Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON – Canadian Stage is thrilled to present the world premiere of Betroffenheit, a groundbreaking collaboration between two of Canada’s most adventurous artists, internationally renowned choreographer Crystal Pite (Dark Matters, 2012; The Tempest Replica, 2014), artistic director of Kidd Pivot, and Electric Company Theatre artistic director Jonathon Young (Tear the Curtain!, 2012). An innovative, boundary-stretching hybrid of theatre and dance, Betroffenheit is presented by Canadian Stage and the TORONTO 2015 PAN AM/PARAPAN AM GAMES arts and cultural festival PANAMANIA presented by CIBC. Betroffenheit is only on stage for three performances from July 23 to 25 at the Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front St. E.), and returns to Canadian Stage’s Bluma Appel in February 2016.
“We are very excited to be participating in PANAMANIA - such an exciting time for the city - and presenting Betroffenheit”, said Matthew Jocelyn, Artistic & General Director, Canadian Stage. “This will be the third time Canadian Stage has presented the incomparable work of Crystal Pite and also re-unites us with Tear the Curtain!’s Jonathon Young, for what has emerged as a deeply rooted, deeply meaningful marriage of dance and theatre. Betroffenheit is truly exemplative of the type of collaboration we love to help nurture at Canadian Stage. This piece, which explores the human experience following intense trauma, will offer audiences a beautifully crafted language in which movement communicates where words fail us.”
Betroffenheit, the German word for extreme shock or distress, is a term Young discovered while reading And Then, You Act: Making art in an unpredictable world, a post-Sept. 11, 2001 book by Anne Bogart, in which she defines the word as “the state of being met, stopped, struck or perplexed.”
Young immediately connected with the idea that words can fail to fully communicate a profound experience. “I latched onto this word, betroffenheit, when I began to notice a quality in the writing I have done recently - its inability to add up, or to connect. I would look back and discover some really potent images or fragments, and I started to think that, as a whole, these fragments were perhaps painting the portrait I was after.”
Together Young and Pite marry words with movement and images in a way that creates a new, fuller communication. Touching on themes of loss, grief, guilt, and addiction, Betroffenheit invokes the essence of this expression, articulating its personality through a system of movements that sustain tension between stasis and passage. The resulting collaboration, co-created by Pite and Young and directed by Pite, brings together a stellar group of performers for a fascinating hybrid performance rich in spectacle.
Betroffenheit will be on stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front St. E) July 23 and 25 at 8 p.m., July 24 at 7 p.m., and will return February 2016 for four more performances. Tickets from $24 to $99 are available online, by phone at 416-368-3110 or in person at the Berkeley Street Theatre box office. For details visit www.canadianstage.com.
Facebook: Canadian Stage
Twitter: @CanadianStage #csBetroffenheit
About Betroffenheit
A state of shock and bewilderment encompasses you in the wake of a disaster. It is a timeless, liminal space where you return again and again even while struggling to gain and maintain distance, repeatedly responding to the disaster long after it has subsided. Here, a crisis-management team is keeping your emergency situation alive and present, a trusted voice is urging you to come to terms with the past, and a steady supply of “The Show” is available for all the distraction, escape and pleasure you might crave. In one sense, you are the survivor and this is your refuge. In another, you’re the disaster waiting to happen. Betroffenheit brings the choreographer of Dark Matters (2012) and The Tempest Replica (2014) with co-creator and lead actor of Tear the Curtain! (2012) in a hybrid of theatre and dance.
On stage July 23 to 25, 2015; Feb 18-21, 2016
Opening and media night: July 23, 2015
Photo: Jonathon Young, Cindy Salgado, Jermaine Spivey, David Raymond, Tiffany Tregarthen and Bryan Arias. ©2015 Wendy D Photography.
2015-06-29
Toronto: Canadian Stage and Panamania present "Betroffenheit" July 23-25