• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 5 to 7

Nine-year-old Phineas interprets the world through his encyclopedic knowledge of animals, but some human behaviour is just too puzzling. Take for example his mom, who insists he learn to fall asleep on his own, even though all young mammals sleep with their mothers; or his dad, who recently picked up and left the family, a behaviour quite unlike other mate-for-life animals. And then there’s the constant news from his favourite TV station, the Green Channel, about how humans are ruining the environment, a fact Phin is growing increasingly anxious about. So when his fourth-grade class gets a White’s tree frog as a pet, all of Phin’s anxieties come to a boil.

Ellen Close is an actor, playwright, and the artistic director of Downstage, a Calgary-based company producing Canadian work that creates conversations around social issues. Her new work with her collaborator Braden Griffiths, Cipher, was commissioned by Vertigo Theatre and recently won the Alberta Playwriting Competition.

Ellen Close's profile page

Braden Griffiths is a Calgary-based actor, playwright, director, and puppet builder. He holds a B.F.A. in Drama from the University of Calgary.

Braden Griffiths' profile page

• Winner, Calgary Theatre Critics' Award Best New Script

“[Phin is] one part Holden Caulfield, the rebel yell of Catcher in the Rye, and one part Dr. Spock, (albeit with the emotional detachment completely gone AWOL).” —Stephen Hunt, Calgary Herald

“Fantastically entertaining, funny and smart.” —Jessica Goldman, CBC Calgary’s Eyeopener