Stage Door News
Stage Door News
April 11, 2016, TORONTO – MotionLive Collective is pleased to present the world premiere of Oraltorio: a Theatrical Mixtape as part of The RISER Project 2016. The RISER Project, the collaborative producing model for independent theatre, returns to the Theatre Centre (1115 Queen St W) for the second time this Spring, Oraltorio: a Theatrical Mixtape runs April 29 – May 12, 2016 (opening April 30).
Oraltorio: a Theatrical Mixtape is a coming of age story that traces the personal and collective journey of Northside-born girls as they grapple with identity, migrate through their histories, and manifest their lineages through ancient, contemporary, and Afro-futuristic soundscapes; finding the multi-layered voices of the B Girl and the DJ, as the traditional storyteller and drummer are reborn in their beats and rhymes.
The piece is a multidisciplinary insight into how women’s voices – musical and otherwise – have been silenced. Oraltorio: a Theatrical Mixtape is a spoken word opera that remixes theatre, music and spoken word, bringing together a piece as insightful as it is entertaining. The piece riffs on music, race, gender, culture, memory, otherness, resistance, ritual, silence, survival and inheritance through its two characters, exploring the historical silencing of Black and women's voices, and the intertwined revolutions and resistance signified by music and oral culture in the African Diaspora.
Oraltorio: a Theatrical Mixtape is written and performed by playwright, poet and emcee MOTION and composed/mixed by DJ, composer and beat maker L’Oqenz. It is directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa.
Oraltorio: a Theatrical Mixtape is made possible by Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts.
About Oraltorio
Directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa
Motion (Writer/Performer)
DJ L'Oqenz (Music & Sound Design/Performer)
Roger C. Jeffrey (Choreographer)
Saccha Dennis (Assistant Director)
Tara Mohan (Stage Manager)
Mariuxi Zambrano (Costume Designer)
Jackie Chau (Set & Props Designer)
David Mesiha (Associate Sound Designer)
Remington North (Associate Video Designer)
Ramon Charles (Video Designer)
Andrew du Toit (Lighting Designer)
Mel Hague (Dramaturge)
MotionLive Collective (Producer)
Newface Entertainment/David Crawford (co-Producer)
IFT Theatre (co-Producer)
Get social:
Twitter: @oraltorio @motionlive @LOqenz @ifttheatre #oraltorio #riser2016
Instagram: @motionlive @ellomelloqenz
MotionLive Collective presents
Oraltorio: a Theatrical Mixtape
April 29, 2016 8:30pm (preview)
April 30 9:30pm (opening)
May 1 1:30pm
May 3 7:30pm
May 4 7:30pm
May 5 7:30pm
May 6 7:30pm
May 7 1:30 pm & 7:30pm
May 9 7:30pm
May 10 7:30pm
May 11 7:30pm
May 12 10:45pm
Run time: 90 minutes
The Theatre Centre BMO Incubator – 1115 Queen St. West
Tickets: $20/$10 Youth (Under 25)
$30 for 2 Riser Project Shows
Tickets can be purchased at www.theatrecentre.org
About MotionLive Collective
MotionLive Collective was formed as an ad hoc collaboration, mobilizing culturally diverse artists to develop new works and innovative creative projects. Coming together to produce an award-winning festival debut of Aneemah’s Spot at Summerworks 2012, the continued work of the collective has been fostered by key arts organizations such as Obsidian Theatre Company, b current, Factory Theatre and Caribbean Tales. With the vision to increase access through creative collaboration for artists of colour, African Diasporic stories, urban communities and new audiences, MotionLive Collective’s projects have included Aneemah’s Spot (TD Then & Now Series 2014), as well as Poetiks: Live Exhibit of Word & Sound (City of Toronto) and the cross-Canadian Northside Project: Snapshot of Hip Hop Arts.
Bringing together accomplished theatre, musical, visual and literary artists, MotionLive Collective garnered the RBC Arts Award in 2012. The Collective is currently developing Oraltorio: A theatrical Mixtape, and are now preparing to present the premier production the play in 2016, co-produced with Why Not Theatre as part of the Riser Project at the Theatre Centre. Recently, MotionLive Collective began fulfilling its vision of connecting with international artists and arts movements, by producing and directing the debut Toronto presentation of Raising Lazarus, written and performed by award-winning UK playwright/slam poetry champion Kat Francois at Dancemakers Theatre. MotionLive Collective will continue to build networks with international artists, collectives and arts organizations to pave the way for cross-global collaboration, touring and creation.
Photo: Oraltorio. ©2016 Zahra Siddiqui.
2016-04-11
Toronto: "Oraltorio: a Theatrical Mixtape" opens The RISER Project 2016 on April 29