How do we change our brains? And if we can, how far can we go?
am a delves into identity, self-knowledge and neuroplasticity in a performance at Shadbolt Centre for the Arts Oct. 3 through 6.
The work, billed as “an encounter between dance and theatre” is brought to the stage by Amber Funk Barton and Mindy Parfitt. am a is described as “a playful encounter between audience and performer, between technology and human physicality, between true stories and science.”
Barton and Parfitt are exploring how identity is constructed in a multidisciplinary work that includes personal text, scientific writing, dance and song. As part of their ongoing experiment, the two artists are trading disciplines: Barton, a dancer, sings, while Parfitt, a theatre artist, dances.
“We premiered am a last year at the Cultch, and we are so excited to return to this work and deepen the exchange of our practices,” Barton said in a press release.
Since its March 2017 premiere – which saw it nominated for two Jessie Richardson Awards – the two have continue to experiment.
“Experimentation is at the core of this piece, and we’re still making discoveries in rehearsal,” Parfitt said in the release. “And, of course, we really enjoy performing am a together.”
In creating the show, the two have worked with a team of artists from Montreal and Vancouver: Ana Cappelluto (sets/lights) and Antoine Bedard from Montreal, and Cande Andrade (video) and Heidi Taylor (dramaturg) from Vancouver.
“am a allows the audience to experience hope. It is an ode to personal strength and the capacity and potential to change. am a is a celebration of being human. Of daring to succeed. Of daring to fail,” said the release.
It’s onstage Wednesday, Oct. 3 through Saturday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave. Tickets are $36 regular, or $15 for opening night. See tickets.shadboltcentre.com or call 604-205-3000.
