Canadian Stage Presents STUDIES IN MOTION, 11/22-12/18

Canadian Stage is proud to partner with Vancouver's Electric Company Theatre to bring a fascinating production of Studies in Motion: The Hauntings of Eadweard Muybridge to Toronto audiences. The show is a visually and physically explosive spectacle, drawn from the life and work of 19th century photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Directed by 2010 Siminovitch Theatre Award-winner Kim Collier, written by Governor General Award-winning dramatist Kevin Kerr and choreographed by the Dora Mavor Moore Award-winner Crystal Pite, the production is on stage from November 22 to December 18 (media night: November 25) at the Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front Street East, Toronto. Tickets are available in person, by phone 416.368.3110, or online at www.canadianstage.com.   

"This haunting narrative tells its compelling story through an exhilarating combination of theatre, dance, projections and images," says Matthew Jocelyn, Artistic & General Director of Canadian Stage. "We're proud to share the exceptional talent of Electric Company Theatre with our audiences in Toronto."
 
This spellbinding profile of the "father of modern cinema" is set at the very beginning of our culture's obsession with images. We follow Muybridge through 1885 as he works to complete an epic task: the cataloguing of animal movement and human gestures. As Muybridge tackles the project, he uncovers a world invisible to the naked eye and the images he collects become increasingly charged with obsession, poetry, humour, beauty and madness. In trying to complete his exhaustive masterpiece, Muybridge is haunted by inner demons and the ghosts of his past actions: the man he killed, the child he abandoned and the woman he thought he knew and loved. 
"A complex, thoughtfully layered script. What makes this production so strong, however, is the tight collaboration between script, choreography, lighting and sound . . . director Kim Collier deserves the highest praise for deftly weaving all these elements together." - The Globe and Mail
 
"A piece of theatre polished to brilliance . . . awe-inspiring . . . it should be seen on major stages around the world." - Vancouver Sun
 
"A must-see performance experience." - The Georgia Straight

About Studies in Motion:
Starring Andrew Wheeler as Muybridge and featuring an ensemble cast of eleven including: Gaelan Beatty, Julien Galipeau, Allan Morgan, Dawn Petten, Kyle Rideout, Michael Rinaldi, Juno Ruddell, Celine Stubel, Erin Wells, Jonathon Young and Frank Zotter
 
Director: Kim Collier
Written by Kevin Kerr
Choreographed by Crystal Pite
Costume Design: Mara Gottler
Composer: Patrick Pennefather
Original Set, Lighting & Video Design by Robert Gardiner
Lighting Adapted by Adrian Muir
Stage Manager: Jan Hodgson
Assistant Stage Manager: Jennifer Swan

Originally produced with the Push Festival and Theatre at University of British Columbia in 2006; toured Yukon Arts Centre, Vancouver Playhouse, Alberta Theatre Projects, and Festival TransAmeriques through 2009. On stage at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton and Canadian Stage in Toronto through 2010.

AUDIENCE ADVISORY: Nudity, strobe light

Formed in 1996, Electric Company Theatre is a leading force in the Vancouver theatre scene, recognized nationally for creating original work rich in spectacle and adventurous in form. In recent years the company has had a presence on major stages and festivals across Canada with productions at the National Arts Centre, the Vancouver Playhouse, Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects, the Belfry Theatre, the Citadel, and Festival TransAmeriques.  Electric Company has just finished three projects for the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad: Tear the Curtain, Hive, and Palace Grand.  In 2011 the company will travel to San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater (No Exit). Steered by the artistic team of Kim Collier and Jonathon Young, and in 2011 by incoming artistic director Kevin Kerr, Electric Company's creative process is highly collaborative, blurring traditional boundaries between playwright, director, dramaturgy and design. The tension between 'immediate' and 'mediated' performance inspires a body of work where the allure of the ideal cinematic reproduction is in counterpoint with live presence - an athletic attempt at precision and the threat of the accidental. www.electriccompanytheatre.com 
 
About Canadian Stage:Founded in 1987 with the merger of CentreStage and Toronto Free Theatre, Canadian Stage is one of Canada's leading not-for-profit Contemporary Theatre companies. Led by Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn, Canadian Stage produces and showcases innovative theatre work from Canada and around the world, allowing its audience to encounter daring work guided by a strong directorial vision and a 21st-century aesthetic. The company prides itself on presenting trans-disciplinary work and work in translation that pushes the boundaries of form and style. The company reinforces the presence of Canadian art and artists within an international context through work that mirrors the cultural diversity of Toronto. Canadian Stage has a long-standing commitment to education and enhancement programs for the public and investing in the art form by nurturing and developing theatre professionals while producing thought-provoking theatre and quality entertainment in Toronto, one of North America's largest theatre centres. For more information, refer to www.canadianstage.com.

 

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