Last year Toronto was all a twitter about the Birdland Theatre‘s sold-out presentation of Assassins. In fact, Birdland Theatre has won 6 Dora Awards, and regularly gets rave reviews and sold out houses.
This year, there’s something new to talk about. SoulSeek is an original new work that will be premiering at The Walmer Centre Theatre on Thursday October 7, 2010. The piece explores death death as a point of change, instead of an ending.
The plot revolves around one woman, Vita (played by Zorana Kydd), whose story starts in the moment of her death and continues as she travels through the underworld and her consciousness and as she searches for her lost loved one.
It is described as a touching and evocative human story about coming to terms with one’s own existence. Using the Eastern philosophy of death (one lives with the presence of death during your entire life), the play works through the concept that death is a point of metamorphosis, not a final end. In Western culture, we are taught to fear death and put tons of money and energy into prolonging life and youth for as long as possible. SoulSeek is about facing your life by confronting your fear of death. In part, it’s is based on parts of Zorana Kydd’s own life and experiences.
SoulSeek follows in the tradition of post-dramatic theatre that echoes the work of Heiner Goebels, Daniel Brooks, and Robert Lepage. It uses two separate forms (theatre and video) and uses them together to create one unique and organic dramatic structure.
The show is directed by international director Stefan Dzeparoski, originally from Serbia and is a Sterling Award nominee. In Toronto he has assistant directed with Daniel Brooks on Necessary Angel’s production of Michael Ondaatje’s When my name was Anna and with Adam Brazier on Birdland Theatre’s Assassins. In Edmonton he directed Roberto Zucco and After The Fall for Studio Theatre, Anime for Lucid Productions and The Creation of the world and other business for the 2007 Fringe Festival. He directed for National Theatre Uzice and Kostolany Deszhe in Serbia and the National Theatre Macedonia in Macedonia.
Zorana Kydd is the award winning Artistic Producer of Birdland Theatre. She has been seen in their productions of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, The Pillowman (with The Canadian Stage Company) and Frankie and Johnny. Recently she was also featured in HBO’s ZOS.
Andre Sills also stars in the show. Currently he can be seen in the title role of Richard III at Hart House Theatre. Andre has spent four seasons working at The Stratford Theatre Festival. Selected other credits include: Much Ado About Nothing (The Canadian Stage Company), Othello and Radio Golf (St. Louis Black Repertory Company), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare In Action), and The Overwhelming (Studio 180 and The Canadian Stage Company).
Details:
The show opens on Thursday October 7 and plays until October 23, 2010 at The Walmer Centre Theatre, 188 Lowther Ave.
Monday – Saturday 8 PM
Tickets: $30 (Students/Seniors $20), available through Arts Box Office at 416-504-7529,
online at www.artsboxoffice.ca or www.totix.ca, in person at the T.O. TIX booth at Yonge-Dundas Square, or at the door.