Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON - rock.paper.sistahz (rps), the festival that first highlighted the work of Black Women Artists in 2002 is back for its 12th edition. With sistahz and brothaz from other cultures included in the mix, the theme for this year’s big event is A Festival Dating Experience… featuring twelve events, one “date” for each year rps has been running. The popular, one-of-a-kind weeklong festival runs from May 25 to 31.
Teaming with raw energy, rock.paper.sistahz is a hand-picked and fully curated festival showcasing the work of some of Toronto’s most diverse and creative artists. Featuring visual arts, play readings, improv, film and dance, rps12 promises something for everyone!
Taking its name and form from the well-known hand game, the festival has been empowering and celebrating emerging and established artists, by providing opportunities to develop and present new works.
With Founding/Artistic Director ahdri zhina mandiela on sabbatical leave, b current Associate Artists, Nicole Brooks, Raven Dauda, and Jajube Mandiela, have been leading the company’s 2012-2013 season. The three curators have invited studio artists Charmaine Lurch and Rehaset Yohanes, as well as the b current rAiz’n Ensemble, to be part of the curating team for rps 2013.
Alongside this year’s rock.paper.sistahz Festival is the third annual Uth Daze mini youth arts festival. Produced by reConnexion Collective the sister festival runs on May 25 and 26. For more information visit: www.uthdaze.wordrpess.com
RPS Festival schedule
May 28-30
Juke Joint performances
Returning by popular demand! Seasoned and emerging artists of different disciplines are paired together to do live, short (2-5 minutes) improvisations before each plaY dAte.
Venue: Wychwood Theatre |Admission: Included with price of admission for plaY dAte
Saturday, May 25: 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
sistahZ date brothaZ - Visual Art
Featuring Miss Canadiana aka Camille Turner | Hosted by: Christopher Pinheiro
In her latest performance works, Camille Turner portrays Miss Canadiana, a beauty queen on an international Red White and Beautiful Tour. The piece is part of a series of live, site-specific performances in which she uses her body as a site of social investigation. Dressed in tiara, sash and gown, Turner inserts herself into public spaces and records the sometimes surprising public responses. Camille's work is participatory and so the audience will engage in dialogue throughout the night’s event. http://www.year01.com/archive/camille/misscanadiana.html
Venue: b current studios | Admission: PWYC ($5 min)
8 PM – 10 PM
ART dates yoU (Visual Art & Official Festival Launch)
Get up close and personal with visual art – discover art and the artist in an intimate way through date by number. Grab a number, find your visual artist, and let the art woo you on your very first blind art date!
Featuring: Ann Marie Bourgeois, Sandra Brewster, Isidra Cruz, Suzanne Metz, Shirley Mpagi and Apanaki Temitayo.
Venue: Artscape Wychwood Barns | Admission: Free with Guestlist, Donation at the door
Monday, May 27: 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM
sistahZ date brothaZ – Film
This year’s rps studio sistahz are inviting brothaz to take centre stage and join in on the various art forums and receptions throughout the festival. Monday’s event features writer Christopher Pinheiro and his new screenplay Blood Moon with actors Naomi Abiola and Rhoma Spencer
Venue: Wychwood Theatre | Admission: PWYC ($5 min)
8 PM
FILM dates the STAGE
See the stage through the lens – from dance films to theatre documentaries, by candlelight with popcorn on tap, enjoy selected shorts and a feature presentation that expresses the art of staged work on film.
Short films: TBC
Feature Presentation: ahdri zhina mandiela’s on/black/stage/women followed by a talk-back with the filmmaker
Venue: Wychwood Theatre | Admission: $10
May 28-30
plaY dAte (Theatre Presentations)
Three blind dates … see how they run! The line-up for each night will be revealed as the event unfolds, come “date the dark” once, twice, or for all three blind “plaY dAtes”.
Hosted by Raven Dauda and a surprise guest host (blind date) each evening
Line-up
Tuesday, May 28: 8 PM – 11 PM
Juke Joint by Chase Lo & Najla Edwards
plaY dAte line-up: Femme Playlist by Catherine Hernandez | The Redemption of Al Bumen by M. NourbeSe Philip (Staged Reading) | Buna! by Rehaset Yohanes | Hair by The rAiz’n Ensemble | TALKBACK
Location: Wychwood Theatre | Admission: $10
Wednesday, May 29: 8 PM – 11 PM
Juke Joint by Michel Demski & Roselyn Kelada-Sedra
plaY dAte line-up: Brotherhood: The Hip Hopera by Sebastien Heins | Made In Congo by Sabrina Moella | Learning To Swim by Radha S. Menon (Staged Reading) | TALKBACK
Location: Wychwood Theatre | Admission: $10
Thursday, May 30: 8 PM – 11 PM
plaY dAte line-up: Gyneco-lo-lo-lo-gy: The Musical by Nathalie Younglai | Making Love with Espresso by Lorenzo Pagnotta | OralTorio: A Spoken Word Suite by Motion (Staged Music/Reading) | El Retorno/I Return by Marilo Nunez | Mammy Queen by Aisha Bentham | TALKBACK
Location: Wychwood Theatre | Admission: $10
Friday, May 31: 6:30 PM – 8 PM
sistahZ date brothaZ - Groove!
Juke Joint by Jason ‘blackbird’ Selman & his wife poet Deanna S. Smith and Aracely Reyes
Venue: b current studio | Admission: PWYC ($5 min)
8 PM – 10 PM
soooOOUL TRAIN!
Dance artists perform in an interactive and multi-cultural take on the 70’s Soul Train movement
Host: Comedian and ambassador of Hip Hop Norman "Big Norm" Alconcel | DJ: Fly Lady Di
Featuring: Bollywood with Rachel Alix | Waacking with Jojo 'Dancer' Zolina | Salsa with Cornell Mannings | Dancehall with Kay-Ann Ward
Venue: Artscape Wychwood Barns | Admission: $10
10 PM – MIDNIGHT
Serenade Wrap!
‘Saving the Best for Last’, closes the festival while paying homage to the crooner in you! Come join the festivities and sing the ‘best of’ love songs karaoke style, along with some good food, drink and toast to rock.paper.sistahz successful 12th year!
Featuring: Jason ‘blackbird’ Selman & his wife poet Deanna S. Smith, DJ Fly Lady Di
Venue: b current studio | Admission: by donation
Don’t miss Toronto’s premiere festival of Black women & women of colour artists at the rock.paper.sistahz #12, the most diverse festival of word, sound and performance the city has to offer.
For full event descriptions please visit www.bcurrent.ca.
rps #12 - 13th Annual rock.paper.sistahz Festival
May 25 to 31, 2013
Location: Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St.
Festival Passes and Day Passes available in advance online. $45 includes ALL EVENTS | $10 includes ONE DAY EVENTS
Individual tickets: $10 | Pay-What-You-Can | Guestlist | by donation
Information: 416-533-1500 or visit www.bcurrent.ca
2013-04-22
Toronto: b current’s 12th annual “rock.paper.sistahz” festival runs May 25-31