Stand Up, Stay Strong!

In a world filled with challenges, this Family Sunday invites visitors of all ages to explore their inner strengths, talents, and the courage to stand up for themselves and others. Through art-making, storytelling, and performance, the day celebrates resilience and the transformative power of creativity—culminating in The Schoolyard Carmen, a lively and inspiring production by Shoestring Opera.

Express your inner strengths and talents in this self-portrait workshop open to experimentation and mixed media approach. Led by artist and educator Melanie Billark this workshop will defy the traditional portraiture genre while nurturing confidence and self awareness.

Exploring the exhibition Early Days: Indigenous Art at the McMichael, this storytelling session will focus on Indigenous artists whose works resisted colonial narratives and stereotypes and helped Indigenous communities retain their traditional values and assert their cultural identity.

Meet Carmen—a spirited newcomer to Canada who loves to sing, dance flamenco, and be unapologetically herself. On her first day at a new school, she faces a challenge from the “coolest kid” in class, Tory Adair. Instead of backing down, Carmen stands up to him, setting off a whirlwind of events. This lively adaptation of Bizet’s classic opera tackles themes of bullying, difference, independence, and the healing power of the arts. With Bizet’s bewitching, infectious music, Carmen’s flamenco dancing, and the action-packed story, The Schoolyard Carmen has proved to be Shoestring’s most popular adaptation yet!