World Stage to Present LOOKING FOR PAUL

World Stage 2016 continues with the Canadian premiere of Looking for Paul: Inez van Dam vs. the Buttplug Gnome, a big, messy avant-garde performance that questions the role of public art. Four performances only will be presented April 27-30 at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre in this genre-colliding work.

Inez van Dam lives and works in Rotterdam opposite the so-called "Buttplug Gnome," a controversial sculpture by contemporary American artist Paul McCarthy. Her anger and aversion for this publically funded art circuitously leads her to the Dutch-Flemish actors' group Wunderbaum. They invite Van Dam to travel with them to Los Angeles to help her confront McCarthy and to create a new theatre piece documenting her journey and the artistic process. The resulting work explodes - sometimes very messily - into a debate on aesthetics, politics and the meaning of public art in a forum that is wild, witty and rabidly unconcerned with decorum.

"Looking for Paul is a funny, smart and engaging work that both parodies and pays homage to our relationship to art and the artist who created it . . . in this case, infamous contemporary artist Paul McCarthy," explains Artistic Director Tina Rasmussen.

Looking for Paul has garnered critical acclaim in the theatre world:

"With boldness and humour, Wunderbaum reminds us that the only art worth making is that which disrupts, challenges and tests artists and audiences."The Guardian (UK)

"Easily the funniest and most audacious thing I saw all year." Out West Arts (Los Angeles)

"It is a slick, clever production that should not be missed." Broadway Baby (UK)

Special discussions will complement these Looking for Paul performances (free with ticket purchase):

April 27: Pre-show Tea on Opening Night with Denise Cruz, one of World Stage's Scholars-in-Residence from the University of Toronto.

April 28: Post-show "talkshow" invites the audience to connect with the artists who will answer questions about the performance.

Since its inaugural season 30 years ago in 1986, World Stage continues to present groundbreaking contemporary performances from around the world. The 2016 season, curated by Artistic Director Tina Rasmussen, includes seven international theatre, dance and multidisciplinary performances from Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Palestine.

In addition to Looking for Paul, World Stage 2016's impressive and eclectic season includes:

Germinal: January 20 - 23, Fleck Dance Theatre

The World Stage Mirror Ball: January 30, Harbourfront Centre Theatre

Badke: February 17-20, Fleck Dance Theatre

Portraits in Motion: April 13-16, Harbourfront Centre Theatre

Steer: May 11-14, Fleck Dance Theatre

Backstage in Biscuit Land: May 25-28, Harbourfront Centre Theatre

Every Song I've Ever Written: June 9, The Power Plant & June 11, WestJet Stage

About World Stage

Since its beginning in 1986, Harbourfront Centre's World Stage has evolved into a varied season of international performance. With bold curatorial vision, World Stage assembles and presents today's performance leaders to share and develop Toronto's understanding of contemporary performance.

About Harbourfront Centre

Harbourfront Centre is a Canadian charity operating the 10 prime acres of Toronto's central waterfront as a free and open public site. It celebrates the multiplicities of cultures that comprise Canada and enlivens the city through the creative imaginations of artists from across the country and around the globe.

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