Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Canada’s longest-running new works festival returns for a 37th year! For two weeks, hundreds of artists transform Buddies into a hotbed of experimentation, exploring new possibilities in theatre, dance, music, and performance art. Rhubarb is the place to experience the most adventurous ideas in performance and catch your favourite artists venturing into uncharted territory.
Festival highlights include:
• A one-night-only special presentation of Motion and DJ L’Oquenz’s theatrical mixtape Oraltorio
• A new collaboration between Gavin Crawford and Buddies‘ founding artistic director Sky Gilbert
• An interactive videogame performance from local performance art comic Neil LaPierre
• An experimental take on queer ballroom culture from Chicago’s NIC Kay
• A visual art exhibition by Rajni Perera
• The return of the TAPA Indie Trade Forum
• The latest instalment of Buddies resident artist ted witzel’s Lulu Variations
• A new take on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 that pairs the Loose TEA Chamber orchestra with trance DJ Ahmed Al Khayat
• New short works from Donna Michelle St Bernard & Virgilia Griffith, Bruce Gibbons Fell, Heidi Strauss, Alex Tigchelaar, Clayton Lee, Art is Hard Productions, Femmes du Feu, Still Boys, Walter Scott, and more.
• An opening night performance from Girls Rock Camp TO
Rhubarb is more than your typical festival in Toronto. Rhubarb Festival Director Mel Hague explains “I am overwhelmingly proud of the artists that have come together for Rhubarb – visual artists, poets, playwrights, performers, improvisers, dancers, aerialists, video artists, and musicians, all joining to explore their art, to push their boundaries, and to fill our walls. The 37th Rhubarb Festival is all about taking space – space that is physical, space that is intellectual, space that is spiritual. Audiences are invited to an event that is memorable, thought-provoking, and always a little weird. Electric. Eclectic. It’s muthafuck’n Rhubarb.”
2016 marks the first Rhubarb Festival for Buddies’ new Artistic Director Evalyn Parry. "For me, Rhubarb is always a highlight of the theatrical year in Toronto, because it's all about the new. It's a chance to be introduced to new artists, to watch established artists break new ground, and to witness the beginnings of so many unique and exciting new collaborations. It's a festival unlike any other: truly interdisciplinary, truly experimental, and truly intergenerational. Mel has curated a fantastic program, and I couldn't be more excited to see what will emerge this February."
RHUBARB SHINES A SPOTLIGHT ON EMERGING CREATORS
Rhubarb continues its tradition of presenting creative work of emerging artists from the company’s Queer Youth Arts Program. This year’s Emerging Creators Unit includes presentations from Monica Garrido, Marina Moreira, Josh Middleton, and Chase Lo. These four emerging artists will create original 30-minute performances with the assistance of mentors/directors Sunny Drake, Gein Wong, Alistair Newton, Tawiah M’carthy, and Beatriz Pizano.
ONGOING WORK WITH QUEER ARTISTS
For decades, Buddies has nurtured queer artists and their work, be it cabaret, burlesque, performance art or music. As part of this leading centre for the creation and presentation of alternative theatre in Canada, the 37th annual Rhubarb Festival will not disappoint, with projects led by queer artists that include:
Hoofs (Ange Loft)
Gavin Crawford doing Sky Gilbert
Wendy’s Revenge (Walter Scott)
Electric Sheep (Rory Jade Grey)
lil BLK (nic KAY)
Chew Chew Swallow Spit (Clayton Lee)
LULU v4 (the red light district / ted witzel)
Alabama (Bruce Gibbons Fell)
Dark Love (Donna-Michelle St Bernard / Virgilia Griffith)
TAKE YOUR SPACE SUNDAY
For one night and one night only, interactive installations and durational performances are all over! Audiences can explore the hidden corners of Buddies brought to life with performances from Pip Bradford, Angie Cheng, Hanneke Kuijpers, Clayton Lee, Heidi Strauss and Alex Tigchelaar Expect everything from interactive dance installations, to a participatory art gallery, to a dating app photo booth and more!
TEAMING UP WITH TAPA FOR INDIE TRADE FORUM
The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) in association with PACT and Buddies in Bad Times is thrilled to announce the upcoming Indie Exchange to be held on February 28, 2016.
With Philip Akin kicking off the day as the opening speaker, The Indie Exchange will be hosting a slew of interactive panel discussions lead by leading professionals, The Indie Exchange aims to provide every artist with the tools they need to produce their art in today’s competitive environment. The Indie Exchange also features a Marketplace which will be offering participants a chance to chat one on one with representatives from various cultural and government organizations along with independent business owners and services.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presents
THE 37th RHUBARB FESTIVAL
Festival Director Mel Hague
February 17-28, 2016
TICKETS:
Wed-Sat - $20 Evening Pass
Emerging Creators Presentations - PWYC
Sunday Week One (Take Your Space) - $20 (or free admission with a ticket to any other day of the festival)
Sunday Week Two (TAPA Indie Trade Forum) – visit tapa.ca for ticket information
Rush Ticket Policy - PWYC (limited to 10 tickets per day every Thurs, Fri & Sat, max 2 per person)
Box Office 416-975-8555 or buddiesinbadtimes.com/rhubarb
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto ON
Photo: Neil LaPierre. ©2015.
2016-01-05
Toronto: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre announces the line-up for the Rhubarb Festival