Theatre Passe Muraille Introduces New Presentation Festival #BeyondTO

Theatre Passe Muraille is set to re-open their big red doors this spring with the new presentation series #BeyondTO.

This 'mini festival' features three pieces that explore the breadth of human experience and showcase perspectives rarely seen on stage; SCORED IN SILENCE by Chisato Minamimura (UK), CRIPPLED by Paul David Power (St. Johns), and BÂTARDES by Jade Barshee (Montréal). Running at the historic Theatre Passe Muraille building on Ryerson Avenue, #BeyondTO runs from May 5th to June 4th.

"One interesting aspect of the pandemic was how virtual environments enabled audiences to access more work from around the world and to discover creators that haven't yet been seen in Toronto," comments Theatre Passe Muraille Artistic Director Marjorie Chan. "As we return to public theatre-going, #BeyondTO extends that impulse of discovery, welcoming outstanding artists from across the globe, sharing their viewpoints through three extraordinary productions on stage for the first time in Toronto."

Opening the festival on May 5th is SCORED IN SILENCE, written and performed by Chisato Minamimura (a Deaf Japanese, UK-based dancer and choreographer). An artistic documentary that unpacks the untold tales of deaf hibakusha - survivors of the A-Bombs that fell in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 - and their experiences of the global atrocity, this production features a blend of choreography and cutting-edge technology that create a uniquely immersive experience. The in-theatre presentation employs the use of vibrotactile WoojerTM straps, which when worn, enable audiences to feel sounds as vibration. Additionally, Holo-Gauze (a projection material that creates a 3D holographic illusion) is used to reflect the live performance, sign-mime, animation and film footage. A Chisato Minamimura Production in partnership with VibraFusionLab, SCORED IN SILENCE runs from May 5th to 7th.

"SCORED IN SILENCE first came to my attention at the Edinburgh Festival and I immediately knew that TPM audiences would appreciate this striking and immersive work of Deaf experiences in a time of crisis in Japan at the end of World War II," comments Chan.

Opening on May 12th, CRIPPLED is written and performed by St. John's based artist Paul David Power. Inspired by his own experiences growing up with a disability and losing a loved one, Power's play follows Tony, who finds himself on the St. John's Newfoundland waterfront at a crossroad. Tired and grieving, he believes there is only one way to escape a life he no longer wants to live until a stranger appears with other plans. Recently nominated for the Governor General's Award, CRIPPLED is a powerful story about love, death, life and redemption. This presentation is a Power Productions production and will run from May 12th to 21st.

"I saw CRIPPLED in Ottawa, right before the pandemic, at (Interim Managing Director) Indrit Kasapi's insistence," says Chan. "Taking place on the docks of St. John's, Newfoundland, I was blown away by this moving work, highlighting many themes around the intersectionality of queerness and disability as we follow the character Tony's journey through grief, love and loss."

Closing the #BeyondTO Festival is BÂTARDES, which follows Montreal-based sisters Chloé (director/performer) and Jade Barshee (writer/performer) - born to a Tibetan father and a Québecoise mother - in search of a sense of identity. A touching auto-fiction combining anecdotes, poetic monologues and video archives, BÂTARDES immerses the audience in a theatrical world where the sisters' reality and imaginations merge. The play premiered at MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels), then toured in Montreal's Maisons de la culture and to several festivals, notably the Rencontre Théâtre Ados. The show is performed in French with English captions, opening on May 28th. Produced by Théâtre Everest, the production runs from May 28th to June 4th.

"BÂTARDES is the first offering from Québec stemming from our continuing curatorial and exchange relationship with the MAI, (Montréal, arts interculturels)," adds Chan. "This stylized and charming docu-play speaks of the Tibetan diaspora in Canada (one of largest in the world) through the personal and whimsical lens of two sisters of Tibetan and Québécoise heritage."

Tickets for SCORED IN SILENCE, CRIPPLED and BÂTARDES are Pay-What-You-Can-Afford at $10, $30, $60 (including tax and all fees) and are available now online. Currently, performances will be capped at 50% capacity (with the potential for select shows to be presented at a higher capacity). Theatre Passe Muraille continues to require proof of vaccination as well as masking indoors. The festival will offer relaxed performances for all shows as well as Audio Descriptions, American Sign Language (ASL) and English Captions for select performances. For more information, please visit passemuraille.ca.

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