Stage Door News
Toronto: Evalyn Parry presents “SPIN” at the Guild Festival Theatre July 6
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
A timeless musical celebration of the bicycle, Evalyn Parry’s SPIN is an innovative production that has toured the continent for over a decade. Inspired in part by the incredible true story of Annie Londonderry, the first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle in 1895, SPIN travels from nineteenth century women’s emancipation to the present day, forging unexpected links across time and history. A vintage bicycle, hooked up to simple electronics and suspended in a mechanic’s stand, becomes a percussion instrument: played from fenders to spokes to sprung vinyl seat, from whirling pedals to bells, percussionist Brad Hart creates a captivating sonic accompaniment to Parry’s evocative songs and stories.
Whimsical, moving, illuminating, celebratory, inventive: SPIN is a show for anyone who loves to ride a bike, or anyone who has ever yearned for personal or collective liberation. And if you don’t already ride a bike, be warned: you may leave the show wanting to give it a try.
For this outdoor, concert version of SPIN at Guild Theatre Festival, Parry and Hart are accompanied by a string trio led by violinist Kathleen Kajioka, with string arrangements by composer/songwriter Michael Holt. In lieu of the show's original video projections, SPIN's backdrop will be the glorious Greek Theatre.
"I am incredibly excited to be presenting SPIN at The Greek Theatre. I saw a production in 2014 and I was entertained, moved, and inspired. This is a show that will stay with you for years to come!” - Helen Juvonen, Co-Artistic Director, Guild Festival Theatre
SPIN Production History:
SPIN was originally developed and presented by OutSpoke Productions in collaboration with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto, with support from The Toronto Arts Council, The Ontario Arts Council, The Canada Council for the Arts, as well as The Banff Centre. The original stage production was directed by Ruth Eluned Madoc-Jones, with production and video design by Beth Kates. Since its premiere in 2011, SPIN has enjoyed hundreds of performances from coast to coast of Canada and the USA, from tiny community halls to big city stages around the continent; highlights include The Lincoln Center (New York City), Belfry Theatre (Victoria), Sound Symposium (Newfoundland), The Cultch (Vancouver), The Krannert Centre (Illinois), The Northern Arts and Culture Centre (Yellowknife) and a 10-day tour of the Northwest Territories, The Painted Bride (Philadelphia), The High Performance Rodeo (Calgary), The Yukon Arts Centre (Whitehorse), Prairie Theatre Exchange (Winnipeg), The River Run Centre (Guelph)…and many places in between.
SPIN by Evalyn Parry
The Greek Theatre, Guild Park & Gardens
201 Guildwood Parkway
Scarborough, Ontario
Performance: Saturday July 6th, 7:30pm
All tickets $30, on sale starting May 13th
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.guildfestivaltheatre.ca.
Photo: Evalyn Parry in SPIN. © 2011 Jeremy Mimnagh.