Theatre Replacement and Company 605 unveil interdisciplinary HOLD ON LET GO festival lineup, beginning January 23
Previously known as PushOFF, newly named annual event highlights experimental works by the likes of Hong Kong Exile and Mardon + Mitsuhashi
Company 605’s lossy. Photo by David Cooper
THEATRE REPLACEMENT and Company 605 announced the full programming for their 14th annual festival this morning, along with a name change.
Now called HOLD ON LET GO, the festival previously known as PushOFF takes place at the Russian Hall from January 23 to 27 and January 30 to February 2.
The independently produced event features experimental new contemporary works by Canadian artists, challenging the bounds of performance with inventive flair.
HOLD ON LET GO is curated collaboratively by Company 605’s co-artistic directors Lisa Mariko Gelley and Josh Martin, and Theatre Replacement’s artistic director Maiko Yamamoto.
“The [new] name comes from the saying ‘hold on tightly, let go lightly’, and signifies our desire to embrace change, continue evolving and learning, and to hold on to the things that matter, while letting go where we can,” Yamamoto explained in the announcement.
Programming is divided into two halves. Part I, beginning January 23, showcases five mainstage performances, two in-development shows, and a variety of artist talks.
Hong Kong Exile’s HEAVEN FM. Photo by Natalie Tin Yin Gan
Vancouver-based interdisciplinary company Hong Kong Exile brings its latest work HEAVEN FM to the mainstage, a story of loss reimagined using light play and radio frequency. Elsewhere, dance duo Mardon + Mitsuhashi presents whereverever, which combines folk and contemporary movement with video footage recorded in Alexa Mardon and Erika Mitsuhashi’s ancestral homelands of Finland and Japan.
Through My Lens is an interactive theatre-based show by blind artist-access advocate Amy Amantea, who photographs light patterns despite having just 2 per cent vision in one eye. During the show, audience members get to view Amantea’s photos and describe them to her in an exploration of perception.
Rounding out the mainstage bill is Them Voices by Montreal-based dancer-choreographer Lara Kramer, and SmartSmart by Victoria-based creator-crafter Adrienne Wong. The in-development projects taking place are The Chains by Toronto-based artist collective Public Recordings, plus Secret Ingredients by theatre and interdisciplinary artist Keely O’Brien.
Part II of the festival, beginning January 30, has a double bill of new works lined up. Company 605 presents an excerpt of their upcoming ensemble work lossy in its development stage, while Theatre Replacement showcases their latest work Best Life.
There’s plenty more in store, including an Emerging Artist series curated by Amanda Sum, and a collective conversation for industry colleagues, media, and patrons of the arts about holding on and letting go.
More information on the festival is available here.
Theatre Replacement’s Best Life.
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