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 Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Factory Theater Video clip: interview A handsome man in a suit standing on stage, telling a story of a family murdered in Kansas in the late 1950s by 2 ex-convicts. Mikel Rouse, uses poetry, film, sound and harmonica to express the tragedy. He moves from mic to mic, total of 4 on stage, as he speaks in his sad serious voice, while images of old film are projected on a video screen. People walking in a crowd, some with glasses are looking at the camera smiling, cars and a plane, news articles about the murder, etc. The audience clapped for him and he returned 3 times and bowed to acknowledge their appreciation. He is someone to keep an eye on because his style is really hypnotic and enigmatic. To understand the meaning of his words requires further reading on the subject and any articles of his explanations, after all he admits to having done research and taking years to develop each opera.
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 Website: Luminato Streetscape Date: June 14, 2008 Location: Regent Park Video clip: TASK and Oliver Herring TASK is a public participation event set outdoors in Regent Park, conceived by Oliver Herring. He said it has been done in various locations, is premiering in Canada this year but was first launched in London, United Kingdom. Basically, each person pulls out a slip where a task has to be interpreted and performed using the various materials set out, and then after completion, that person will write a task and add it to the box for future participants. Materials such as: paper rolls, tin foil, tapes, paints, paper, scissors, plastic wrap were set on the floor with tents in the center. This activity appealed to children who easily got involved, while Herring went around video recording them. Warning: participation required. This activity is not for viewing only.
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 Illuminations: Art in the Age of Terror Date: June 14, 2008 Location: Varsity Arena Video clips: pt. 1 , pt. 2 , pt. 3 Panel: John Ralston Saul (moderator), Laurie Anderson, Neil Murray, Mark Kingwell, Jeffrey Dvorkin Most artists in their artworks are detached from reality, especially wars, unless specifically commissioned to paint, photograph, videotape on location. This is more in the realm of journalists, who are reality-based, not fantasy-based. Certain issues and ideas were brought out: from citizenship, patriotism, art media, censorship, reality, entertainment and story-telling. News is supposed to be factual and censored, whereas arts tend to be fictional and unrestricted. To be credible on politics and military, artists would probably have to do a lot of factual research before giving opinions. Why are declared wars fought and terrorism acts continue globally? Is it for natural resources such as oil, principles such as democracy? Artists who use film and video are probably the most affected because journalists and government use the same media for mass communication. If censorship restricts the contents of movies and videos, and how they are presented to the public, it will probably be argued about unless it shows the government as heroic, protective and good. But depending on whose side you are on, and dual citizens will probably find this an internal conflict, siding with which government or not at all, on rationalizing wars, is probably difficult for artists who are often trying to be neutral, free and open-minded. Most artists would probably be draft dodgers, if it becomes mandatory to serve the country as a soldier. Video recording a war is not the same as pulling a gun out to shoot for oil! Most artists are probably cowards at heart, not heroes/heroines... preferring peace and life over war and death, and would probably choose flight over fight instinctually.
