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<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=3>For immediate release. February 25, 2004...
Theatre, Visual Art, Dance, Comedy<BR>Media Contact: Sandra Alland 416-348-0861
</FONT><A href="mailto:stumblintongues@sympatico.ca"><FONT
size=3>stumblintongues@sympatico.ca</FONT></A><BR><BR><FONT size=3>The Theatre
Centre<BR>FRee FaLL 04<BR>7 productions from across Canada in 11
days!<BR><BR><BR>In October of 2002, David Duclos of the Theatre Centre and
Stephen O'Connell of bluemouth Inc. collaborated on a pilot festival of new
performance from across Canada called Free Fall. Inspired by the success of the
inaugural event, The Theatre Centre, now under the direction of Franco Boni,
continues to host this Toronto-based biennial interdisciplinary
festival.<BR><BR>From April 1-11, Free Fall 04 will present 7 new works at
various sites along Queen St West, as well as hosting a roundtable discussion
about current trends in "live art." The Free Fall Festival is designed to
celebrate innovation by bringing together groups of artists who not only
challenge our evolving notions of performance, but also adopt new and original
approaches to the creative process.<BR><BR>Festival Passes*: Adults -- $25 for 5
shows<BR>Students -- $25 for 6 shows<BR>*passes do not include special events
(Half a Tank, The Round Table, The Breakfast Series) and are
nontransferable<BR>Single Tickets: $10-$20 (prices listed per
location)<BR>Tickets and Audience Inquiries: 416-538-0988<BR><BR>Digital photos
available on request.<BR><BR><BR>1. At the Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen St West at
Dovercourt Single Tickets: $15<BR><BR>Spoken
Word/Body by Martin Bélanger Montréal, QC<BR>A former actor, the
dancer-choreographer Martin Bélanger questions the very foundations of stage
performance. The young choreographer draws upon his experience in theatre and
film to liberate movement from all notions of hierarchy; by juxtaposing everyday
actions against coded gestures, he creates an unexpected, intimate, and
humourous vocabulary. Although Spoken word/body is a solo, Bélanger does not act
alone: the narrative body of the dancer is accompanied by sound collaborator
Jean-Sebastien Durocher, who is always on stage. Dynamic and articulate,
Bélanger works in the realm of the here and now.<BR>(This show is in
English).<BR>Thursday, April 1, 8 p.m. Saturday, April 3, 9 p.m.<BR>Friday,
April 2, 8 p.m. Sunday, April 4, 2 p.m.<BR><BR>Par bonheur/Il y a by Louis and
Marcelle Hudon Montréal, QC<BR>A child, fascinated by the scientific curiosity
of his aunt and uncle, leaves to search for the white elephant. This poetic
performance sings the praises of sensory awakening. As in the acclaimed
Portraits of a Fox, shadow theatre, puppets, marionettes, video projections,
masque, live music, and contact microphones unite to witness the elastic nature
of time. Longtime collaborators Marcelle Hudon (co-concept, masks, performance),
Louis Hudon (co-concept, masks, performance), Sabin Hudon (sound, music, and
small mechanism creation), Bernard Falaise (musical composition and execution),
and Manon Labrecque (camera operator and manipulator) employ their respective
artistic languages to feed each other and the audience.<BR>(This show is in
English and French.)<BR>Friday, April 9, 8 p.m.<BR>Saturday, April 10, 8
p.m.<BR><BR>2. At the Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St West (side door on
Beaconsfield) Single Tickets: $15<BR><BR>The Wet Project created by Jenn Goodwin
Toronto, ON<BR>in collaboration with Justine Chambers, Sarah Doucet, and Darryl
Tracy<BR>Three separate works under one theme -- body fluids. Each piece is a
window into worlds of lust, love, desire, addiction, and loneliness. With depth,
darkness and humour, the dancers tell stories through movement, text and video.
