artsdepot’s Canada Season goes into round two with a diverse line-up of Canadian artists.
Since 2018, the North London arts centre has been forging relationships with artists from across Canada. With support from Arts Council England and Future Arts Centres, the venue is becoming a permanent focal point for outstanding Canadian performance. Spring’s programme is led by Theatre Replacement’s multi-generational, multi-media performance MINE. Exceptional performances by Melanie Gall and collectif9 complete the selection.
Opera singer and expert on historic knitting songs, Melanie Gall from Alberta opens the Canada season with her show Stitch in Time: A Knitting Cabaret, on Tuesday, March 5, at 2pm. The scintillating cabaret features long-forgotten knitting songs of WWI and WWII from Canada, Britain, USA and France, promising excitement, drama and romance. Audience members are invited to bring their own knitting and craft away while listening to the funny and poignant tunes. Melanie Gall is an internationally acclaimed vocalist. She lectures at New York University about historic knitting songs, and is part of the popular knitting podcast The Savvy Girls.
Theatre Replacement (Vancouver) present MINE, a multigenerational performance inspired by the company’s artistic director Maiko Yamamoto’s relationship with her son Hokuto and his obsession with the computer construction game Minecraft. Beowulf, Bambi and The Terminator echo in an exploration of the connection between mother and son. The cast, including Maiko, Hokuto and four young gamers from artsdepot’s community, perform the narrative on stage and in Minecraft, blending digital worlds and theatre in a truly unique experience. MINE was commissioned by artsdepot, Cambridge Junction and Future Arts Centres and is showing on Thursday, March 21, and Friday, March 22, at 7.30pm, and Saturday, March 23, at 2pm and 7.30pm.
Montreal’s collectif9 are bringing their trademark innovative arrangements to an energised classical music performance on Friday, May 17, 7.30pm. The band of nine combines the power of an orchestra with the crispness of a chamber ensemble. Works by Mahler, Ligeti, Gabriel Prokofiev, and others are transformed from their original form - often symphonic in nature - into music for nine musicians. These original arrangements feature special instrumental effects which will transport the listener out of artsdepot’s Pentland Theatre and into a world of fantasy and imagery. The collective has toured across North America, Europe and Asia since 2011.
artsdepot’s Director of Programming Louisa Bartlett-Pestell said: “We are so pleased to be presenting this diverse Canada season for spring 2019. When artsdepot set out to become the London home for Canadian performance in 2018, we made it our mission to showcase some of the most innovative and engaging work on the Canadian contemporary scene – and this programme fulfils this ambition. We are celebrating originality and diversity through international exchange.”
Artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley, N12 0GA, Tuesday, March 5, to Friday, May 17. Details: 020 8369 5454 artsdepot.co.uk
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