Aluna Theatre to Open HATCH Season with Nohayquiensepa (Nooneknows)

TORONTO, ON (January 8, 2009) - Aluna Theatre, as part of Harbourfront Centre's HATCH: emerging performance projects, explores how we deal with the death of strangers in a multidisciplinary workshop presentation inspired by events in a Colombian river town on the fringe of great violence; to be followed by a Q&A and facilitated discussion about evolving methods and media in theatre and dance creation. Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. at Harbourfront Centre's Studio Theatre.



The piece has grown from a concern with human rights in Colombia, and a fascination with how people cope and live with them. Puerto Berrio is a town in a "hot zone" of the armed conflict in that country. Along the riverbank, human scavengers often discover mutilated bodies that have floated down from some point further south. When a body is found and cannot be identified it is adopted by a local resident, cared for, and interred at a special mausoleum dedicated to the N.N.'s: the No Names. The N.N.'s return the favour: one man was inspired by his N.N. to choose the winning numbers of the local lottery.



Two-time Dora Award-winner Trevor Schwellnus, in conjunction with choreographer Olga Barrios, is adapting a Colombian approach to collaborative creation to explore innovative video techniques, including targeted projections, live drawing, and the use of video as dynamic lighting in the creation of new environments for performers. To bring these ideas to the stage, Aluna Theatre is exploring a movement and design dramaturgy based on their recent artistic exchange in Colombia with theatre makers Patricia Ariza, Carlos Satizabal, and Santiago Garcia.



Nohayquiensepa (Nooneknows)

Aluna Theatre

Sunday, February 1 at 2:30 p.m.

Studio Theatre at Harbourfront Centre's York Quay Centre

235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario

Tickets are $12.00, $10.00 for Students/Seniors/Arts Workers or $30.00 for a HATCHpass for all four projects in the HATCH 2009 season, available by phone at 416-973-4000 or through www.harbourfrontcentre.com/hatch



Collaborators:

Designer / lead artist: Trevor Schwellnus

Choreographer: Olga Barrios

Sound Designer: Thomas Ryder Payne

Performers and collaborating artists: Vanessa Cuervo, Natasha Greenblatt, Carlos Gonzalez-

Vio, Ravi Jain, Natalia Naranjo, Beatriz Pizano, Snjezana Pruginic, Mayahuel Tecozautla



Aluna Theatre's goal is to create original plays that deal with pressing social issues and inspire social change. We believe in a theatre committed to reflecting the many aspects of the Canadian multicultural experience by including diverse cultural expressions and stories – in a way that comes together to form a distinct language of theatrical (re)presentation. Our past projects include: ArmAndo / Entrada (2008, an international artistic exchange), Madre (2008, 2 Dora Awards), Rap Opera (ongoing), Capturing Freedom (2005, co-production), For Sale (2003, 2 Dora Awards), and meeting playce (2003).



Learn more about the company and their work at www.alunatheatre.ca