A new children’s show highlighting arts and culture in Northern Ontario is coming to West Nipissing next week, and they want local kids to star in the production.
“Couleurs du Nord,” a French-language educational show that will air on TFO, is filming its first season in the coming months and one of their first stops will be here in town, from August 9 to 11.
Coming to West Nipissing was a natural stop on their inaugural tour, considering the show is hosted by Field graffiti-artist Mique Michelle. Created by Lopii Productions, who specialize in diverse content so that kids from all backgrounds – French, Indigenous, mixed or rural – can see themselves on television, the show sees Michelle travel across Northern Ontario designing and creating murals with community youth, while learning about the local art and culture of the places they visit.
“It’s sort of a travel show, community engagement and teaching kids to celebrate where they’re from,” says Rennata Lopez, casting director and producer of Lopii Productions. “It also highlights Northern Ontario, to give it a bit of the representation that it needs and letting people know that there’s a whole diverse, amazing place up north.”
While in the area, they’ll visit places like the Sturgeon River Museum and various chip stands to get a feel for the local history and culture. But the main project over the three days in town will be painting a brand new mural at the Cache Bay Community Centre. That’s where Lopez is looking for help from local kids to take part in the show.
The only requirements for children to be cast is to be between the ages of 10 and 16 and able to speak French. Kids don’t even need to have arts experience; they just need to be available for the three days the production is in town.
