Why Not Theatre Presents The RISER Project 2018

Why Not Theatre presents The RISER Project 2018, three world premieres and one workshop presentation of new Canadian work as part of a unique collaborative producing model for emerging and independent theatre artists, April 15 - May 12 at The Theatre Centre.

The fifth edition of RISER begins with Mr. Truth, an off-the-beaten-sketch-comedy-path parody created and performed by Lauren Gillis and Alaine Hutton; running in repertory with Tell Me What It's Called, an experimental exploration and collective creation directed by Ximena Huizi from Why Not Theatre's Like Mother, Like Daughter.

Round two of RISER 2018 will present speaking of sneaking, a solo multidisciplinary mash-up of dance, poetry and pantomime created and performed by daniel jelani ellis, directed by d'bi.young anitafrika; and Everything I Couldn't Tell You, an Indigenous technological tearjerker written by Jeff D'Hondt, directed by Erin Brandenburg.

In a series of nightmarish vignettes, a demon-like entity forces people to confront the repression of their erotic truths in spectacularly painful ways. A grotesque org*smic hallucination, Mr. Truth offers a satisfyingly uncomfortable dose of the primal, the lurid, and the bizarre. Created and performed by Lauren Gillis and Alaine Hutton.

Fresh from two months training with Teatro Los Andes in Bolivia and Teatro Malayerba in Ecuador, director Ximena Huizi has invited colleagues in Toronto to join her in an exploration of vulnerability for Tell Me What It's Called. Huizi intends to develop a creation process based on movement, text, and image in a space that challenges the ideas of collective creation. Huizi will be joined by her frequent collaborator, playwright and dramaturg Thomas McKechnie, and by others as the work demands.

Ginnal is one of the lucky ones who has escaped to Foreign, but his lover Asafa is still captive in Yard. Ginnal is tricking, picking and dicking to get Asafa to Foreign. In speaking of sneaking, the archetypal Jamaican ginnal meets the mythical African Anansi in a contemporary, cultural remix of two traditions. Created and performed by daniel jelani ellis and directed by d'bi.young anitafrika.

A radical art therapy developed by an Indigenous neuropsychologist is Megan's-a volatile drunk capable of great violence-last hope. Through music, art, and technology, and the reawakening of the lost Lenape language, wisdom emerges. Everything I Couldn't Tell You is written by Jeff D'Hondt, directed by Erin Brandenburg, and stars Cheri Maracle, PJ Prudat, Jenny Young.

Developed to help address the challenges of producing indie theatre in Toronto, the RISER Project brings together a community of senior leadership and emerging artists to support the artistic risk that independent artists must take in order to create and innovate. The RISER producing model is designed to maximize existing infrastructures by sharing resources, risk, and commitment to reduce the producing burden on indie artists, especially the high cost of production and the difficulty of building audiences.

Beyond the financial investment and professional mentorship, the heart of RISER is about building relationships, and RISER participants are also generous, flexible, curious, and willing to share and work in new ways. RISER aims to create an interdependent theatre ecology where the success of one is the success of many.

Founded in 2014, RISER has since engaged 140 artists, presented 15 new Canadian productions which have received 14 Award Nominations, and saw a total attendance of 6271 patrons. The 2015 RISER presentation of Mouthpiece, from Quote Unquote Collective, was nominated for six Dora Awards, winning two; was picked up by Nightwood Theatre for their 2016 season, toured with Why Not Theatre in Canada, the US and the UK; and is being mounted again in Toronto this April.

Why Not Theatre presents
The RISER Project 2018
April 15 - May 12, 2018
The Theatre Centre BMO Incubator, 1115 Queen Street West

Mr. Truth
Created and Performed by Lauren Gillis and Alaine Hutton
April 15-24, 2018 • Opening Night Monday, April 16 @ 9pm
A Lester Trips (Theatre) production

Tell Me What It's Called
Created by the Collective | Directed by Ximena Huizi
April 17-24, 2017 • Opening Night Wednesday, April 18 @ 7pm
A HighlightsMedia Production

speaking of sneaking
created and performed by daniel jelani ellis | directed by d'bi.young anitafrika
May 2-11, 2017 • Opening Night, May 3 @ 9:30pm
an sos collective production

Everything I Couldn't Tell You
Written by Jeff D'Hondt | Directed by Erin Brandenburg
May 4-12, 2018 • Opening Night Saturday, May 5 @ 7pm
A Spiderbones Performing Arts Production

All Tickets Pay What You Can Afford $5 - $20 - $35 - $60*
To purchase tickets, call 416.538.0988 or visit tickets.theatrecentre.org

*A note on ticket prices for RISER: In order to ensure accessibility, Why Not Theatre invites you to Pay-What- You-Can-Afford. You can pick any one of four prices-$5, $20, $35, $60-whichever suits your budget. All tickets are general admission, and there are no limits on any price level. Pick the price you can afford to pay for your ticket and book your seat.

For more information riserproject.org/
FB/theatrewhynot | @theatrewhynot #RISER1

Photo: Top, l-r: Everything I Couldn't Tell You, Mr. Truth
Bottom, l-r: speaking of sneaking, Tell Me What It's Called

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