Join In!
Encyclopedia
Join In! was a Canadian educational children's television show which aired on TVOntario
between 1989 and 1995. It was created and produced by Jed MacKay
, who also wrote all of the show's original songs. The first two seasons were directed by Doug Williams
. The next four seasons were directed by Wayne Moss. It won the Alliance for Children and Television's Best Pre-school Program Award and was also a finalist three times for the Gemini Award
for Best Pre-school Program. Join In! continued TVOntario's leadership through the 1980s in developing educational television shows for children that were plot-centered instead of magazine-style. The show was ground-breaking in a number of ways; it was designed to combat "passive" viewing and to reflect the ethnically diverse world that was rapidly evolving. Although the cast was racially integrated, with two "minority" cast members and one "majority" member, this fact was never mentioned by the characters. Their shared humanity was the implicit focus. Every program had a number of elements woven into the plot line that invited its audience to "Join In!"; in games, songs, puzzles, or stories. The cast also broke the fourth wall
, talking to the camera, and thus the audience, as if they were right there on set. The songs broke away from the usual children's format, offering a wide variety of rhythm and styles. The cast also sang live on each show.
The series revolved around three adults named Jacob Bennett, Nikki, and Zack, who shared a studio loft together. After the second season, Nikki moved away and was replaced by Kia. In a typical episode, the three would be planning for some kind of play or production that would usually involve Nikki being in charge of music and sound, and Jacob and Zack would be in charge of the set, lighting, costumes, etc. when some form of problem would arise. The show also featured a toy wizard named Winston, his wife Emmelina, and their dog Abra, who lived on a windowsill in the loft. The show was filmed in Toronto
, Ontario
.
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
between 1989 and 1995. It was created and produced by Jed MacKay
Jed MacKay
Jed MacKay is a Canadian children's TV producer/writer/composer. He began his career writing for TVOntario's long-running success Polka Dot Door, for which he was honoured with a Masterworks Award by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television in 2010, and CBC's Homemade Television, winner of the...
, who also wrote all of the show's original songs. The first two seasons were directed by Doug Williams
Doug Williams
Doug Williams may refer to:*Doug Williams , Super Bowl XXII MVP*Doug Williams , Australian rules footballer*Doug Williams , English professional wrestler...
. The next four seasons were directed by Wayne Moss. It won the Alliance for Children and Television's Best Pre-school Program Award and was also a finalist three times for the Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for Best Pre-school Program. Join In! continued TVOntario's leadership through the 1980s in developing educational television shows for children that were plot-centered instead of magazine-style. The show was ground-breaking in a number of ways; it was designed to combat "passive" viewing and to reflect the ethnically diverse world that was rapidly evolving. Although the cast was racially integrated, with two "minority" cast members and one "majority" member, this fact was never mentioned by the characters. Their shared humanity was the implicit focus. Every program had a number of elements woven into the plot line that invited its audience to "Join In!"; in games, songs, puzzles, or stories. The cast also broke the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, talking to the camera, and thus the audience, as if they were right there on set. The songs broke away from the usual children's format, offering a wide variety of rhythm and styles. The cast also sang live on each show.
The series revolved around three adults named Jacob Bennett, Nikki, and Zack, who shared a studio loft together. After the second season, Nikki moved away and was replaced by Kia. In a typical episode, the three would be planning for some kind of play or production that would usually involve Nikki being in charge of music and sound, and Jacob and Zack would be in charge of the set, lighting, costumes, etc. when some form of problem would arise. The show also featured a toy wizard named Winston, his wife Emmelina, and their dog Abra, who lived on a windowsill in the loft. The show was filmed in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Cast
- Zack - Marty Brier
- Nikki - Pamela Sinha
- Jacob Bennett - Rudy Webb
- Kia - Mishu Vellani
- Winston (voice) - Rob Cowan
- Emmelina (voice) - Maxine MillerMaxine MillerMaxine Miller is a Canadian actress who first appeared in the first three seasons of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the 1980s, she voiced True Heart Bear in The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation and appeared on the animated series My Pet Monster.More recently, she guest starred in Showtime's...
- Abra (voice) - Billy VanBilly VanWilliam Allan Van Evera, , known by the stage name Billy Van, was a Canadian comedian, actor and singer.-Biography:...
Crew
- Producer - Jed MacKay
- Directors - Wayne Moss, Doug Williams
- Composer - Jed MacKay
- Music Director - Bruce Ley