Aluna Theatre Announces Sixth Edition Of RUTAS Festival Beginning in September
The festival will run this year from September 26 to October 6.
By: Blair Ingenthron Aug. 04, 2024
Aluna Theatre has announced the programming line-up and dates for the SIXTH edition of the RUTAS International Performing Arts Festival running this year from September 26 to October 6. This year's festival invites audiences to experience brave and deeply personal creations and to collectively dream possibilities for a better world. For two weeks, RUTAS will present an array of theatre and dance performances, installations, workshops, and a three day gathering in partnership with Factory Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, York University, Hemispheric Encounters, and the Canadian Latinx Theatre Artist Coalition (CALTAC).
The 2024 edition of RUTAS showcases an exciting lineup of interdisciplinary talent from across the Americas, including work by: Mariana Blanco and Alicia Laguna (Uruguay & Mexico); Itzhel Razo (Mexico); Malicho Vaca Valenzuela(Chile); Carlos Rivera (Mexico/Canada); Rihkee Strapp (Northern Ontario); Lorena Torres Loaiza (Colombia/Canada).
Programming is connected around the theme of Personal Cartographies. In these inspiring performances, national and International Artists chart their own paths through stories of family, displacement, privilege, racism, women's labour, and the body as a map of resistance.
“We are inspired by the concept of cartography. Rather than thinking of it as a mapping of a geographical area, personal cartographies are a way of tracing our personal experiences within the historical and socio-political contexts we inhabit. Where the archives of our histories meet our repertoire of experiences, we find the tools to begin imagining better futures.” - Beatriz Pizano, Artistic Director of Aluna Theatre
In their thought-provoking work, the presenting artists ask: What is the cost behind that which we consume? What do we gain and what do we lose in our journey to achieve freedom? How do we mark the world that shapes us, and what will happen to the traces we leave when we are no longer here? Can we afford to ignore the hurricane of social devastation created by racism, discrimination and classism? Offering a diversity of perspectives, the power of the stories, artists, partnerships, and the belief that what we do matters, makes this 6th edition of the festival a powerful and engaging offering for all.
“With these works, the festival continues to build on our mission of creating conversions across the Americas through innovative artistic expressions that invite our audiences to discover new worlds… and perhaps encourage you to think of your personal cartography as we chart paths to a better world for all” - Beatriz Pizano, Artistic Director of Aluna Theatre
Aluna Theatre is happy to return to Theatre Passe Muraille and Factory Theatre as our RUTAS Festival venue partners.
Tickets for RUTAS 2024 are available now at rutas.ca. The festival runs on a pay-what-you-can-afford ticketing model with three price points of $25, $35 and $60. For more information about Aluna Theatre's RUTAS 2024 Festival, please visit rutas.ca
RUTAS 2024 PROGRAMMING
WEEK 1
At THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE MAINSPACE 16 Ryerson Ave. Toronto, ON
VARIACIONES SOBRE EL CAFÉ |VARIATIONS ON COFFEE (Mexico, Uruguay)
Bordes Escénicos
Genre: Theatre, performance, installation
Duration: 80 minutes
Language: Spanish with English surtitles
September 26 at 7 p.m.
September 27 at 7 p.m.
September 28 at 7 p.m.
Variaciones Sobre el Café (Variations on Coffee) is an invitation to contemplate and reflect on the processes behind the things we consume. This performance/installation arises from an investigation that presents the lives of women coffee producers and classifiers from the community of Pluma Hidalgo in Oaxaca, Mexico, as well as the artist who has never worked in the field. A braiding of bodies and feelings of women from different cultures and traditions, as well as of ancestral practices and daily life.
“The piece invites us to reflect about our own relationship with the land and with our own roots, highlighting the beauty and strength found in our fragilities. This is a unique and profound piece of theatre that will live in our memories long after it ends.” CAPITAL
The piece has toured in Mexico, Uruguay, El Salvador, Guatemala, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
At FACTORY THEATRE MAINSPACE, 125 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON
WILMA (Mexico)
Porta Teatro
Genre: Interdisciplinary dance theatre
Duration: 60 minutes
Language: Spanish with English surtitles
September 27 at 7 p.m.
September 28 at 7 p.m.
September 29 at 2:30 p.m.
