Rag & Bone Blog

Rag & Bone at the School of Dance

August 18, 2024

Jump for Joy!

Does anyone want to be a cricket? A mouse? A mole? A swarm of bees? Yes, please! At The School of Dance, participants jump at the chance to express themselves through dance and theatre. We were thrilled to spend three weeks this summer with this enthusiastic, caring and incredibly skilled group of staff and students.

While awesome choreographer Nicola Fridgen devised amazing dance pieces based on teamwork and creativity, we focused on speaking text clearly, loudly, and with meaning. We also played lots of improv games to encourage thinking on your feet. The results were a lot of fun, and so was the process!

Heartfelt thanks to Merrilee Hodgins and her incredible team, including Nicola Fridgen, Lisa Brooks, Fern Villeneuve, and student helpers Emily, Stella, Clara and Claire.

Shakespeare Camp 2024

August 18, 2024

What a Night!

On July 8, 2024, 19 teens and tweens gathered at The Billings Estate Museum for Rag & Bone’s annual, outdoor Shakespeare Camp. Some were returning campers, excited to tackle the next project, some were new friends, ready for a challenge.

Together, guided by five fantastic leaders, they created an unforgettable production of Twelfth Night, to the delight of family and friends who came to see three incredible performances, on July 25 and 26.

Special thanks to our fabulous team, RJ Mayo, Rosemary Nolan, David daCosta, Lucas
O’Halloran and Jacob Paul.

Puppet Festival: June 1–2, 2024

May 14, 2024

Fresh Ideas in Puppetry

Puppetmongers Theatre’s Fresh Ideas in Puppetry is coming up June 1–2, 2024, online and in person! It’s a stimulating event for everyone interested in current developments in puppetry, full of exciting innovations and explorations, presentations and performances, demonstrations and discussions.

We’ll be talking part in the Puppet Panel on Saturday, along with Puppetmongers Theatre, Frank Meschkuleit, Mike Harding (Applefun Puppetry), and Jim Morrow (Nova Scotia’s Mermaid Theatre). 

The whole weekend is a great way to get a glimpse of the wide world of puppets, including groups from the Canada, the UK, India, the US, Mexico, Spain and Switzerland .

Tickets starting at $15—available here!

Podcast news…

July 29, 2026 No Comments

HEROES HEROES was a project of The School of Dance, Artistic Director Merrilee Hodgins, in Ottawa, focusing on creativity and community, celebrating memories, strengths, and

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The School of Dance

August 31, 2025 No Comments

Dance Delightful Wow! We had so much fun directing two new projects at The School of Dance this summer: The Paper Dolls and Once Upon

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Shakespeare Summer Camp

August 31, 2025 No Comments

The Winter’s Tale A wonderful Winter’s Tale Summer! We’re loving these comments about this year’s Shakespeare Camp production of  The Winter’s Tale!  The three-week camp

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Peter Rabbit

June 2, 2025 No Comments

Podcast news Yay! It’s June, and things are hopping at Rag & Bone! The next episode of Rag and Bone Story Time, our children’s podcast,

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Our New Podcast…

November 9, 2024 No Comments

We are thrilled to announce our new podcast for kids! The first three episodes are here. The podcast begins with The Wind in the Willows. We

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Fun for Fall

October 13, 2024 No Comments

Fun for Fall Hat Trick Hats off to libraries!The Cumberland branch of the Ottawa Public Library is having a party, and we’re all invited.We’ll be

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Arts Activities

September 6, 2024 No Comments

Free Drama & Puppet Videos We have two series of videos for use in classes, or for homeschoolers. You can access the sessions at whatever

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