Centaur Theatre Company Opens 52nd Year With THE PORTICO PROJECT

Centaur Theatre Company opens its "lightly seasoned" 52nd year with The Portico Project, sponsored by the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation. From Sept. 24th to October 4th, six eclectic performances, integrating theatre with dance, clown, comedy, and music, will transform the grand entryway into an outdoor stage. Presented in rotation between, approximately, 4 and 9pm Thursdays and Fridays and from 2 to 9pm for weekend crowds, The Portico Project is part of this year's Les journées de la culture activities. Spectators will also be able to participate in Vancouver's innovative Red Phone Project, enjoy Le Trunk Collectif's bonus event, Who We Have Forgotten, and get their dance on with two flash mobs. All performances are free and donations of any amount are gratefully accepted.

"This is our first step toward so-called normalcy", said Eda Holmes, Centaur Theatre's Artistic and Executive Director. "In a manner of speaking, we're turning Centaur Theatre inside out, but in the safest, most inclusive way possible. The Portico Project's call for submissions prompted more than eighty responses from both veteran and emerging artists. Only six were selected but, contingent on our ongoing fundraising efforts, some of the other submissions could resurface in future initiatives."

Submission criteria was purposely open-ended to encourage artists to push the boundaries of outdoor theatre to unpack what people the world over were living through-fear, isolation, confusion, and uncertainty. "Artists jumped on it immediately, a sure sign they were creatively inspired by the theme and eager to explore engaging ways to tell stories about right now", continued Ms. Holmes. "I was amazed by the number and diversity of new artists who submitted high calibre proposals."

The jury, comprised of four local artists-Eda Holmes, Julie Tamiko Manning (actor, theatre creator), Eo Sharp and Nalo Soyini Bruce (set, costume and prop designers)-looked for creations that could easily slip on and off the portico space and had high energy with strong visuals to attract onlookers and keep them engaged. "It took several meetings to boil the long list of applicants down to a short list of twenty-five, and eventually to the final six", explained Ms. Holmes. "I was extremely impressed by the integrity, insight, energy, generosity and passion of the jury; it was a true honour collaborating with them. We could easily have presented a Black Women's Festival and an LGBTQ Festival from the number of applicants from those communities and who knows ... that may happen. We'll have to be flexible in the coming year so don't be surprised if 'pop-up theatre' becomes a trend as we develop more innovative ways to produce live art and stay connected with our audiences."

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