The highly dedicated B612 Foundation, named after the famous asteroid, has taken upon itself the mission of saving the Earth from collision with an asteroid.  Although the Little Prince\’s planet is not going to crash into the Earth, there is another asteroid, discovered in 2004, that is scheduled to cross our path in 2029. Its name? Apophis, the Egyptian god of destruction, or 2004 NM4 to those in the know. A giant, 320 metres in diameter, which on 13 April 2029 will pass just 30,000 km from the Earth. On the scale of the solar system, that represents about the thickness of a sheet of paper. A bright star will be seen crossing the sky over Europe and North Africa. That is when we will probably find out whether Apophis is likely to collide with the Earth on its next passage in 2036, also on 13 April. The consequences would be unthinkable. If the asteroid were to plunge into the sea, it would create a catastrophic tidal wave; were it to hit land, so much dust would be thrown up into the atmosphere that it would trigger a climate cataclysm to match whatever caused the disappearance of the dinosaurs.

Under its President Russell Schweickart, a former Apollo programme astronaut, the B612 Foundation and its team of scientists, astronomers and astronauts are studying the risks posed by a collision between the Earth and an asteroid in the hope of preventing such a disaster.  Since it was founded in 2002, the Foundation has come up with several action plans. The option finally chosen: to make use of gravity. This would be the simplest solution to put into practice, the least expensive and the least dangerous. The principle is simple: a massive and enormously heavy object must be placed in a close orbit around the asteroid. If this were done well enough in advance, the extra hundreds of kilometres of distance gained would be enough to put the Earth out of all harm\’s way.  Ever since 1998, a Nasa programme has been identifying and tracking all objects in space over 1 km in diameter. There are over a thousand of them scattered along Earth\’s path, not to mention the smallest asteroids, which are numbered in the hundreds of thousands.  A monitoring and early warning programme is being set up. Here is an original project that the foundation hopes to be able to develop in conjunction with Nasa, to be operational by 2015.

Watch this space!

Find out more: http://www.b612foundation.org/

On 11 March, a stage adaptation of The Little Prince, O Pequeno Príncipe, was performed for the first time in São Paulo, Brazil. The highly original adaptation, which relies on extensive technical resources, was directed by João Falcão. The part of The Little Prince was played by Luana Piovani, who had already scored a big success in 2003 for her part in the adaptation of another well-known children\’s tale. The performances also have a charitable role to play by collecting food in exchange for theatre seats. The food collected is then distributed to children\’s charities, hospitals and kindergartens.

O Pequeno Príncipe, from 11 March to 29 October 2006, every Saturday and Sunday at 4 .00 p.m.
at Teatro Shopping Frei Caneca
Rua Frei Caneca, 569
Shopping Frei, 6° andar
São Paulo

Find out more: http://www.teatroshoppingfreicaneca.com.br/

Welcome to the world of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry! Gregor Seyffert invites us on a journey into the infinite realms of the imagination.
Disappointed by love, The Little Prince leaves his planet and travels the universe in search of friendship, humanity and affection. In the course of his journey, he meets a series of mysterious people and animals. Through the questions he asks of the world and his experiences in it, at the end it becomes clear: it is only with one\’s heart that one can see clearly.  At the end of his journey through the world of grown-ups, The Little Prince finds the strength to return to his planet and his love.

Producer and choreographer Gregor Seyffert understands Saint-Exupéry\’s message in The Little Prince. As is often the case with tales, he says, it is a book for children and adults alike, full of delight. Above all, for him, it is the most touching existentialist work of the 20^th century. He remembers rationing himself, when reading it, to just a few pages at a time, so as to postpone the moment of reaching the end. « The words, phrases and images were just too precious ». Through this ballet, Gregor Seyffert invites us to rediscover the eternal child that dwells in us all. In his notebook he writes : « Far too soon, at an age when we are still in need of a refuge, we have been deprived of (weaned away from) God, and so now we must fight our way through life, lonely little boys and girls ».

Producer/Choreographer: Gregor Seyffert
Sound: Wolfgang Bley-Borkowski
Director: A. Christian Steiof
Costumes: Gabriele Kortmann
Video animation: Olivier Schroeter/Christian Molle/Thomas Schaarschmidt
Music: H. Le Bars, P. Comelade, E. Satie, S. Prokofiev, les Tambours du Bronx, J. S. Bach, Lambaren.

Find out more: http://www.anhaltisches-theater.de

To mark the 60^th anniversary of the publication of in France, the Artois Saint-Exupéry association is staging a fascinating exhibition at the Casino d’Arras from 26 to 29 January, on The Little Prince in the light of today and his message for the 21^st century. This will be accompanied by a performance of Le Petit Prince by Compagnie Blondeau, and a lecture by Howard Scherry.

