Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Presented by the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies in conjunction with The Drama Centre Students’ Union.
The Festival of Original Theatre (FOOT) features a vigorous and ‘wired’ blend of workshops, panels, speakers and live performances, this year’s conference promises to appeal to techies, academics, and performing artists alike. “There has recently been some really interesting cross-pollination between live staged events and new communication technologies”, enthuses co-Artistic Director Cassandra Silver, “but this overlap of tradition and innovation tests the limits of theatre, so I expect that this year's Festival will generate some really interesting conversation.”
This year’s conversation features three days of stimulating panel presentations & discussions including: (Friday, February 1) Practicing with Technology, The Digital Spectator, Performing Gender through Technology, (Saturday, February 2) Politics in Intermedial Performance, Digital Identities, Gaming and Performance, and (Sunday, February 3) Performance-as-research session to close out the conference.
FOOT will feature keynote speakers, Sarah Bay-Cheng and David J. Phillips. Sarah- Bay-Cheng is a performance historian at the University of Buffalo where she works at “the intersection of literature, theatre, and media.” Founder of the arts-meets-technology research center Techneé Institute for Arts and Emerging Technologies and the experimental Intermedia Performance Studio, her research examines the historical relationship between technology and theatre. University of Toronto’s own David J. Phillips works with their iSchool and is investigating how surveillance and computing (including the iOS and the Android operating system) can facilitate democratic action, non-normative identities, and queer world-making.
Friday and Saturday evening will feature innovative theatre performances. On night one, during the opening reception, six artists will take part in a “wild” and interactive performance gallery. On Saturday night, Toronto experimental theatre company, Ars Mechanica, will be showcasing their special blend of “performance, technology, and magic.” In addition, attendees will be encouraged to explore fixed installation pieces throughout the weekend.
There is no charge to attend, but online registration is strongly encouraged: http://foot2013.wordpress.com/registration
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2013-01-17
Toronto: The University of Toronto’s Drama Centre presents its 2013 Festival of Original Theatre”