A girl grows up as a foreigner on her own land. She is isolated by the racism and classism imposed by her Irish grandmother, who forbids her to learn Mayan or associate with Maya speakers. Suddenly, one of the worst hurricanes in history arrives on the peninsula. An early cyclone alert is issued in the Mayan language. Unable to communicate with others, she tries to survive a hurricane without anyone's help. Will she make it?
“To poke. Disinfect. Scream. The Theatre of Itzhel Razo makes you feel uncomfortable. It can make you laugh, but it will do so to point out the issue at hand. It is capable of leading you through hilarious moments while also making your stomach churn. It is a theatre that shakes us to the core. It is a necessary theatre.” Luis Herrera Albertos, El Financiero
Winner of the best solo show from the Association of Critics and Journalists in Mexico (ACTP)
This piece has toured in Mexico, the United States, and Germany.
At FACTORY THEATRE STUDIO, 125 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON
COYUNTURA
CALTAC - A National Latinx Theatre Gathering
The Canadian Latinx Theatre Artist Coalition (CALTAC) is thrilled to be in partnership with Aluna Theatre to produce the third COYUNTURA, a vibrant national Latinx theatre gathering. For the first time since its inception, COYUNTURA will be held outside of its origin city. CALTAC is excited to host three days with workshops, panels, speed friending, and dancing in downtown Toronto at Factory Theatre on September 27, 28 & 29.
This unique conference in Canada proudly convenes our comunidad while sharing knowledge, tamales, pão de queijo, café, and chisme. As a space dedicated to amplify Latinx voices and experiences in Canadian theatre, we warmly welcome international guests and encourage the participation of our allies.
Funded by the BC Arts Council and the Vancouver Foundation.
At THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE STUDIO 16 Ryerson Ave. Toronto, ON
KEEOUKAYWIN (Canada)
By Rihkee Strapp
Genre: Installation
September 26-28, 5:30 - 9 p.m.
Our collective dreams are woven into the stories we tell—around campfires, within our communities, and increasingly on Social Media. Keeoukaywin, the michif word for Visiting, places us in a room with a circus tent, on whose cloth walls Miskwa the MAD clown is projected from dream and digital spaces to our reality, to deliver the prophecy of the White Lodge to the community.
Conceived and created by Rihkee Strapp
WEEK TWO
At THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE MAINSPACE 16 Ryerson Ave. Toronto, ON
REMINISCENCIA (Chile)
Malicho Vaca Valenzuela
Genre: Theatre, performance
Duration: 60 minutes
Language: Spanish with English surtitles
October 3 at 7 p.m.
October 4 at 7 p.m.
October 5 at 7 p.m.
Through a gentle use of digital technologies, Malicho digs deep into his biography and the recent history of the city as well as its painful scars. With a narrative built through Google Earth, photographs, and videos published on different sites, this experience focuses on magical and unique places that reveal an emotional topography; revealing a relationship with a city that is different for everyone, but one in which we inevitably find each other.
From the alleyway where his family home is nestled, he travels back in time to long gone eras, and to love stories that never die. Reminiscencia is a personal story, as much as it is a reflection on Chile half a century after the coup détat. The city and the streets of Santiago become witnesses, providing evidence of a complex history, past and present.
Winner of the Circle of Art Critics in Chile in 2020 as best online theatre
Malicho is the third Chilean artist to be showcased at the prestigious Avignon Festival 2024. He has also toured extensively in Europe and the Americas, including the TransAmeriques Festival in Montreal.
At FACTORY THEATRE STUDIO, 125 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON
ROSA (Canada/Mexico)
Carlos Rivera, Abra Projects, Ondinnok
Co-Presented by RUTAS International Performing Arts Festival and Factory Theatre
Genre: Dance, theatre
Duration: 60 minutes
Language: Spanish with English surtitles
October 4 at 7 p.m.
October 5 at 7 p.m.
October 6 at 2:30 p.m.
An ode to women's power and their ability to move mountains.
ROSA, a peasant Indigenous woman from Ixtacamaxtitlan, located in the highlands of Puebla State, flees her community with her six small children on her back. As she escapes a life of abuse at the hands of her husband and her in-laws, she crosses valleys, climbs mountains, and faces enormous challenges. After three weeks she arrives in Mexico City where she will face her greatest challenge yet: brutal discrimination. This will force her to make a choice that will have an impact on her, her children, and will reverberate for generations to come.
