PLAID’S PICKS
Story by Megan Leahy
Luminato kicks off tomorrow bringing to Toronto ten days of world class theatre, music, literature and food. Here’s our picks for the best of what the festival has to offer.
Toronto fans of modern dance have been highly anticipating this return of Tel Aviv’s acclaimed Batsheva Dance Company. With Sadeh21, the company’s Artistic Director, Ohad Naharin, choreographed a combination of solos, duets, and group formations to create a cohesive performance that ranges from explosive movement to tender passages. Tip: stay late after Friday’s performance for an artistic discussion with Naharin.
1 Hour, 15 Minutes
June 14-16, 8:00 pm
MacMillan Theatre, 80 Queen’s Park
Batsheva Dance Company, Photo by Gadi Dagon
Presented for the first time in two decades, and making its debut on the continent outside New York City, Einstein on the Beach is consistently named one of the greatest artistic trumps of the 20th century. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity to see Philip Glass and Robert Wilson’s operatic masterpiece. Tip: arrive 45 minutes early for an introduction by Luminanto artistic director, Jorn Weisbrodt.
4 Hours, 20 Minutes – No Intermission
June 8 at 6:00 pm, June 9 at 6:00 pm, June 10 at 3:00 pm
Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front Street East
Einstein on the Beach, Photo by Lucie Jansch
Stewart Goodyear: The Beethoven Marathon
Acclaimed pianist and composer, Stewart Goodyear, will accomplish an incredible feat as he conquers all 32 of Beethoven’s sonatas in the order they were composed in a single day. Broken into 3 segments, Goodyear will perform 103 individual movements in 10.5 hours. The sequences will be accompanied by subtle, almost motionless visual enrichment by acclaimed Indonesian performance artist Melati Suryodarmo.
June 9 at 10:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 8:30 pm
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning
Stewart Goodyear: The Beethoven Marathon, Photo Coutesy of Stewart Goodyear
As a part of its literature component, the festival will feature discussions with several established international authors. Contemporary Scottish novelist, Irvine Welse, is coming to talk on his news book, Skagboys (the prequel to his bestseller Trainspotting). The discussion will be moderated by the host of CBC Radio One’s Writers & Company, Eleanor Wachtel.
1 Hour, 30 Minutes
June 12 at 9:00 pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox, Theatre 3
Irvine Welse, Photo by Steve Double
The New Yorker at Luminato: The Future of the Avant Garde
Throughout the day of Sunday, June 10th, Luminato will host three seperate discussions with writers from The New Yorker to talk on the subjects of food, literature, and art. We are looking forward to hearing staff writer and theatre critic, Hilton Als, as he leads a panel that includes: Obie-winning playwright and director Young Jean Lee; associate director at New York’s Public Theatre, Mark Russell; multiple award-winning playwright David Adjmi, whose Marie Antoinette premieres this fall; and Richard Maxwell, co-founder of Chicago’s Cook County Theater Department and artistic director of the New York City Players.
1 Hour, 15 Minute
June 10 at 2:00pm
TIFF Bell Light Box, Cinema #3
Hilton Als, self-portrait
