In the heart of theatrical wonder lies a place where masks come to life, emotions dance and whimsy intermingles with profound themes 鈥� welcome to The Wilds.

An enchanting performance featuring full face masks and amazing puppetry in which stories unfold without words, the Sid Williams Theatre Society presents this Wonderheads Theatre Company production on Monday, March 25, as part of the Blue Circle Series.

When a man discovers his wife has vanished from the backyard, he must venture into the nearby forest. Confronted with shifting landscapes and unusual creatures, he must unlock the forest鈥檚 mysteries to find his wife and bring her home. Imagination reigns supreme as the audience follows a fantastical journey through the wilderness in this award-winning show.

鈥淎t its core, The Wilds is a love story, though it kind of tells two stories at the same time,鈥� said Kate Braidwood, co-founding artistic director. 鈥淥n its face, it鈥檚 the tale of a man going on this adventure through the woods 鈥� that鈥檚 what our younger audience members take away. But underneath that, it also touches on scenes of grief, loss and hope. And that鈥檚 what our adult audience members pick up on. While we hope everyone experiences a sense of empathy, wonder and joy, depending on your age, you take different things away from the show.鈥�

Braidwood and her husband and co-founding artistic director Andrew Phoenix are the visionary minds behind the company. They met during a master鈥檚 program at a school in California that focuses on physical theatre and the creation of original productions. Together they have crafted a work that not only transcends age barriers but also is a deeply personal endeavour, driven by their own thoughts on mortality.

鈥淎ll our shows are original productions, meaning we write, direct and create them ourselves. So when we create a show, it usually comes from a question that we鈥檙e asking ourselves at that point in our lives,鈥� says Braidwood. 鈥淎s we are getting older, the realities of aging are starting to sink in for us. That鈥檚 really what launched us into creating this show. It鈥檚 kind of imagining what may happen as we continue to age.

鈥淭his was our first deep dive into puppetry鈥� so we were sort of making some stuff up and trying some concepts out. Some of them really worked in the creation process and some of them failed miserably. It was sort of a crash course in puppetry techniques because there are so many different styles of puppetry in the show. So that was both a challenge and a joy.鈥�

Central to Wonderheads鈥� appeal is the uniqueness of their genre.

鈥淭here鈥檚 only a handful of companies in the world that specialize in this very specific style of full face mask鈥� it鈥檚 kind of one that you have to see to believe. People comment all the time about it seeming like the masks come alive with emotion, even though they are static structures.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very physical and challenging form of theatre and can also be quite technical because you鈥檙e wearing a mask that can get pretty hot and your vision is quite limited. So the physical acumen that鈥檚 required for the work is quite high.鈥�

In addition to the striking masks, audiences are greeted by an original musical soundtrack composed by the band, The Singer and The Songwriter. Together with precisely curated sound effects, the auditory landscape helps bring the wordless production to life.

Between the masks and the music, Braidwood says the audience will be moved.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit on the nose, but I would say the number one emotional reaction we get is wonder. We really love evoking a sense of awe in our audience. When one of our characters walks out on stage for the first time, you can kind of feel the audience lean in a little bit and have a little bit of a gasp of wonder. Because there鈥檚 something about the style that sort of opens up people鈥檚 hearts and imaginations in a different way.鈥�

As they embark on their latest tour, The Wilds promises to enchant and inspire audiences. To experience the magic of human imagination and the power of theatrical wonder, order tickets today.

Tickets can be purchased online, by phone or in person at the box office. For more information, visit .