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 Website: Midsummer Night's Dream and Intermission Interview
Date: June 13, 2008 Shakespeare is now an internationally known author, with his plays performed in different languages, such as tonight's modern version of 'Midsummer Night's Dream' at Canon Theater for Luminato Festival. The performers are from South Asian countries such as India, multi-lingual, and acrobatic, and use about 7 languages including English throughout the play. The sets are modern with a vertical grid of ladders which the actors climb up and down, and hanging ropes and cloth to swing from, a hanging bed, musicians playing on the sides, and various props. In one scene, Puck an amusing mythical character who walks around in a red brief, entangles 4 central characters in elastic ropes and poles, as they argue and struggle through this bondage and accusations, showing how they are intertwined and trapped by their own relationships. The acting is very physical with the couples sometimes entangled with each other on the ground and climbing up and down the grid. At the end, the crowd gave them a standing ovation with claps! It was a great show and though some of it was incomprehensible due to the switching of languages, the lively acting kept the play going and audience entertained. Refer to Wikipedia Synopsis
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 Websites: Mikel Rouse and End of Cinematics
Date: June 12, 2008 Location: Bluma Appel Theatre St. Lawrence Center for Arts a·rouse ( -rouz ) v. a·roused, a·rous·ing, a·rous·es v.tr.1. To awaken from or as if from sleep. 2. To stir up; excite: The odd sight aroused our curiosity. See Synonyms at provoke. Aptly named to match his work, 'End Of Cinematics', Mikel Rouse does arouse excitement and amazement with his layering of film screens and live theater. He is a genius for multimedia, using a background of 6 screen projections, live performers including himself in between, and a large transparent film screen in front. It was a very impressive piece that is surely worth the time and money to watch and wake up to a very cool mixture of film, poetry, music, and performance acting. As for the story, it was deliberately confusing or confused due to the layered technique and multi-projections, traveling images of trains, boats, street scenes, and Mr. Rouse act of a man in love, stalking a woman played by Lisa Boudreau, his real wife, who seems to be chasing an American dream of becoming a city girl? But why is it set in Paris, instead of a city in the USA? Or are they Americans pretending to be in a French film, lost in their fantasies of romantic cafe meetings, chasing each other through the city streets? There are other performers who are dressed the same as him and her, and he meets a few other females, yet he remains obsessed about the same female in a black and white checkered coat. In the end, they are all in their night clothes, pajamas and nighties, still yearning without fulfillment. 'God is out of control', maybe should have included 'man is out of control', and 'white/black/yellow man bringin me down' means possibly a male rivalry where Rouse feels defeat (in love? in control? in getting who he wants? racially?). It is frustrating not to see a climax or see him succeed in winning the woman's affection. In one earlier scene where he stalks her through the streets, the line 'I did not want to see you alive' expressed her indifference. How tragic to see love unrequited! Trying to figure out some of the lines and scenes is difficult considering this technique is new and unusual, plus Rouse himself seems to have a confused expression throughout, like a man who is puzzled about his own feelings for a woman yet remains obsessed about having her for himself. Perhaps, this is a message about people who move to the big city hoping to become somebody or urbanized, leaving their hometowns and love ones behind confused, or women who try to become famous through movies or films, hoping 'everybody wants everybody, everybody wants me', yet strangely not wanting a real man in love? Is this possibly a good reason for the 'end of cinematics' -- when film fantasy beats live reality, including a potential love relationship? Or is the title about ending traditional one screen films, for multi-screen projections? Whatever one's interpretation, this is a definite MUST SEE for aspiring multi-media artists who want to combine various creative disciplines, and hopefully Rouse's layered and multi-screened technique will be studied and copied by future artists, until the general public and media understand the complexity of his simplistic messages, and reach an epiphany to match the prolonged clapping for his performance feat in multi-media.
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Date: June 8, 2008 Location: Toronto Film School Studio Artists discussed multi-disciplanary works and collaborations, using video, audio, acting, music, sets as enhancing their performances and story-telling. Composer Mikel Rouse talked about his works as being old pieces from 15 years ago ('Dennis Cleveland' and 'Failing Kansas') and having had to do most of the work from poverty. Maybe this is one reason why some artists become multi-talented, from not having enough in the budget to hire another to do it. The problem of marketing the arts was discussed but as Graham Sheffield, Artistic Director of London's Barbican Center, pointed out, that a football game is more expensive yet people pay that price. Including sports with arts is possibly something worth considering, or having arts performed on a sports field? Refer to Mikel Rouse
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Event: Painted City Date: June 7, 2008 Location: St. George the Martyr Church Speakers including designers and a poet were discussing interaction between public spaces and arts. Toronto's poet laureate Pier Giorgio Di Cicco mentioned allowing loitering, and the curiosity of the public to seek out information and events. Using outdoor spaces such as parks, plazas, beaches, streets which are popular public spaces, aside from the usual indoor spaces of halls, theaters, auditoriums is becoming a trend. In history, some have used market places and outdoor theaters. Having the arts integrated into free public spaces will make it available for all classes.
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