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<DIV>Hello</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For any interested parties, please find below a
press release for the Graduate Centre for Study of Drama's annual Festival of
Original Theatre (F.O.O.T.) which takes place next week.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Cheers,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Rebecca</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE="CITE">
<H1 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=+0>FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
February 17, 2003</FONT></H1>
<CENTER>
<H2 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=+1>THE GRADUATE CENTRE FOR STUDY OF
DRAMA</FONT></H2></CENTER>
<CENTER><B>presents</B></CENTER><BR>
<CENTER>
<H2 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Festival of Original Theatre (F.O.O.T.)
2003</H2></CENTER>
<CENTER><B><I>Purging 20<SUP>th</SUP> Century Addictions: Toward A Different
Theatre</I></B></CENTER>
<DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The <B>Graduate Centre for
Study of Drama (University of Toronto</B>) is proud to announce the
<B>Festival of Original Theatre, 2003</B>. This year’s festival will feature
both a conference and showcase of ten original performance pieces at the
<B>Robert Gill Theatre</B> from <B>March 6<SUP>th</SUP> – 9<SUP>th</SUP>,
2003</B>.</DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Under this year’s theme,
<I>Purging 20<SUP>th</SUP> Century Addictions: Toward A Different Theatre</I>,
the annual Festival of Original Theatre (produced by the Graduate Centre for
Study of Drama, U of T) will celebrate the diversity and innovation essential
to exploring a theatre of the new millennium. Through content, comment and
form, the possibilities surrounding a 21<SUP>st</SUP> century theatre demands
that we take a hard look at where we’ve been, where we want to go and what
needs to change in order for us to get there. Audiences are invited to join in
the excitement of debate, discussion and paper and performance presentations
as artists, practitioners and scholars from all over North America attempt to
renegotiate theatre, between the 20<SUP>th</SUP> century familiar and
21<SUP>st</SUP> century innovation -Toward a theatre that is reflective,
innovative, diverse and unafraid. <BR>
<DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Opening with a keynote address
by renowned Nigerian Theatre for Development practitioner, Chuck Mike, the
F.O.O.T. Conference will feature a celebrity discussion panel that will
include Guillermo Verdecchia, Honor Ford-Smith and Sky Gilbert. Thematic panel
presentations (exploring Traditional Forms, Political Perspectives and New
Directions in Theatre) will be accompanied by performance papers (delivered
through a fusion of performance and discussion) and an open forum in which all
are invited to participate. An exciting showcase of ten 10-15 minute original
works will be presented nightly and will feature an extremely eclectic range
of visions and innovative performance techniques.
<CENTER>
<H3 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=+0>Festival of Original
Theatre</FONT></H3></CENTER>
<CENTER><B>F.O.O.T. 2003</B>
<P><B><I>Purging 20<SUP>th</SUP> Century Addictions: Toward A Different
Theatre</I></B></CENTER>
<CENTER>
<H3 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=+0>Robert Gill
Theatre</FONT></H3></CENTER>
<CENTER>214 College Street, 3<SUP>rd</SUP> Floor
<P>Performances: March 6<SUP>th</SUP> – 8<SUP>th</SUP> at 8 p.m., $8/$5
(students & seniors)
<P>March 9<SUP>th</SUP> at 2 p.m., PWYC
<P><B>416-978-7986</B> <BR> <BR>
<P>Free Conference: March 7<SUP>th</SUP> – 8<SUP>th</SUP>
<P><B><A
href="http://gradrama.sa.utoronto.ca/foot/">http://gradrama.sa.utoronto.ca/foot/</A></B></CENTER><BR>
<BR> <BR>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Media Contact: Luella Massey /
Resh Budhu <B>416-978-7986</B></P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>