The story takes place deep in the forest, where a family of trolls cannot wait to celebrate Grandpa Trollson's 200th birthday--but he refuses to come out of his tree stump to join the party.

Photo credit: Grampa Trollson with Cake, Heidi Specht as Grandpa Trollson. Photo by Michael Ford

Delightful and captivating stories are then told with the help of audience members, and sure enough, Grandpa Trollson joins the fun, singing and dancing to the accordion, drum and cowbell, making for a good old-fashioned troll time.

Producer, Lenard Stanga explains, “While it’s Grandpa Trollson’s 200th birthday, he does not want to come out of his tree stump because he is afraid he does not have anything to offer anymore. But in the end he realizes he is a great storyteller. The Trollsons is about valuing the culture growing older and what people have to offer.”

The Trollsons have been entertaining audiences since 1995, travelling to festivals and special events around Canada, as well as Singapore, China, and Japan. These eccentric characters have become a tremendous international hit, winning audiences over through their truly interactive tales of Hans Christian Andersen. The 50-minute show is suitable for ages 4 to 12 and includes five troll characters and one reindeer from the Canadian forest!

Tickets are now on sale for The Trollsons through the new Centre Box Office at 604.391.SHOW(7469).

Backgrond Information: www.pangaea-arts.com

The Trollsons are a family of Scandinavian trolls that have been performing together since 1995, and have been seen at festivals, events, theatres and Children’s Festivals throughout the world. They have a wide range of performances, including children’s theatre, festival-stage shows, and interactive roving characters. They have just returned from a successful run at the Singapore International Children’s Festival, as well as the London, Ontario Children’s Festival, Shanghai Children’s Festival, and the China Puppet Theatre in Beijing. The incredible troll masks were made by award winning mask designer Melody Anderson.

Pangaea Arts is an award-winning intercultural, interdisciplinary world arts organization, formed to promote cultural interaction and the exchange of ideas between diverse communities and introduce Canadian audiences to performance traditions from around the world.

It's Grandpa Trollson's 200th birthday party, but he refuses to come out of his tree stump to celebrate! When audience participants join the action onstage, Grandpa cannot resist the power of storytelling. Join us for three truly interactive tales based on stories by Hans Christian Andersen, featuring live music, incredible masks, physical comedy, improvisation, and good old fashioned troll trouble!

Audience members join in the action and become part of the unique storytelling style. With delightful sing-along songs, the audience is taken on a journey around the world. Be careful, you might just get swept up into the action!

Single tickets are now on sale for The Trollsons through the new Centre Box Office. Contact the Centre Box Office in person, by phone at 604.391.SHOW (7469), or online at www.chilliwackculturalcentre.ca. $10 All Seats, $9 Members Discount

• The Trollsons Sunday September 19, 2010

• Cinderella Sunday October 17, 2010

• The Adventures of Pinocchio Sunday March 6, 2011

• Rumpelstiltskin Sunday May 1, 2011.

Series subscriptions are also available and offer discounts up to 35%! Members will receive an additional $1 off each ticket.

To request a copy of the 2010-2011 Chilliwack Cultural Centre season brochure, please contact the Centre Box Office at 604-391-SHOW (7469) or e-mail Marketing Manager KellyAnne Tebrinke here.

Owned by the City of Chilliwack, the new Cultural Centre houses two unique performance venues, an art gallery, music instruction studios, arts and crafts studios, meeting rooms, and offices, and the new home to the Chilliwack Academy of Music and the Chilliwack Arts Council. Other partners in the project include The City of Chilliwack, The Chilliwack Visual Artists Association, and The Chilliwack Players Guild.

Dave Stephen – President

Patti Lawn – Vice President

Chad Northcott – Treasurer

Andy Purdy – Secretary

John Blessin

Phil Halladay

Marian Dyck

John Hamilton

Brad Whittaker

Pat Clark

Jerry Spencer – Ex Officio

Chilliwack Academy of Music

Chilliwack Arts Council

Chilliwack Players Guild

Chilliwack Visual Artists Association