Review: (Toronto / Dance) The Four Horsemen Project

Text, Sound, Poetry, Song
by Jasmine Chen,  Senior Contributor

“Language has been so misused by merchants, politicians, evangelists and materialists. Language has become abusive; sullied and souled by ulterior motives. Sound Poetry was an abandonment of language.” – Paul Dutton

This quote rings out with particular clarity in our contemporary society, when a single miscalculated comment can send the media into a frenzy or the twitterverse into a firestorm. When language can be manipulated towards different agendas, it is refreshing to step back from what we know as language. What the Four Horsemen and Volcano Theatre with Crooked Figure Dances and Global Mechanic are able to do is strip language of meaning so that we begin to listen to pure sound. When we begin to listen to sounds produced by the voice and human body, we stop relying on language to convey meaning. The result is a fully embodied form of expression that is exposed and surprising.

Review: (Toronto) 360 Screenings

Inside the Secret
by Jasmine Chen
@CHENPINGTING

The tag line for 360 Screenings is “Step in to the film”. This immersive screening experience begins even before you enter the venue. Outside 10 Adelaide Street East, at 10:50pm, there’s a long line stretching down the block. Already, the world of the film is being created for us by actors who interact with the audience while they wait. 10 Adelaide street, is a heritage building, the sixth venue to house a 360 Screening. I’ve passed by this address so many times, but for the first time tonight I’m really noticing it. The Ontario Heritage Centre was built in 1909 originally as a bank. Pillars loom above us as we wait. Soon, we’re ushered into the lobby where the space is dressed as a new setting altogether. I won’t give anything away, though, because that’s the best part: not knowing what to expect. How it works is 360 Screenings does not reveal the location of the screening until a day or so before. You are then given recommended actions, like what to wear and what to bring. All of these actions are suggested to help you better connect as a participant. When I say “participant”, I mean: expect to be engaged. The performers are not only open to your curiosity, but they will actively seek you out and involve you in the world of the film. Clues are everywhere, if you look for them. In speaking to different characters, you’ll be led closer to the discovery of what you’ll be watching later on. 

Interview: Ned Loach, Co-Founder of 360 Screenings

L-R Robert Gontier, Ned Loach co-founders 360 Screenings

From Screen To Stage
by Jasmine Chen
@CHENPINGTING

Ned Loach, Co-Founder of 360 Screenings spoke with CharPo Senior Contributor Jasmine Chen.

CHARPO: What was the genesis of 360 Screenings? What inspired you to create this experience for audiences?

LOACH: Our Artistic Director Robert Gontier and I lived in London, UK for several years and while we were there we went to as many theatre shows and cultural events as we could. We noticed a trend of immersive theatre, but more specifically a kind of theatre that blended many different artistic forms. When we came back, we wondered if this kind of immersive theatre was happening in Toronto. While there was a lot of immersive theatre, there wasn't as much blending of different disciplines. That's when we decided to create a hybrid theatre and film event. We're a year and a half in and we're still growing.

Review: (Toronto) free as injuns

James Cade (photo credit: Juan Camlio Palacio)

Passion
free as injuns engages the senses
by Jessica Yen


Inspired by O’Neill’s classic American play Desire Under the Elms, free as injuns is a saga centered around the Cabot family, three sons born from different mothers, a heavy handed widower father, and his new (significantly younger) wife. Even Cabot is the youngest son who is guided by his dead mother’s voice (played by Yvette Nolan in voiceover). He is driven by his need to reclaim the farm which he believes is his birthright. Enter Be Cabot, Ephraim’s young half-native wife who immediately finds herself irresistibly drawn to Even. They find love in each other and more importantly the shared desire to take back the land. Be becomes pregnant with Even’s child, deceiving Ephraim into believing that it is his. Everyone but the oblivious Ephraim is forced to live under the lie which eventually undoes Even and his relationship with Be.