Spindrift Presents THE NIGHT HART CRANE KISSED ME at Toronto Fringe

The story of queer Jazz Age poet, Hart Crane, whirls us through a mythic landscape of New York: the docks at night, the vaudeville theatres, burlesque houses and boxing matches. A century later, three young artists chronicle Crane's final voyage across the sea while navigating their own uncharted waters. The Night Hart Crane Kissed Me combines poetry, biography, live music, magic, physical theatre and stage combat in an exploration of the Poet's role in a society that continues to undermine and undervalue its artists.

The Night Hart Crane Kissed Me began four years ago as a series of workshops in Stratford, Ontario and is Spindrift Theatre Collective's inaugural production. Featuring The Combined talents of Julia Porter (Actor/Fight Director), Chai Lavie (Actor/Musician), Shawn DeSouza-Coelho (Actor/Magician) and award-winning director, Christopher Legacy, The Night Hart Crane Kissed Me is a devised, multidisciplinary celebration of a life ended too soon and the lives it continues to inspire.

Previously, Shawn featured in Elektra at the 2016 Toronto Fringe: an "intimate, intense, and visceral" production (Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine, 4/5) that made many reviewers must-see lists. In 2011 Chai and Shawn presented Oh, Ryan at Summerworks, blending magic (of which Shawn is a professional practitioner of 14 years) and theatrical performance to create a "poetic musing on the links between people" that was fully engaging (Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine, 3/5).