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Stratford Festival cutter publishes first children's book

Melanie Farrar's 20th year with the Stratford Festival was memorable, just like she imagined, but the longtime cutter in the company's wardrobe department didn't anticipate how it would end up that way.

Melanie Farrar’s 20th year with the Stratford Festival was memorable, just like she imagined, but the longtime cutter in the company’s wardrobe department didn’t anticipate how it would end up that way.

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Laid off because of the pandemic, which wiped out the Festival’s 2020 season, Farrar “embraced the time as I could” and pursued a passion project that was in the works from the time she was a little girl making pop-up books and creating characters for stories.

The result was Charlene Stiletto And Her Search for a Fabulous Pair of Shoes, Farrar’s first self-published children’s book.

“It was just a passion to be creative and to just make stuff and pretend,” she said. “Of course, getting older and going to school for theatre … that kind of took precedence over what I wanted to do in my career.”

The story, which was inspired by a co-worker, revolves around an independent girl named Charlene Stiletto and her dog, who travel the world in search of the perfect pair of shoes to match her wig collection. They run into pirates and Roman soldiers in armour, but Farrar doesn’t want to give away too many details.

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“There’s a great ending, and I hope everyone else likes the ending,” she said. “It’s about dreaming, perseverance, adventure. It’s about letting your mind go and exploring the possibilities.”

Illustrating the book herself also allowed Farrar to accurately bring the words to life, similar to helping create costumes at the Festival. Farrar even has her own outfit for Charlene.

“Kids are so great,” she said. “Their imaginations run wild and they have no boundaries of what their imaginations can do, and this is one way for kids to keep dreaming and keep believing and have fun in what you do.”

There’s also a multimedia component called Charlene’s Eye Spy Challenge, where kids with the book can visit Farrar’s website and locate lists of objects to find within the book.

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“Kids these days are spending so much time on computer screens,” she said. “Yes, they’re engaging with their computer screen, but they’re also engaging with a book that they can read and hold, which I think is important for kids.”

Farrar’s time off also allowed her to work on other stories, including a Charlene Stiletto sequel.

“It was the way I was able to expel my depression and my negative thoughts of being away from the world I was so involved with, and a way to positively create something with the time I had,” she said.

The 36-page book is available on Farrar’s website, melaniefarrar.ca, and can also be purchased at the Avon Theatre’s gift store, where a signing is tentatively set for July 31 at 1 p.m.

A portion of proceeds from all sales will go to the C. Arlene Innes Guthrie Award to aid co-workers with some financial support during their temporary illness or other personal difficulty. It’s a cause close to Farrar, who started taking daily injections for multiple sclerosis treatment during the pandemic.

“I’m thrilled this project ties into the theatre world, because I’m part of that,” she said. “I love bringing a story to life on stage, and this kind of completes that circle with what I’m doing with my career and passions.”

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