World Stage 2016 to Continue Season with PORTRAITS IN MOTION

World Stage 2016 continues it stellar season with the quirky and poignant Portraits in Motion, with four performances only from April 13-16 at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre.

In this gentle and compassionate storytelling performance, a diverse cast of characters is introduced through flipbooks created by photographer Volker Gerling. As he thumbs through the small books, describing his encounters and sharing his curiosity about people and places, the portraits are projected on a large screen revealing several seconds of luminous humanity. Portraits in Motion was the recipient of a prestigious Total Theatre Award at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

"In a world of technology and overstimulation from images on mini-screens, these magical analogue flipbooks and simple storytelling techniques inspire profound reflection upon the fleetingness of time in a poetic and revealing way," explains Artistic Director Tina Rasmussen. "The interesting use of an obsolete technology further heightens the experience and articulates a lot about performance in the process."

Portraits in Motion is based on Gerling's travels as he walked more than 3,500 kilometers across his native Germany taking photos of the diverse people he met. From this, he created flipbooks and invited the public to visit his travelling "thumb cinema" exhibition to share his experiences.

Portraits in Motion has received rave reviews at international festivals:

"These miniature stories rinse your eyes like spring water." The Sunday Times (UK)

"Gerling has achieved nothing less than a new form of theatre." Theater der Zeit (Germany)

"A quirky delight...an oddity and a revelation" Financial Times (UK)

Special discussions will complement these Portraits in Motion performances (free with ticket purchase):

April 13: A pre-show Tea on Opening Night led by World Stage's Scholar-in-Residence Julia Fawcett from Ryerson University.

April 14: A post-show "talkshow" invites the audience to connect with Gerling who will answer questions about his travels and work.

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 Portraits in Motion, 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

Looking for Paul: Inez van Dam vs. the Buttplug Gnome: April 27-30, 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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