Young People's Theatre to Present TREE for Infants And Toddlers
This gentle and luminous production invites children ages 6 months to 3 years to settle into a cozy world of wonder.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jan. 28, 2026
Young People's Theatre will welcome its youngest audience to the Studio for Tree— a magical, multi-sensory journey designed specially for infants and toddlers. Produced by the acclaimed Quebec-based Théâtre Motus, this gentle and luminous production invites children ages 6 months to 3 years to settle into a cozy world of wonder from February 14 to 22.
Tree transforms the Studio into a soft-sculptured, immersive woodland where little explorers and their caregivers can nestle into “Mama Bird's” nest. Through enchanting puppetry, ambient lighting, and serene melodies, the production creates a nurturing space that meets young audience members exactly where they are in their discovery of the world.
“We are so pleased to offer a production that speaks directly to the curiosity of very young children,” says YPT Artistic Director Herbie Barnes. “Tree offers a thoughtfully considered environment where babies and toddlers can feel safe to explore, listen, and interact at their own pace. It's a beautiful way for families to create their very first theatrical memories together.”
The experience is structured to meet the needs of young audiences with a 40-minute performance and limited audience sizes, allowing the cast to engage one-on-one with every child in the room.
A versatile ensemble of five multidisciplinary artists bring Tree to life: Valérie Bourque, Salim Hammad, Paola Huitrón, Marie-Claude Labrecque, and Hugo Monroy Najera.
Guided by the vision of Théâtre Motus co-founder Hélène Ducharme, TREE is a specialized adaptation of her acclaimed work, Tree: A World in Itself, which was originally developed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). On Thursday, Feb. 19, YPT will host a dedicated staging of the original Tree: A World in Itself specifically for young people with ASD, intellectual disabilities, and/or reduced mobility. (This performance is sold out.)
Tree is a presentation of YPT's newly launched Room for Play program offering immersive play-based adventures designed to ignite imagination and interactions between young children and their grownups.
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