Founded in 1999, TURBO BONZ Dance seeks a performance language through gesture,
text, technology, space, and the human body. Artistic director Jenn Goodwin's
style is witty, sensuous, and charged with physical emotion. The company
investigates contemporary popular culture, and creates an environment in which
dance and theatre collide, crash, and beautifully explode.<BR>The performance
incorporates videos by Moving Pictures Dance on Film & Video Festival, as
well as DJ'ing by Global Pop Conspiracy.<BR>Friday, April 2, 8 p.m. Sunday,
April 4, 8 p.m.<BR>Saturday, April 3, 8 p.m. Monday, April 5, 8
p.m.<BR><BR><BR>3. In the Great Hall Storefront, 1087 Queen St West
Single Tickets: $10<BR><BR>Breathe by Lori Clarke St. John's, NF<BR>A video
installation and performance that draws upon images from the history of
medicine, contemporary medical imaging technologies, and meanings and
experiences of breathing throughout the life cycle. The piece blurs the lines
between individual physical space and societal space, the essential act of
breathing clean air and the fear of its toxicity. It is also an experiment with
projected imagery as the primary source of light on a moving figure.<BR>Clarke's
work meets at the junction between the functions of the human body and our
attempt to map those functions. Breathe is the second of four pieces in the
larger work, Somalore, or "stories of bodies".<BR>Sunday, April 4, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 6, 7 p.m.<BR>Monday, April 5, 7 p.m. Wednesday , April 7, 7
p.m.<BR><BR><BR>4. At the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St West at
Gladstone Single Tickets: $15<BR><BR>Boring Depressing Empty Lives written &
performed by Glenn Christie Toronto, ON<BR>An hilarious satire of the nature of
performance. Glenn performs 10 characters, all of whom struggle to be heard
despite their lack of talent and decorum. The show features the best of Glenn's
stand-up and theatre work, including characters such as Brigitta Von Trappe, The
Knife Sharpening Man and Holy Mary Mother of God, and songs such as Polio Bunny
and I'm the Only Boy Who Takes Jazz Ballet. It also features video by
TRAILERVISION. Directed by Ciara Adams, with musical direction by Brock
Simpson.<BR>Thursday, April 8, 8 p.m. Sunday , April 11, 8 p.m.<BR>Saturday,
April 10, 9p.m. and 11 p.m.<BR><BR><BR>5. At the Katherine Mulherin Gallery,
1086 Queen St West Single Tickets: $15<BR><BR>Time Share by OOmph Group Toronto,
ON<BR>An installation performance work that actively contemplates isolation,
communication, false truths, and security. An examination of the daily
interactions of humans in situations where they are forced into intimacy. Using
the Katherine Mulherin Gallery, Oomph (Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Chad Dembski, Sean
MacMahon, Ryan McVittie, and Natasha Priest), will continue to push the
boundaries of performance and its audience by incorporating the viewer into the
installation/performance space. Levels of intimacy between the performers and
audience/viewer will be challenged by shifting their physical relationships in
the space and how they are introduced/exposed to the themes. Stories are told,
lies unfold, a karaoke crooner sings in the background. Private space is
captured on video surveillance, while good behaviour is rewarded.<BR>Tuesday,
April 6, 8 p.m. Friday, April 9, 9 p.m.<BR>Wednesday, April 7, 9 p.m. Saturday,
April 10, 2 p.m. and 10p.m.<BR>Thursday, April 8, 9 p.m.<BR><BR>6. Parking Lot
Location TBA
Single Tickets: $20 per car/$10 per walk-up<BR><BR>Half a Tank by Radix Theatre
Vancouver, BC<BR>Part drive-in theatre, part live radio show, Half a Tank is a
spectacular meditation on our relationship with the automobile. The show takes
place in a large parking lot, where audience members are seated inside their
cars, parked in a large circle facing inward. Inside the circle, a solitary car
(a 1971 Monaco) will rotate endlessly. Meantime, a band will broadcast music and
audio for audience members to tune into on their car radios.<BR>*Those without
cars are encouraged to car-pool, but walk-ups will also be
accommodated.<BR>Saturday , April 3, 6 p.m. One Performance ONLY<BR><BR><BR>7.
In the Conversation Room at the Great Hall, 1087 Queen St West at
Dovercourt<BR><BR>"Transcendence, Transgression and Resistance" - Round Table*
Admission: Free<BR>A public forum on the impact new performance ideas have on
the viewer and society as a whole, with the goal of identifying trends and links
between performance practices that question the relationship between artistic
intent and viewer expectation. A discussion to bring together researchers,
professional artists, administrators, educators, funding officers, writers, and
critics from the disciplines of theatre, dance, performance and
interdisciplinary art.<BR>Keynote address by RoseLee Goldberg, whose book,
Performance: Live Art 1909 to the Present, is recognized by many as the most
comprehensive and complete history of "new" and "hybrid" performance. Discussion
moderated by DD Kugler, director, dramaturg, and Associate Professor at Simon
Fraser University, and documented by Sam Stedman, a doctorial candidate in
performance at the University of Toronto.<BR>Sunday, April 4, 4-6
p.m.<BR>*sponsored by Front Door Organics<BR><BR><BR>8. At Beaver Cafe, 1192
Queen St West Admission: free*<BR><BR>The Breakfast Series<BR>Have breakfast
with Free Fall's smart and talented artists at Queen St West's new coolest
breakfast and brunch hangout!<BR>Sunday , April 4, 9-11am<BR>Sunday, April 11,
9-11am<BR>*tickets limited to first 10 emails to </FONT><A
href="mailto:info@theatrecentre.org"><FONT
size=3>info@theatrecentre.org</FONT></A><FONT size=3>, patrons must pay for own
breakfast</FONT><BR><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>