SummerWorks Festival

Worry Warts Performance (Convergence Theatre) 2019 SummerWorks Review

Picture of Julie Tepperman in Worry Warts by Aaron WillisWorry Warts, presented by Convergence Theatre at the 2019 SummerWorks Performance Festival, is an experience in two parts; the first, detailed in a previous review, included a short interview and activities about the things that keep your heart rate up and your eyes open at night.

The company then took the 147 recorded interviews and cut excerpts of them together to create a performance piece, or “sharing,” for the last weekend of the festival. Interviewees received a ticket to the performance, booked separately, with limited tickets available to others. It’s fascinating to hear what other people are nervous about, and the “sharing” feels like just that – an attempt to make us feel less alone in our fears.

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A Dark Horse in Low Light (Students of Loretto College for the NTS Festival Ontario) 2019 SummerWorks Review

A Dark Horse in Low Light, playing at SummerWorks 2019 is an intricate dialogue about race collectively crafted by a group of female students at Loretto College.

Let me begin by saying that this was a staged reading of this play and not a full performance. Yet, I found this show to still be poignant, insightful and at times funny.

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The Archive of Missing Things (Zuppa Theatre Company) 2019 Summerworks Review

Image of a Building for The Archive of Missing Things

Zuppa Theatre Company’s The Archive of Missing Things is being put on as part of  Summerworks 2019 at The Sanderson Library (327 Bathurst Street). It is an interactive theatre piece taking place in the library with other patrons there. This show an open-concept, it’s performed throughout the library rather than on a stage. It has a digital component as well as live action which all melds together incredibly.

I’ll say here that I think The Archive of Missing Things is one of the most incredible experiences with performance art that I’ve had in recent memory. There’s a great deal of mystery and intrigue woven in and thus, I do think the best experience one can have is going in blind as I did. If you want, stop reading now and just go experience this wonderfully thoughtful show.

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Footnote Number 12 (Theatre Replacement / Spreafico Eckly) 2019 SummerWorks Review

Man wearing pale make-up, a green ball cap, and a blue striped polo shirt stares at the camera, Footnote Number 12, SummerWorks

Sometimes I see shows where, even after reading the SummerWorks 2019 program, I have no real idea what to expect– and they turn out to be among the ones that I love the most.  Footnote Number 12  from  Theatre Replacement / Spreafico Eckly  certainly falls into this category. In the program it says “This monologue for two people asks you to observe a creature — a creature whose voice is being repeatedly modulated through digital means.” A creature? A monologue for two people? A digitally modulated voice? Could it possibly come together into something coherent, something wonderful? Yes!

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