 2023 at 11am
Recommended Grades
Grades Pre-K – 3
Price
Students: $2
Chaperones: $5
What Kind of Show?
Theater with puppetry and live music; artful and charming
Running Time
1 hour and 5 minutes with no intermission
Venue
The New Victory Theater 209 W 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036

School-time tickets may only be booked by Partner organizations.

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About the Show

Come hear the djembe drums dance and the ngoni’s strings sing as the griots tell you a tale. A tale set long ago when the stars were still babies, and the trees and animals talked. A tale passed down from generation to generation about a water-stealing sun and a baobab tree bearing an unexpected and unusual gift. Featuring music from Mali and Senegal, puppets large and small, one naughty monkey and a witch with an itch to dance, Baobab is a percussion-filled fable about a boy’s heroic quest to save his village from drought.

A little gem of international theatre

Winnipeg Free Press

What to Expect

  • Modified lighting and sound
  • Judgment-free, inclusive environment
  • Calming corner and activity area
  • Specialists and support resources
Sign-interpreted symbolThis performance will also be interpreted in American Sign Language.
Audio-described symbolThis performance will also be audio-described.

Prepare for Your Visit

About the Company

Motus specializes in original theater for young audiences that highlights the diversity of world cultures. Combining live music with different styles of puppetry, the company has collaborated with artists from Japan to Mexico to Burkina Faso, telling tales that integrate other languages and foster cultural exchange. For Baobab in particular, they’ve joined forces with Mali’s SÔ Company to share this West African story authentically. Beyond their native Quebec, they’ve performed in 12 countries, translating their work into English, Spanish and Mandarin for audiences around the world.

Creative Team

Writer and Director
Hélène Ducharme

Playwright Collaborator
Hamadoun Kassogue

English Version
Leanna Brodie

Assistant to the Director
Annie Bélanger

Scenography
Ismaïla Manga and Hélène Ducharme

Puppets
Jean Cummings, Sylvain Racine and Claude Rodrigue

Music
Aboulaye Koné assisted by Nathalie Cora

Lighting
Michel St-Amand

Shadow Puppetry
Marcelle Hudon

Costumes
Louis Hudon

Research
Marie-Claude Labrecque, Sylvain Massé and Louis-Philippe Paul-Hus