Kidd Pivot-The Tempest Replica@CanStage

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Canadian Stage presents
the Toronto premiere of The Tempest Replica created by award-winning Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite

A Kidd Pivot production
on stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre May 7 to 11, 2014

Toronto, ON – Award-winning choreographer Crystal Pite (Dark Matters, The You Show) returns to Toronto with her newest work, The Tempest Replica. Presented by Canadian Stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre for five performances only from May 7 to 11, Pite’s critically acclaimed company Kidd Pivot transforms one of Shakespeare’s final plays, The Tempest, into an innovative dance creation.“In 2012, audiences were thrilled by Crystal Pite’s breathtaking dance work Dark Matters,” said Matthew Jocelyn, Artistic and General Director, Canadian Stage. “The Tempest Replica is yet another demonstration of her skill as a storyteller of rare distinction. Gorgeous choreography, stunning visuals, projection and an original score come together to create inventively theatrical dance and we are delighted to have one of the country’s most gifted choreographers back at Canadian Stage.”

Using the mastery and articulation of dance, The Tempest Replica is a game of revenge and forgiveness, where reality dances with imagination. Pite explores motifs from Shakespeare’s The Tempest through two parallel worlds. Chalk-white replicas deliver the essential plot points of the story, while the emotion and tension of the narrative is fleshed out by real characters through fierce physical language.

“My hope for the viewer is that, armed with the plot points of a narrative, he or she is more deeply invested in the performance,” said Pite. “The choreography becomes more than just a dance between two people – rather, it is imbued with a story we have all shared.”

Lighting designer Robert Sondergaard cloaks Jay Gower Taylor’s set in white light, while seven dancers move through shadows. Music composed by Pite’s long-time collaborator Owen Belton and a film montage by Jamie Nesbitt round out a production that integrates stunning visuals, projection and an original score.

The Tempest Replica will be on stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts (27 Front St. E.). Performances run Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., and a matinee on Sunday, May 11 at 2 p.m. A pre-show talk will be held on Friday, May 9 with Crystal Pite to discuss The Tempest Replica‘s themes and development process. A post-show talkback will be held on Saturday, May 10 where dancers from the performance will take questions from the audience. The performance is approximately 80 minutes with no intermission. Tickets from $24 to $99 are available online, by phone at 416.368.3110 or in person at the box office. For details visit www.canadianstage.com.

Facebook: Canadian Stage
Twitter: @CanadianStage; #csTempest

For more information or interview requests, please contact:
Rebecca Shoalts, rock-it promotions, 416.656.0707 x104, rebecca@rockitpromo.com
Ashley Ballantyne, rock-it promotions, 416.656.0707 x111, ashleyb@rockitpromo.com

HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHY: Available in the Image Gallery

Photo of The Tempest Replica by Jorg Baumann

About The Tempest Replica
May 7 to 11; Opening and media night: May 7, 2014
A Kidd Pivot production present by Canadian Stage

Production Sponsor: Scotiabank

Performers
Bryan Arias
Eric Beauchesne
Peter Chu
Sandra Marín Garcia
Yannick Matthon
David Raymond
Cindy Salgado

Apprentice Ralph Escamillan

Creative Team
Composer                                        Owen Belton
Sound Designers                             Alessandro Juliani, Meg Roe
Voice                                                Peter Chu, Meg Roe
Lighting Designer                             Robert Sondergaard
Set Designer                                    Jay Gower Taylor
Projection Designer                         Jamie Nesbitt
Costume Designer                           Nancy Bryant
Costume Builder                              Linda Chow
Prop Builders                                   Hagen Bonifer, Arnold Frühwald

Technical Director                           Jeremy Collie-Holmes
Audio Visual Technician                  Eric Chad
Stage Manager                               Heidi Quicke

World Premiere – October 20, 2011: Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Frankfurt, Germany
The Tempest Replica is a co-production of Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (Frankfurt), Gemeinnütziger Kulturfonds Frankfurt Rhein Main, Monaco Dance Forum (Monaco), Sadler’s Wells (London), National Arts Centre (Ottawa), DanceHouse (Vancouver), L’Agora de la danse (Montreal), and SFU Woodward’s (Vancouver).

About Crystal Pite:

Crystal Pite has collaborated with celebrated dance artists, theatre companies and filmmakers in Canada, Europe, and the United States. Since 2002, she has created and performed under the banner of her own company. Her work and her company have been recognized with numerous awards and commissions. Kidd Pivot tours extensively around the world with productions that include The Tempest Replica (2011), The You Show (2010), Dark Matters (2009), Lost Action (2006), and Double Story (2004), created with Richard Siegal. Kidd Pivot is the recipient of the 2006 Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award, and was resident company at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, with the support of Kulturfonds Frankfurt Rhein Main, in Frankfurt, Germany from 2010 to 2012.

About Kidd Pivot:

Integrating movement, original music, text, and rich visual design, Kidd Pivot’s performance work is assembled with recklessness and rigour, balancing sharp exactitude with irreverence and risk. Under the direction of internationally renowned Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, the company’s distinct choreographic language – a breadth of movement fusing classical elements and the complexity and freedom of structured improvisation – is marked by a strong theatrical sensibility and a keen sense of wit and invention.

Shows and Tickets:

Single tickets are available starting at $24, with C-Stage Under 30 tickets available for $15 (taxes and fees included). Discount tickets are available thanks to Sun Life Financial, Discount Ticket Programs Sponsor.Tickets may be purchased online at www.canadianstage.com, by phone at 416.368.3110 or in person at Canadian Stage’s Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front St. E.) or Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley St.).

About Canadian Stage:

Founded in 1987, Canadian Stage is one of the country’s leading not-for-profit contemporary theatre companies, with the 2013.2014 season marking the organization’s 26^th season. Led by Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn and Managing Director Su Hutchinson, Canadian Stage produces and showcases innovative theatre from Canada and around the world, allowing its audience to encounter daring work guided by a strong directorial vision and a 21^st-century aesthetic. The company prides itself on presenting multidisciplinary pieces and work in translation that pushes the boundaries of form and style. Canadian Stage reinforces the presence of Canadian art and artists within an international context through work that mirrors the cultural diversity of Toronto. The company stages an annual season of work at three major venues (the Bluma Appel Theatre, the Berkeley Street Theatre and the High Park Amphitheatre) and runs a series of artist development and education initiatives, as well as youth and community outreach programs. For more information, visit www.canadianstage.com.