SoulOTheatre Presents A WINDOW ON THE SOULO Installation, Now thru May 26

Artistic Director Tracey Erin Smith announces a new theatrical installation for the SoulOTheatre Festival, which runs today, May 23-26 at the Red Sandcastle Theatre in Toronto's Leslieville.

A Window on the SoulO puts everyone in the spotlight! For the duration of the festival, A Window on the Soulo will feature surprise appearances from festival performers along with SoulOTheatre graduates and students who all will take turns sitting for an hour at a time, writing in the store front, Queen Street window of the Red Sandcastle Theatre.

Observers and passersby will be invited to fill out and hold up cards to the window asking the artists to answer a specific question or suggest a topic for their writing.

Precious Chong, whose world premiere of Precious, like the Adjective closes the festival, will be in the window on May 23 from 7pm-8pm, just prior to the Gala Opening of the festival (Chris Gibbs' Antoine Feval).

The other mainstage productions showcasing the mighty art form of the one-person show include the Canadian premiere of Beowulf or Gilgamesh, You Decide!from Charlie Bethel, and showstoppers Goddess from Alex Dallas, Naked Ballerina from Sarah Murphy Dyson, Desperate Church Wives from Diane Johnstone and Cancer Can't Dance Like This from Daniel Stolfi.

SoulOTheatre's inaugural SoulOTheatre Festival includes some of the best solo performers from Canada and the United States. Smith, along with Artistic ProducersElenna Mosoff and Briane Nasimok, has scheduled four jam-packed days and evenings of hilarious, moving, innovative and provocative solo shows, along with workshops and panels covering everything a performer or prospective performer needs to know about putting on a one-person show.

SOULOTHEATRE MAINSTAGE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:
(for full schedule including workshops, etc., go to www.soulo.ca)

THURSDAY May 23
8:00pm - Festival Gala: Chris Gibbs in Antoine Feval
The story of Victorian London's most overlooked detective.
"deliciously funny" (5 stars) Eye Weekly "full of twists, turns, and gadzooks moments." (5 stars) Now Magazine

9:30pm - Gala Party - LOCATION TBA

FRIDAY May 24
7:00pm - SoulOTheatre Grad Showcase: Briane Nasimok, Martha Chaves & Jorge Moreira

9:00pm - Daniel Stolfi in Cancer Can't Dance Like This
With comedy at its core, this solo show uses larger than life characters to vividly portray Canadian Comedy Award winner Daniel Stolfi's experience with cancer - told mercilessly with a thrill and lust for the finer things in life.

SATURDAY May 25
7:00pm - Diane Johnstone in Desperate Church Wives
Desperate Church Wives is about unconditional love and is based on the bible story of Prophet Hosea and his harlot wife, Gomer. What would you think about a Holy Man, Minister or Rabbi, marrying a prostitute? Especially if she went back to the stroll! Church women are upset! That ho got to go!

9:00pm - Charlie Bethel in Beowulf or Gilgamesh, You Decide! CANADIAN PREMIERE.
U.S. solo theatre star Charlie Bethel has crafted each of the centuries-old epics "Beowulf" and "Gilgamesh" into rich, entertaining one-hour presentations. On Fridayevening, the audience will vote for Bethel to perform one of them .

11:00pm - Alex Dallas in Goddess
Goddess is a funny and poignant coming of age story set in 1970s London and Cyprus. Sandra, at 17, uncovers family secrets that question her sense of self and her relationship with the strangers that make up her family. An hilarious journey through adolescence and sexuality.

SUNDAY May 26
7:00pm - Sarah Murphy Dyson in Naked Ballerina
The Naked Ballerina: _naked [ney-kid] adj. unclothed; defenseless; unprotected; exposed.
Discover the darkness behind the curtain, as a ballet dancer brings you backstage into her world of blood, sweat and secrets. The Naked Ballerina was honoured for Outstanding Performance and Outstanding Direction at the 2010 Toronto Fringe Festival.

9:00pm - Precious Chong in Precious, like the Adjective WORLD PREMIERE
With a counter culture drug icon as a father, two older half sisters that are black, a Chinese grandfather, and a mom who is young and sexy, Precious tries to answer the question: what was it like growing up a Chong?

Tracey Erin Smith's SoulOTheatre presents the inaugural SoulOTheatre Festival, May 23 - 26, 2013, at The Red Sandcastle Theatre, 922 Queen Street East, Toronto. Opening Night Show & Festival Gala with Chris Gibbs: $50. Mainstage Single Tickets: $20 at the door; $15 in advance. Panels & Workshops: $10 at the door. Full festival Pass: $90. A Festival Pass gives access to all shows, panels, and workshops (except for Opening Night Show/Gala & The Master Class)

For full schedule, info and tickets: Visit www.soulo.ca to book online or call 416-465-5609.

Pictured: Pictured: Precious Chong for A Window on the SoulO in the Red Sandcastle Theatre window with Artistic Director Tracey Erin Smith looking in.

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