Aluna Theatre Presents PANAMERICAN ROUTES Human Rights Festival, Now thru 5/27

Aluna Theatre presents an international festival of theatre for Human Rights - Panamerican Routes / Rutas Panamericanas: a new festival featuring a new generation of Canadian and Latin American voices that converges on Toronto from across the continent from today, May 15 through May 27 for two weeks of mainstage performances, special presentations, professional development workshops and a conference exploring Theatre and Human Rights as well as a photography exhibit. All events take place at Theatre Passe Muraille. Visit alunatheatre.ca for more information, detailed schedules and/or to purchase tickets.

For this festival, Aluna hosts six of the most exciting national and International, intercultural and interdisciplinary theatre companies from the Latin American diaspora in a Mainstage Series with their work.

The Panamerican Routes / Rutas Panamericanas Mainstage Series: Six national and International companies present their original work - five full productions and one reading:

Week One (May 15 to May 20) features International Artists. Loco7 (from Bogotá via New York) brings dance-theatre and puppetry to the stage with URBAN ODESSEY while Violeta Luna (Mexico City via San Francisco) offers a border-crossing experience with PARTING MEMORY.

Week Two (May 22 to May 27) features Canadian artists. Aluna Theatre (Medellin via Toronto) reprises its award-winning Nohayquiensepa (No one knows) and Carmen Aguirre (Santiago via Vancouver) returns to Theatre Passe Muraille with Carmen Aguirre's BLUE BOX (produced by nightswimming), a glimpse into a revolutionary's life from the writer of Refugee Hotel. IXOK', a solo theatre/dance piece performed by Mayahuel Tecozautla, created by Carmen Samayoa and Edgar Flores of Guatemala, depicts the story of an indigenous woman who flees to the jungle seeking safety for herself and her child. And Toronto's Rosa Laborde stages a reading of her MARINE LIFE, a tragic comedy about complicated intimacies exploring themes of environmentalism, creativity, love and the end of everything.

The festival conference runs May 24, 25, 26 - three days of conversations exploring Theatre and Human Rights with personalities in theatre, academia, community leadership, NGOs, and diverse communities participating on issues of Migration, Displacement, Theatre and the Law and Cross-cultural Creation. The University of Toronto's Graduate Centre for Study of Drama is the 2012 Academic Affiliate.

The conference concludes with La Pasarela (The Catwalk), directed by Patricia Ariza (of Colombia) directed with the participation of 35 women - from performers to members of underprivileged communities. This fashion show is a collective creation anchored by the theme of 'No Violence Against Women.'

Professional development workshops will be conducted by international masters in the areas of Dance/Theatre, Collective Creation, Playwriting and Performance Art. In addition, a number of mentorship and internship opportunities are available as part of an ongoing commitment to nurture a community of artists and build on the new generation of emerging artists from the Latin American Diaspora in all areas of theatre-making.

Across the Americas: a photography exhibit. With a contrasting set of curated works, Panamerican Routes / Rutas Panamericanas is a part of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. The exhibit features photos by a group of former child soldiers and youth at risk who documented their lives in the Barrio Honda outside of Medellin, Colombia (as part of an international workshop held by Aluna in 2009), as well as the arresting work of Canadian travel photographer LoLA Reid Allin.

Founded by actor, director and playwright Beatriz Pizano and scenographer Trevor Schwellnus, Aluna Theatre is a multiple Dora Award-winning Latin-Canadian company. It creates original works that showcase cultural diversity, with a focus on Latin American and women artists. Aluna brings Human Rights to the forefront, distinguishing its risk-taking work both at home and internationally.
For schedule, ticket information, and other announcements, visit www.alunatheatre.ca.

Urban Odyssey by Loco7 - May15 @ 8pm, May 16-19 @ 7pm, May 20 @ 2pm
Parting Memories by Violeta Luna - May 17-19 @ 9pm, May 20 @ 4pm
IXOK' by Carmen Samayoa and Edgar Flores - May 18, 19 @ 10:30pm, May 20 @ 6pm
Nohayquiensepa (No one knows) by Aluna Theatre - May 22-26 @ 7pm, May 27 @ 2pm
Carmen Aguirre's Blue Box by Carmen Aguirre - May 22-26 @ 8:30pm, May 27 @ 4pm
Marine Life (Reading) by Rosa Laborde - May 27 @ 6pm

Tickets range from $15 to $30, Festival Pass is $100 (plus HST)
Box office: 416-504-7529 or www.artsboxoffice.ca
Schedule additions and information updates at www.alunatheatre.ca.

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