Stage Door News
Stage Door News
April 9, 2014 TORONTO – Crow’s Theatre is thrilled to announce the launch of a new, site specific solo theatre festival that will take over Leslieville and Riverdale in May: The East End Performance CRAWL.
A solo performance festival, a series of site-specific theatre installations and a community ‘Doors Open’ event all in one! The East End Performance Crawl celebrates the wealth of unique and vibrant independent businesses and community spaces in the Leslieville / Riverdale area. Over the 12 days of the Crawl, the Festival’s 14 neighborhood venues will be home to 23 different theatrical experiences created by leading theatre artists from all over North America.
The East End Performance CRAWL will kick-off with the world premiere of Dreaming of Rob Ford by acclaimed, controversial, and award-winning monologist Mike Daisey (The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs)—a brand new show created specifically for Toronto’s current moment. Hailed as “the master storyteller” by The New York Times, Daisey peels back the layers behind crack-smoking, and late-night talk show shenanigans to get at uncomfortable truths about how we construct fame, who we think we’re laughing at, and what it means when we play the fool.
Curated by Mitchell Cushman, Crow’s Associate Artistic Director and recent Siminovitch Prize Protégé Award winner, the inaugural edition of the CRAWL will feature a dozen site-specific plays and experiences, as well as Tracey Erin Smith’s 2nd Annual SoulO Theatre Festival and free live music by Bahia Watson at HITCH bar, host of the CRAWL’s official nightly after-party.
As audiences explore spaces across the southern east end, the future home of Crow’s new state of the art theatre, they may find themselves in Toronto’s oldest movie theatre, doing downward dog in a local yoga studio, experiencing a dance show at an art studio, hearing spoken word at knitting café, or even sneaking a peek inside Toronto’s infamous Jilly’s strip club. In addition to Jilly’s, some of the CRAWL East End venue partners include: Lil’ Bean and Green Café, Arts Market, The Flying Yogi, Skin and Bones Wine Bar and The Purple Purl.
“This new site specific festival is a fantastic expression of Crow’s growing artistic and civic aspirations,” comments Crow’s Artistic Director Chris Abraham.
“In addition to showcasing an amazing range of exciting artistic voices, the CRAWL aims to nurture theatrical engagement at the community level, to take performance outside of the four walls of conventional spaces, and to encourage Toronto theatre audiences to explore the east end. We're thrilled with the programming assembled by festival curator Mitchell Cushman and very excited that the festival will be launched by acclaimed US-based performer Mike Daisey, in a new piece created for the festival. It's one of many that I'm really looking forward to introducing our audience to a taste of what's to come in 2016.”
In addition to exciting new work from an impressive list of Toronto stage favourites, including Amy Keating, Julie Tepperman, Meagan O’Shea and Tracey Hoyt, the CRAWL is bringing in international touring sensation Johnny O’Callaghan and his smash hit Who’s Your Daddy?—in a new site-specific production directed by Aaron Willis. The Festival is also presenting acclaimed work from across the country: Canadian Fringe Superstar TJ Dawe with his much-lauded new show Medicine; Andrew Shaver’s always provocative Sidemart Theatrical Grocery (Montreal); and cutting-edge new work from The Chop in Vancouver.
“In programming CRAWL, I was particularly looking for artists who push the boundaries of what solo performance can be,” says Festival Curator Mitchell Cushman. “I have so enjoyed playing match-maker between my favourite unique spaces in the East End, and these leading solo artists from across North America. The result is a Festival that is bursting at the seems with surprising encounters.”
As part of The CRAWL, Crow's is also thrilled to presenting Tracey Erin Smith's SOULO Theatre Festival at the Red Sandcastle Theatre--now in its second year of showcasing some the best of one-person shows from across North America for special one-night only engagements! Including work by David Harrell, Deanna Jones, Martha Chaves, Sage Tyrtle and Sebastien Heins.
The East End Performance Crawl will take over Toronto’s east end for 12 days beginning Wednesday, May 21st through to Sunday, June 1st.
Tickets are available at www.crowstheatre.com <http://www.crowstheatre.com> .
Photo: Mike Daisey. ©2011 John del Signore.
2014-04-09
Toronto: Crow's Theatre presents the inaugural "East End Performance CRAWL" May 21-June 1