With its Pivot 2.0 series of outdoor performances wrapping up and colder weather arriving, Public Energy Performing Arts in Peterborough is returning to in-theatre performances for the first time since the pandemic began.
The new Pivot 2.0 Plus series will debut in October at two downtown Peterborough venues: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre and The Theatre on King — the first performances held at the venues in 19 months.
Sound of Mind and Body, a collaboration between dancer and choreographer Bill Coleman and musician and sound artist Gordon Monahan, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 7th at Market Hall at 140 Charlotte Street, and Kitten! by Victoria Ward will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 15th and Saturday, October 16th at The Theatre On King at 171 King Street.
Both performance venues will only be accessible by fully vaccinated patrons, with seating limited to 50 per cent capacity. COVID-19 health and safety protocols will also be in place at both venues.
For those unable to attend, Public Energy will be capturing the performances with a multiple camera system to create high-quality recordings that will be available for later online streaming.
Bill Coleman and Gordon Monahan’s Sound of Mind and Body is an experiment in brainwave-sensing technology. During his dance performance, Coleman will be wearing an electroencephalogram device that will transmit data to Monahan’s equipment and software, producing various responses in musical instruments such as piano and percussion, controlling the fading of stage lights, and controlling sound spatialization and audio processing — all in real time.
VIDEO: “Sound of Mind and Body”
Kitten! is a collaborative re-imagining of Victoria Ward’s 1993 indie theatre hit Kitten With A Crucifix, with the show’s themes of indoctrination, sexuality during the AIDS pandemic, youth, and Catholicism revisited in the context of 21st-century culture. The show is being developed through a two-week artist residency for the Precarious3 Festival, during which social media will be used as a tool to integrate audiences into an ever-evolving performance text.
Kitten! is directed by Kate Story, with co-direction and technical direction by Ryan Kerr, videography by Eryn Lidster, technical design by Shannon McKenzie. Bradley Boye and Zach Tutt are collaborators.
Tickets for all Public Energy performances are pay what you can and are available through the Public Energy website at publicenergy.ca. As noted, seating for all performances is limited so audiences are advised to reserve their tickets in advance online.
The final show in Public Energy’s Pivot 2.0 series of outdoor performances takes place on Friday, October 8th with veteran Indigenous actor-singer Cheri Maracle reading from Paddle Song, a one-woman musical written for the stage by Dinah Christie.
Paddle Song tells the story of Pauline Johnson, the celebrated late 1800s trailblazing Mohawk poet who toured North America on her own with her poetry at a time when such a thing was unheard of.
The performance takes place in Inverlea Park, at Parkhill Road and Dennistoun Avenue in Peterborough. Pay-what-you-can tickets are available at publicenergy.ca.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a long-time media sponsor of Public Energy Performing Arts.
