Canadian Stage Presents KISS & CRY, Now thru 10/5

Canadian Stage opens the 2014.15 season with the Toronto premiere of Kiss & Cry, a critic and audience favourite from Belgium created by choreographer Michèle Anne De Mey and filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael (Caméra d'Or, Cannes Film Festival). For five performances only at the Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front St. E.), from today, Oct. 1 to 5, this interdisciplinary performance combines live cinematography, digital technology and dance into a stunning, innovative experience.

"We're always thrilled to bring new and innovative work to Canada," said Matthew Jocelyn artistic & general director, Canadian Stage. "Weaving performance and multimedia together to create a new and exciting type of performance, Michèle and Jaco's work is the perfect complement to this season's programming which includes Stan Douglas' equally innovative Helen Lawrence. Kiss & Cry is at once intimate and panoramic, an exceptionally sensitive portrayal of love and deception, and we are delighted it will open our programming this season."

Alone on a train station platform, an elderly woman reflects on her greatest loves. Two hands, one male, one female, portray the characters of this narrative with an engaging and sensual presence as they dance around a set of miniature landscapes with absolute precision. Simultaneously, this intricate performance is caught on camera by a film crew with sound effects courtesy of onstage foley artists. Projected on a panoramic screen, this extraordinary blend of film, dance, text and theatre is unlike anything you've seen before and is sure to leave you breathless.

De Mey and Van Dormael both have careers that span stage and film. De Mey is an Associate Artist at Charleroi Danses, and her work has toured internationally. Van Dormael is an award-winning filmmaker who wrote and directed Mr. Nobody (2009, Venice Film Festival prize) starring Jared Leto, Sarah Polley and Diane Kruger. Their collaboration on Kiss & Cry has been highly successful, delighting audiences in Europe and North America, performing in over 200 sold-out venues and winning the Prix de la Critique in their native, Belgium.

Kiss & Cry will be on stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front St. E). Performances run Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with a 7 p.m. performance on Friday and a matinee on Sunday at 1 p.m. The performance runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets from $30 to $99 are available online, by phone at 416.368.3110 or in person at the box office. For details visit www.canadianstage.com.

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