PuSh Play: pushing boundaries and playing with form

November 29, 2023

Nov 30, 2023 – Podcast Blog 

On the stage, in the studio, and now streaming online: PuSh Play!

We have a brand new PuSh Festival podcast! Have you tuned in yet?

Join Director of Programming Gabrielle Martin every Monday and Thursday for new, freshly-pressed conversations with artists who are pushing boundaries and playing with form, in advance of them presenting their works at this year’s Festival Jan 18 – Feb 4, 2024.

Each episode highlights the themes each artist works with and their processes. In the very first episode, Gabrielle is joined by Simona Deaconescu and Gaby Saranouffi, co-choreographers of Ramanenjana, a captivating docufiction performance about a time when thousands of people in Madagascar danced to drums in the capital city for weeks, as if hallucinating. They discuss the history of mass dance and the social role of dance. 

Donna-Michelle St. Bernard discusses her new work, Sound of the Beast, her relationship with the people whose stories she’s telling, and what might be our contribution to the lived reality that we’re fictionalizing. 

And today’s new release features Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim, co-creators of asses.masses, a participatory video game performance about labour, technophobia, and social change. They talk about their collaboration with each other, the democratization of theatre through participation, and how to make a theatre comfortable for 4+ hours.

Head over to the place where you get your podcasts and subscribe to PuSh Play! We’ve already got a half a dozen chats for you listen to, and a new conversation coming your way every Monday and Thursday until Festival time!

Visit https://pushfestival.ca/podcasts/ to hear previews from each episode, read transcripts from those that have aired, and meet your new favourite artist.

Photos: 

Ramanenjana, Photo: Adi Bulboacå

Sound of the Beast, Photo: Michael Cooper

asses.masses, Photo: Francisco Castro Pizzo