Through movement, theatre and documentary, ROSA highlights the female body, its relationship to the land, and its capacity to resist, survive, and transform.
At FACTORY THEATRE STUDIO, 125 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON
Documents Perform
Co-created by Natalie Álvarez, Richard Maxwell, and Katiana Gonçales Rangel
in collaboration with the New York City Players' Incoming Theatre Division, Hemispheric Encounters, and Aluna Theatre | RUTAS
Genre: Performance
Duration: 60 minutes
Language: English & Spanish
October 1, 7 p.m.
At THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE STUDIO 16 Ryerson Ave. Toronto, ON
Sandwich Board Hall (Canada/Colombia)
By Lorena Torres Loaiza
Genre: Installation
October 3-5, 5:30 - 9pm
In an era where physical spaces are becoming unaffordable, artists face a critical question: Where can they showcase their work?
Sandwich Board Hall is a digital showcase of an imaginary, surreal arts venue – A way to brainstorm how future artists may adopt new technologies in the face of the loss of urban spaces. The exhibit will be a tour of an arts venue that "almost exists."
Conceived and created by Lorena Torres Loaiza
About Aluna Theatre
Aluna Theatre is an artistically-driven theatre company based in Toronto creating exciting new work that introduces audiences to diverse and rich performance practices from across the Americas. Aluna's bold productions in English and Spanish are marked by a distinct theatrical language drawing from our heritages, cultures, and languages, including dance, physical theatre, and multimedia design. Over eighteen years of production, Aluna has received 26 Dora Awards' nominations for acting, writing, directing, and design – and has won eleven awards. Artistic Director: Beatriz Pizano.
About Factory Theatre
Founded in 1970, Factory was the first theatre company in the nation to devote itself to producing 100% Canadian content. Over 50 years later, Factory continues to lead in the development and sharing of Canadian stories having produced more than 300 productions from a diverse source of Canadian playwrights and launching the careers of countless theatre professionals. Factory stands on the land under The Dish With One Spoon Wampum Covenant, a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that binds them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent people - Indigenous and settlers alike - have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship and respect. Today, the meeting place of Toronto (Tkaronto) is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island. Factory would like to acknowledge with gratitude all the storytellers, stewards, and caretakers - recorded and unrecorded - that continue to host Factory at this gathering place for over 30 years.
About Theatre Passe Muraille
Founded in 1968, TPM is Canada's original alternative theatre company, currently developing and producing new Canadian plays. TPM is striving to articulate a distinctly Canadian voice that reflects the complexity of our intercultural society. TPM believes there should be a more diverse representation of artists, audience members, and stories in our theatre. TPM aspires to be a leader locally, nationally and internationally in establishing, promoting and embracing collaborative and inclusive theatre practices. We do this so that we can support and ignite the voices of unique artists, communities and audiences.
About Hemispheric Encounters
Hemispheric Encounters: Developing Transborder Research-Creation Practices brings together scholars, artists, activists, and community organizations from across the Americas to explore hemispheric performance as a methodology, a pedagogical strategy, and tool for social change.
A project developed by the Canadian Consortium on Performance and Politics in the Americas, Hemispheric Encounters advances understandings of performance as a unique method for addressing humanitarian and ecological challenges shared by multiple communities in the western hemisphere. Among others, these include: the dramatic rise in nativism and anti-immigrant sentiment, the expulsion of refugee migrants from Central America, record-high rates of gender and sexual-based violence; and the doubling-down on economies of extractivism that hasten climate change, environmental degradation, and displacement of Indigenous persons from protected lands. These challenges have also given rise to mass actions across the Americas, from the marches of Idle No More, Black Lives Matter, and #metoo, to Indigenous pipeline protest encampments, to caravans of migrants moving north toward Mexico and the US. Read together, these stagings beg questions about who controls, and who sees oneself as implicated in, wider hemispheric happenings.
About CALTAC
The Canadian Latinx* Theatre Artist Coalition (CALTAC) is a Vancouver-based service organization dedicated to furthering the Canadian Latinx theatre movement and unifying Latinx identified theatre artists. They engage in advocacy, create networks, and celebrate our community
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