Kids in Simcoe County had better get ready to greet the “splash” that is Splash ’N’ Boots.
Nick Adams (Splash) and Taes Leavitt (Boots) joined forces as students at Queen’s University in Kingston in the early 2000s, and have travelled the world spreading their special brand of merriment. Along the way, they’ve cut nine albums, made three DVDs and become mainstays on the Treehouse TV Network.
Growing into adulthood and dealing with other adults is a whole different kettle of fish from being children’s entertainers. Adams tells BarrieToday, prior to the pair of shows he and Leavitt will be playing at the Georgian Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 24, the key difference is that kids are brutally honest – which is not all bad.
“If they don’t like what they are seeing or if they are bored they will let you know, where as adults are polite and will sit through anything. We love this because it makes us very actively think about every single moment of our show and make it super interactive and engaging.”
Adams and Leavitt concur it keeps boredom at bay.
“How kids react and what they do during a show can change the whole thing, so it’s important to be flexible and open to that. I remember during our first few shows we really had to learn to work WITH the audience. So it’s less about us performing a show, and more about a collective experience between us and the kids.”
And Adams and Leavitt say a Splash 'N' Boots show is a full-on interactive experience for kids and parents alike, “a time for kids to let loose and parents to take pictures and be a part of the show. We switch up the songs and just let it happen according to the audience, which makes it fun and exciting for us as well as the audience because you never know what kids will say!”
The Georgian Theatre shows make up one of the first stops on the twosome’s Big Yellow Tunes Tour. And Leavitt says the bright yellow boots she wears have seen their own metamorphoses.
“The yellow-and-blue colour combo (came about) because my mom cut up my yellow-and-blue-checked tablecloth to make our first costumes. At one point we were wearing Crocs….the Crocs became Converse (shoes)….then changed to Boots, and now they are custom Boots made by Jitterbug Boy in Toronto.”
To learn more about the Splash ’N’ Boots show in Barrie, click here.