Detailed programme:
Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 (afternoon): Exhibition on The Little Prince in the light of today (admission free)
Saturday 28 January at 8.30 p.m. and Sunday 29 January at 4.00 p.m.: Performance of Le Petit Prince by Compagnie Blondeau (admission: adults 14 € – children 9 €)
Saturday 28 January at 3.00 p.m.: Lecture by Mr. Howard Scherry: Saint-Exupéry in New York, 1941-1944 (admission free)

Artois Saint-Exupéry
10, rue Edouard Branly
62 000 Arras 

Hakone, a small town with a population of 15,000 inhabitants not far from Mount Fuji, is home to the Museum of The Little Prince. Opened in 1999, the museum is also dedicated to the Little Prince’s creator, and takes the visitor deep into the world of Saint-Exupéry and his times.
The museum covers an area of 10,000 m² and is entered through an exact replica of the great gate to the Chateau of Saint-Maurice-de-Rémens, where the visitor is confronted by a statue of The Little Prince on his planet. The visit begins with a tour of a Provençal quarter, where every detail is heavy with symbolism, such as the hotel named after Guillaumet or the manhole covers stamped with drawings of The Little Prince. A little further on, we find a Lyons street circa 1900, representing the year and the place of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s birth. This is also where you will find the museum that retraces the life of the aviator in a series of rooms devoted to his childhood, l’Aéropostale, Cap Juby, Argentina, New York, etc. The walls are covered in period photographs, documents and manuscripts in the author’s hand. The next stage in the visit is an exhibition of translations of The Little Prince. Finally, the visitor comes to the formal gardens and a life-size reconstruction of the facade of the Chateau of Saint-Maurice-de-Rémens.

These are just some of the countless surprises the Museum of The Little Prince in Hakone reserves for visitors, not forgetting the « Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry » rose-garden or the chapel, inspired by the chapel of the original chateau. In just six years, the museum has already attracted over a million visitors. But how and why did such a museum come into being in Japan? It was founded by Mrs. Akiko Torii in 1999, to mark the centenary of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s birth. Like so many of us, she discovered The Little Prince as a child. The book inspired her with a passionate admiration for the aviator. She later became the Saint-Exupéry estate’s representative in Japan.

Find out more:
Interview with Akiko Torii and guided tour of the Museum of The Little Prince (in french)
Museum of The Little Prince, Hakone

Since 1998, this voluntary organisation has made it possible for sick children to take to the air and experience a world hitherto closed to them: the world of flight. This year, in the course of the one-day operation, 61 children will discover the skies over Lyons aboard two airplanes and a helicopter.

All sorts of other activities will also be on offer, including an introduction to archery, blowpipes or darts, a make-up workshop, a display of vintage motorcycles and cars. A sidecar club will be taking children for rides, and there will also be an exhibition of some of the legendary airplanes from aeronautical history.

Sunday 25 September 2005
5^th annual edition of the operation Les Ailes du Petit Prince at Lyon-Bron airport.

Think of an idea of your own to write a poem or text or take your inspiration from The Little Prince, and then arrange the words to make a picture.

A calligram is a subtle blend of drawing and writing. The name was invented by the poet Guillaume Apollinaire in 1918. To enter the competition, compose a poem or a text of your own or choose a phrase from The Little Prince and arrange it to make a picture – a Christmas tree, perhaps, or whatever your imagination suggests. The « precise » definition of a calligram is a poem or text which is laid out in a visual representation that relates to the words.

Entries must be submitted by 15 January 2005. You will receive your gift on receipt of your calligram. A selection of entries will be featured on The Little Prince website, unless you state in your letter that you do not wish your entry to be published online. We regret that entries cannot be returned.

This competition is now closed.

The opera The Little Prince was written by Hollywood Oscar-winning composer Rachel Portman and directed by Francesca Zambello. It is currently being co-produced by the BBC and Sony Classical in the UK and is to be shown on TV on 29 November 2004 on BBC 2, with a further broadcast scheduled for Christmas. A double-CD audio version and a DVD are available from Sony Classical.

What is perhaps most impressive is that over 25,000 children from all over the UK applied to take part. A total of 6,500 talented youngsters were auditioned, all aged between 7 and 16, but only a handful stood a chance of being selected to play the roles of the little prince and the rose, alongside Willard White (the king), Aled Jones (the drunkard) and Lesley Garrett (the fox). In the end, Joseph MacManners was chosen for the role of the little prince, and played his part with extraordinary talent. The singers were filmed by children\’s TV programme Blue Peter during their performance.

A double-CD audio version and a DVD are available from Sony Classical. The DVD contains a bonus feature of the recordings directed by Blue Peter.

Prologue:
When the pilot was still a child, he used to draw wonderful drawings, but grown-ups never understood them. Now he is a pilot and flies all over the world, steering by the stars. 

To mark the 60^th anniversary of the publication of The Little Prince in France, the Artois Saint-Exupéry association is organising a series of exhibitions and lecture-debates on the life and works of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and The Little Prince.

For further information, contact Mr. Thierry Spas:
Tel: 06 89 72 97 34
or e-mail: t-spas@ville-arras.fr

The Les Amis du Petit Théâtre d’Ombre shadow puppet theatre group is embarking on a French tour from September to November 2003. The troupe of young Cambodians (6 musicians and 7 puppeteers), all aged between 16 and 20 and accompanied by three adults, will present a series of performances based on the repertoire of the 2000 tour.

The repertoire will also contain new pieces, including an adaptation of the Ramayana, a piece inspired by The Little Prince and creations based on themes from modern life. All the items in the repertoire will be subtitled in French.

Find out more: http://www.editomac.fr/ombre/