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feat: Daniel Arnold and Marisa Emma Smith Photo by: Kaarina Venalainen
Little One
  • Written by Hannah Moscovtich
  • Directed by Amiel Gladstone
  • Performed by Daniel Arnold & Marisa Emma Smith
  • Lighting Design by Adrian Muir
  • Sound Design by Brian Linds
  • When 4-year-old Claire is adopted into the family, 6-year-old Aaron has to learn to “love” his new monster of a sister. Told through the now adult voices of its two main characters, Little One weaves stories of childhood horror and teenage humiliation into a twisted, wryly funny, and ultimately haunting narrative. One that asks how far you’d let a psychopath control your life, and what you’d do to regain it.  Alley Theatre has taken this taut, one-hour thriller to the Vancouver International Fringe Festival in 2014, Fringe NYC in 2015, the Wildside Festival in Montreal and most recently the show was presented at the Anvil Centre and Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver.
    "A gorgeously creepy, darkly funny two-hander... This excellent company makes every moment count."
    New York Times
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    • "Little One is at once deeply poetic and unnerving, a meditation on sibling relationships, the nature of love and the dark horror of upper middle class existence that is 90s suburban life."
      HuffingtonPost.com
    • "Frequently witty, pocket-sized horror story... prods us into laughter between our shocked gasps."
      Time Out New York [CRITIC’S PICK]
    • "Little One delivers huge. A great story, two fantastic performances... Daniel Arnold, as Aaron, is quite simply amazing. If you can get tickets, go see this now."
      whatsonoffbroadway.com
    • "Both actors are impossibly good... a tremendously insightful play. It doesn’t get any better than this."
      curtainup.com
    • "A gorgeously creepy, darkly funny two-hander... the neatest thing I saw at the Fringe. This excellent company makes every moment count."
      New York Times
    • "Deeply disturbing but laced with humour and surprising twists... this production is riveting."
    • "A sheer delight... tremendously talented actors. A macabre, well-layered script... packed with humour. Will leave you transformed – guaranteed."
      Vancouverscape
    • "A polished, darkly suspenseful, and beautifully realized exploration of familial love and trauma... and is frequently laugh-out-funny. The real master stroke of the show is Smith’s Claire... a performance that manages to be beautifully observed, achingly raw and unnerving, all at once."
      Vancouver Sun
    • "Little One is one chilling ride – terrific performances. While there may be an underlying commentary... just like any good thriller/horror story, sometimes the ride is enough."
      Vancouver Presents
    • "Goes for the jugular of intense family drama with an added dose of quirk; an emotional thriller that’s able to capitalize off of some quality cringe-inducing humour."
      SADmag
    • "As riveting and polished as a Fringe show ever gets. Smith and Arnold have worked magic together before and they take it to a new level in Little One. It’s ‘one’ to see."
      Jo Ledingham, Vancouver Courier
    • "Absolutely chilling... showcases fine writing and terrific acting in elegantly theatrical ways… as in the best stories, not everything is at it seems."
      Jerry Wasserman, Province
    • "Little One is quintessential modern theatre. The performances are absolutely terrific... wonderful direction by Amiel Gladstone. Make sure to catch it."
      Mobtreal.com
    • "Performers Marisa Smith and Daniel Arnold really nail it. Deeply creepy... with plenty of uneasy laughs along the way."
      Montreal Gazette
    • "The must-see show of the Fringe. Such a compelling and boldly intense show. This 60-minute edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller... will continue to haunt you, long after you have left the theatre."
      FunFunVancouver
    • "A harrowing tale... a kinetic atmosphere that maintains an unbalanced edge. The acting is superb. What is disturbing about it is the believability of it all. I had to double check to see who wrote the play, so believable was Arnold that I thought it was his story. Smith captures the logic and emotional inabilities of a mentally disturbed child flawlessly. It delivers such an impact."
      MJ Ankenman, Plank Magazine
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