Gerard Reyes’ The Principle of Pleasure has all the makings of a spectacle at this year’s Toronto SummerWorks festival, with Reyes’ own body being the primary attraction against a backdrop of smoke, sound effects, and strobe lights. And, of course, the songs of Janet Jackson. It falls short on a few counts though and opens up questions of whether intimacy can indeed be forged in this context. It may be overstated to say that any rules and conventions are broken in this piece, for, while entertaining, I didn’t find The Principle of Pleasure to live up to all it said it would be.
Brain Storm is a production devised by Lucid Ludic in partnership with BIST (Brain Injury Society of Toronto) in this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival. Brain Storm explores the notion of a conscious mind that can survive the physical brain. It’s kind of the ultimate question, isn’t it? Brain Storm is such a visually arresting and intellectually compelling creation that even the less spiritually-inclined may be moved to entertain the idea of a soul.
WMI Collective Presents 
