SummerWorks, Dusk Dances and live taping of The Imposter
Fear with poultry power, dance shows in the park and a podcast kicks off
SummerWorks Performance Festival Watch this if: You like your summer arts festivals with a little edge.
The SummerWorks Festival is celebrating 26 years with a stellar lineup of dance, theatre, music and “live art” that pushes all kinds of boundaries. This year’s festival features its first Chinese-language production and a strong feminist theme.
Watch out for shows like Daughter by Toronto’s favourite twisted clown Adam Lazarus; an all-female band playing Maylee Todd’s latest album Inamorata; or Plucked by Rachel Ganz, a quirky dystopian comedy/ bluegrass concert about a world where fear turns women into actual chickens.
Aug. 4-14, various venues, summerworks.ca Dusk Dances Watch this if: You still haven’t seen a park performance this summer.
The 22nd annual Dusk Dances festival returns to Withrow Park in Toronto’s east end for another lineup of site-specific, original dance performance. This year, the festival includes a new piece by Susie Burpee, This Is How We Love, where the audience influences the choreography by answering the question “What does love feel like?”
Another piece called Auto-Fiction by Milan Gervais has its dancers move in, around, on top of and through a car temporarily located in the park.
Dusk Dances will likely have you pirouetting through Leslieville’s side streets on your way home.
Aug. 1-7, Withrow Park, 725 Logan Ave. The Imposter Live Taping Watch this if: You like Canadian podcasts, but especially Canadian arts and culture podcasts.
Love it or hate it, Jesse Brown’s crowdfunded Canadaland podcast is a solid fixture in Canada’s media landscape. Earlier in July, the Canadaland network launched sister showThe Imposter, devoted to Canadian artists, arts and culture, hosted by Aliya Pabani. The Imposter (a perfect title for anyone working in the arts) is celebrating its kickoff with a live taping at the Gladstone Hotel, featuring comedian Jackie Pirico, musicians bizZarh and documentarian Geoff Siskind. It’s time to meet your newest podcast addiction in person.
Aug. 3, Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W.