hub14 – a field of crowns

thursday morning viewpoints

This year I’ve been fortunate to delve back into the Viewpoints system of movement with two separate post-secondary groups. Building from the ground up: I relish pairing down movement to its basics and building it up again with specific focus, concern and intention. Tasks and movement. Listening to and trusting your impulses. Relationships onstage between performers and space, between action and time, between audience and performer. I love investigating the different aspects individually, interrogating them, exhausting them only to then add another on top. This deconstruction to layering is complex and insatiable. Leading this work, I am pleased to realise how deeply ingrained it is in my own practice: oftentimes focusing on one of the nine viewpoints over others to help craft a character, or, unconsciously playing and adjusting the dials to explore a whole vocabulary.

Which is why I’d like to open up a community jam on Thursday mornings. I want this training to keep going. I know there are many actors, dancers and other performers who have crossed paths with Viewpoints throughout their training. I know there are others who have never experienced it before but have heard its name.

If you fall into any of these categories, I invite you to join me at hub14‘s new Artscape studio @ 910 Queen Street West on certain Thursday mornings, from 9 – 10am, to come jam and explore this movement for yourself. Space will be available from 8:45am for personal warm-ups.

In an effort to make cross-disciplinary training more commonplace and low-risk, all of these drop-in sessions will be offered at no cost. All you have to do is send a message to afieldofcrowns(at)gmail(dot)com (there’s a form here) so I can come and get you.

*note: unfortunately, hub14 is not an accessible venue, as it is located in a basement without access to a public elevator.*

Upcoming sessions will be:

March 7th, 21st & 28th, April 4th, 18th & 25th

CREATORS | ARTISTS | PERFORMERS | sweet residency opportunities @ hub14

The studio I work with, hub14 art & performance works has released their call for residency proposals.

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This call is suitable for anyone with a performance practice, emerging to established. The residencies range from research-based explorations (you pitch a compelling idea with a thoughtful plan & could receive up to 40 hours in studio to explore it without any demand of a final product from us), to three-day gallery pop-up installations (usually geared towards a visual artist working with performance or performers working with visual/installation art), community initiatives (discussions, classes/workshops, performance series, etc.) & even a live-in for artists outside the GTA.

The studio is based in Toronto, just around the corner from the Queen West & Bathurst intersection (very close to Theatre Passe Muraille, Factory Theatre, Rapier Wit & lemontree creations).

It’s one of the only programmes of its kind in Toronto and one of my favourite things to be part of each year. Seeing what you’re working on, hearing your voices, your passions, your ways of expression is a privilege I am humbled to experience.

That said, the hub14 team wants to support you & your art!

Applications are due July 6th @ 11:59pm. So get on that!

Check out the call here.

Let’s Jam.

The wonderful Mike Reinhart and I have come together to present an offering to the Toronto performance community:

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A monthly movement jam open to performers of any discipline or training.

Partnered with hub14, this movement jam will happen on the last Wednesday of each month.*

We will open the studio as early as 6:30pm for personal warm-up and mingle-time and begin the jam proper at 7. Expect to move, to participate in some guided exercises lead by Mike and myself, and to challenge yourself in a few lightly structured improv jams. We’ll wrap each night by 9pm, after which there’s always time for cool downs and conversation.

We would like to keep this jam as accessible** as possible, but will also be accepting PWYC donations to help keep this thing running. The bottom line, however, is: if you want to be here, we want you here!

The first jam of the year will be
Wednesday, February 28th
@ hub14 (14 Markham St., Toronto)
7 – 9pm | doors @ 6:30 | PWYC

You can find a list of future dates and a contact form on the Jam’s page here.

I look forward to moving with you.

-A

*With the exception of December because of the mess that is Christmas and New Years. In December, the jam will happen on the 3rd Wednesday (Dec. 19th).

**Please note hub14 is not a barrier-free facility: there are about 10 steps leading up to the studio.

Collective Creations

This year has been a relentless teacher. Its lessons, and my shifting artistic interests, have had profound influence on my person – influences which I feel are only beginning to settle (or, at least, not float directly into my eyes as I’m trying to walk). As the fall approaches, I am looking forward to getting back into the studio to run my second series of classes at hub14. I don’t know how these lessons will influence the way I teach, but I do know these will be the next version of what I was exploring back in the spring. As we live and make theatre, theatre becomes our lifestyle. See you in the studio.

UPDATE Aug. 31st, 2016 — A show I’m part of, the [elephants] collective’s A Wake for Lost Time, has been accepted into the DaPoPo Live-In in Halifax! We’re going to be performing this intense 24-hour ritual for time on October 21st. Meaning, I’ll be in Halifax, rehearsing with our new, local Haligonian members the week leading up to it and, therefore, class on the 19th is cancelled. This iteration of Collective Creations will run for 5 classes.

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Collective Creations
@ hub14 (14 Markham St., Toronto)
Wednesdays
Sept. 21 & 28
Oct. 5, 12 & 26

7 – 9pm
$15 / class
$10 for multiple classes

Collective Creations returns this fall to hub14 led by Andrew Gaboury.

Collective Creations will focus on two main areas of theatrical exploration: (i) physical training for the theatre, and, (ii) collective creation techniques for material generation. The goals of these classes is to provide an affordable and accessible space for artists to continue their individual training; to provide a platform for the spontaneous generation of ideas; and offer an arena to challenge our understanding of what it means to work in a collective.

Each class will follow a similar structure with the second half, the collective creation aspect, exploring a different technique or launching point. These classes will combine vocal improvisation techniques and various movement forms, including aspects of Viewpoints, clown, contemporary dance improv and archetype work. Using time as our adversary (and collaborator), we will create new, imperfect works destined to fail and find success in the jewels hidden amongst the rubble.

Drop-ins welcome. Each class is standalone although we will be building on concepts as the weeks progress.

To reserve a spot send an email to afieldofcrowns@gmail.com