free fall festival

[Sam Stedman]

For immediate release. February 25, 2004... Theatre, Visual Art, Dance, Comedy
Media Contact: Sandra Alland 416-348-0861 stumblintongues at sympatico.ca

The Theatre Centre
FRee FaLL 04
7 productions from across Canada in 11 days!


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.

>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.

Festival Passes*: Adults -- $25 for 5 shows
Students -- $25 for 6 shows
*passes do not include special events (Half a Tank, The Round Table, The Breakfast Series) and are nontransferable
Single Tickets: $10-$20 (prices listed per location)
Tickets and Audience Inquiries: 416-538-0988

Digital photos available on request.


1. At the Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen St West at Dovercourt      Single Tickets: $15

Spoken Word/Body by Martin Bélanger Montréal, QC
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.
(This show is in English).
Thursday, April 1, 8 p.m. Saturday, April 3, 9 p.m.
Friday, April 2, 8 p.m. Sunday, April 4, 2 p.m.

Par bonheur/Il y a by Louis and Marcelle Hudon Montréal, QC
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.
(This show is in English and French.)
Friday, April 9, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 10, 8 p.m.

2. At the Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St West (side door on Beaconsfield) Single Tickets: $15

The Wet Project created by Jenn Goodwin Toronto, ON
in collaboration with Justine Chambers, Sarah Doucet, and Darryl Tracy
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.
The performance incorporates videos by Moving Pictures Dance on Film & Video Festival, as well as DJ'ing by Global Pop Conspiracy.
Friday, April 2, 8 p.m. Sunday, April 4, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 3, 8 p.m. Monday, April 5, 8 p.m.


3. In the Great Hall Storefront, 1087 Queen St West   Single Tickets: $10

Breathe by Lori Clarke St. John's, NF
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.
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".
Sunday, April 4, 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, 7 p.m.
Monday, April 5, 7 p.m. Wednesday , April 7, 7 p.m.


4. At the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St West at Gladstone Single Tickets: $15

Boring Depressing Empty Lives written & performed by Glenn Christie Toronto, ON
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.
Thursday, April 8, 8 p.m. Sunday , April 11, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 10, 9p.m. and 11 p.m.


5. At the Katherine Mulherin Gallery, 1086 Queen St West Single Tickets: $15

Time Share by OOmph Group Toronto, ON
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.
Tuesday, April 6, 8 p.m. Friday, April 9, 9 p.m.
Wednesday, April 7, 9 p.m. Saturday, April 10, 2 p.m. and 10p.m.
Thursday, April 8, 9 p.m.

6. Parking Lot Location TBA                        Single Tickets: $20 per car/$10 per walk-up

Half a Tank by Radix Theatre Vancouver, BC
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.
*Those without cars are encouraged to car-pool, but walk-ups will also be accommodated.
Saturday , April 3, 6 p.m. One Performance ONLY


7. In the Conversation Room at the Great Hall, 1087 Queen St West at Dovercourt

"Transcendence, Transgression and Resistance" - Round Table* Admission: Free
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.
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.
Sunday, April 4, 4-6 p.m.
*sponsored by Front Door Organics


8. At Beaver Cafe, 1192 Queen St West Admission: free*

The Breakfast Series
Have breakfast with Free Fall's smart and talented artists at Queen St West's new coolest breakfast and brunch hangout!
Sunday , April 4, 9-11am
Sunday, April 11, 9-11am
*tickets limited to first 10 emails to info at theatrecentre.org, patrons must pay for own breakfast

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