The Cultch, with Push International Performing Arts Festival, are thrilled to present KISMET, things have changed, from The Chop (Vancouver), February 4-8, 2020, at the Historic Theatre. KISMET, things have changed is part of The Cultch’s fourth annual Femme Series; a series of shows and events intended to highlight female-identifying voices and experiences. This event uses an inclusive definition of femme, and includes all self-identifying female, trans, and non-binary folks.
Ten years ago, four artists in their late 20s and early 30s travelled across the country to interview 100 people, aged 1 to 100 about what they believed in. What resulted was the widely acclaimed national treasure KISMET, one to one hundred. Now, a decade later, and in a new place in life (with parental death, marriage, children, career changes and relocation) the same team set out to find the surviving people and interviewed them again.
“Ever since the success of [KISMET one to one hundred] we had the thought, ‘what if we made a new show every 10 years. It would stand alone, with no need to have seen the first iteration and be a social exploration of the passage of time” says co-creator, Emelia Symington Fedy. “About five years ago we started to take this idea seriously. Life was getting hard. We wanted to regroup. We wanted to find and reconnect with these people as we’d invested so much of our lives into their lives. We were curious about the difference a decade makes in life and culture and we had a study group of 100 people to draw wisdom from.”
It took a year to find everyone they had interviewed ten years earlier, and this time when the creative team asked the same 10 questions they got very different answers.
Known for productions that intentionally connect the audience with the performers in unique and direct ways, The Chop, led by Emelia Symington Fedy and Anita Rochon, is a Vancouver company constantly pushing the envelope and creating innovative theatrical experiences. Ten years ago the theatrical documentary, KISMET, one to one hundred, was nominated for two Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards, for ‘Outstanding Innovative Creation,’ and for ‘Critics’ Choice for Innovation.’ KISMET, things have changed is a stand-alone follow-up to one to one hundred. With it, The Chop have continued to innovate—combining video, sound recording, verbatim re-enactments, and music. “Theatre has changed a lot in ten years,” says Rochon. “What we used to tell the stories ten years ago… it doesn’t work the same way anymore. How are we going to tell these people’s stories differently this time? ... We're taking a multifaceted approach to telling multi-generational multi-voiced stories.”
WHEN: FEB 4-8, 2020
Showtimes:
Feb 4, 7:30PM: Opening
Feb 5–8, 7:30PM
Feb 8, 2PM
Post-show Artist Talkback:
Feb 05
WHERE: Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables St.
TICKETS: Tickets from $26. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or www.tickets.thecultch.com.
Photo credit: Reznekcreative
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