THE FOUR CORNERS - we did it!

Last Saturday, on the corners of Queen & Bathurst, our live site-specific audio drama recording happened 3 x to sold out audiences!  We ambitiously imagined crowds of people moving around these busy corners in time with each other... and it worked!

Here's how:

Before each performance, the crowd met us inside The Design Republic, a furniture store on Queen West, where they were introduced to our tour guides through a hip hop rap comedy number.  The audience was then divided into groups by colour and were led out to the streets by their guides.

The tour guides recounted the history of the four corners, from architecture patterns, to settlement in the area, to what lived within the walls of the buildings still standing.  And, on each corner, the guides and their groups were met by likely activity.  A program worker, a starbucks barrista, an experiential advertiser and a pair of street buskers intersected the audience and added their voices to the mix, shedding light on the diverse socio-economic class structure that exists on this crossroads of Toronto.

This entire experience was recorded live by a team of sound engineers through locative booms, lavaliere microphones and binaural recorders.  And now, we are busy mixing this site-specific recording together into a 4 podcasts that will be released later this month! Stay posted for these podcasts that allow you to feel like you were right there with us on the corners.

But it's not over yet... in November, THE FOUR CORNERS will hit the studio to record the other side of the story... details to come.

Our live site-specific recording was a true blast.   Thank you to everyone who came out to see this live.  And, if you missed it, here are some pics to tide you over until the podcasts are released to the world!

THE FOUR CORNERS: Live performance produced by FIXT POINT Directed by Lisa Marie DiLiberto. Sound Recording & Production directed by Charles Ketchabaw

Script conceived by Lisa Marie DiLiberto and Charles Ketchabaw, based on neighbourhood interviews, and developed in collaboration with the artistic team.

Corner Characters: North East Corner (Starbucks) - David Brennan South East Corner (CB2) - Adam Paolozza North West Corner (The Meeting Place) - Varrick Grimes South West Corner (Pizza Pizza) - Dan Watson

Tour Guides: Viktor Lukowski (Team Red) Geoffrey Armour (Team Blue) Isaac Kessler (Team Yellow) Rob Feetham (Team Green) Fernando Lara (Tour Bossman)

Community Artists: Katt C. Budd (Musician) Bruce (Meeting Place Member) Terry (Meeting Place Volunteer)

Sound Recordists: Charles Ketchabaw Corby Luke Art Pisanski

Dramaturgy: Aviva Armour-Ostroff

Production Coordinator: Annie Wilson

 

STURGEON BAY – chopping wood and sound bytes

We headed south to Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park, a small little place near Pointe Au Baril.  We picked up some food for the fire and transformed our storymobile into a studio on wheels by day and a sleeping spot by night.  Early in the morning until late in the evening for three days we worked in the woods – listening to the stories we gathered from Little Current and Sudbury and Killarney, cutting up the interviews, mapping specific stories, writing around the clips for our podcast, and mixing it altogether.  The campground was bustling and we left only to record our voices deeper in the wilderness… It was a rugged and rustic 3 days, but being out in the woods helped us to relax while weaving the tales together. And then we drove our storymobile back to where the traffic outnumbers the trees and the buildings sometimes block the breeze, a place where faces are familiar and streets are straight and all the restaurants are open late.  Yes, we arrived back home, to Toronto to lay our heads in our own bed.

Go listen to what we found in all these awesome small and not so small towns.  The Tale of a Town X Ontario – it’s yours to discover…

KILLARNEY – fish and chips and roads and pics

Back when we were in Little Current, a group of people spotted our storymobile and pitched us to come to Killarney… so, to Killarney we went!  It was a long road into town off of highway 69, but finally we arrived in this small and splendid little town, population 500.

When we arrived on Channel Street, the main street in Killarney with one side water one side road, the mayor flagged us down in his truck and came to greet us.  He insisted that he treat us to the famous Herbert’s fish and chips.  Herbert's was the hottest spot in town and before long, the town historian, a town elder, and our connector from back in Little Current, Mary Jane, were all with us on the dock as the tale of a town turned the conversation to the changes in Killarney over the years.

Inside the storymobile I was fortunate to talk with the town historian, Rosiland Zimmiska whose family has lived here in Killarney for four generations.  The photos I saw of the main street in days gone by sent my imagination soaring.

In the meantime, Charles took a walk on the dock side of main street with Marvin Roque, town elder who told tales of the busy days of commercial fishing in the channel.

Later, Mary Jane took us to the hand built stone church whose name changed to St. Bonaventure from St. Joseph when one priest decided that he liked that name better…

Also, check out the backwards number 1.  Apparently the stone carver ran out of space, so he decided he'd just flip it...

You might assume with a name like Killarney that this is an Irish settlement, but think again. Killarney, Ontario is Native and French with a long and languid history.  No electricity until 1950, and no road to get in until 1962!! Life was isolated and insular here in most people’s earliest memories of this town, but apparently the parties were indescribable…. If you have a story about Killarney, call our storyline at 1-855-CAN-TALE and we'll be sure to add it to the collective community memory map of this small but sensational town.

Come sit in on our Killarney conversations to hear more about this joyful place where all you have to do is look out to see its stunning beauty.

A Walk Down Main Street - Killarney Edition.

SUDBURY – we did the elgin strip

First off, the drive from Little Current to Sudbury, across the swing bridge, along highway 6 & 16 was so breathtaking - you have to go and see it for yourself. The night we arrived in Sudbury, we got a phone call from our friend and colleague back home advising us to head straight to the Townehouse bar on Elgin Street and look for Paul, the manager.  So to the Townehouse we went! It was one of those restored, old taverns, with a seemingly secret side entrance and eventually we did find who we were looking for.  We booked a meeting with Paul for the next morning.

It was fascinating to hear what Paul had to say about the story of Sudbury’s downtown over the years.  Always a meeting place, a rail town turned mine town, with two standout flat iron buildings, many other torn down buildings, a mall where a market has been, and a strip that is making its way back on the map with cool new cafes, bars and boulangeries. The Elgin strip they call it, which apparently had been long neglected, is where we met Paul – at the other place he manages, The Laughing Buddha, where all kinds of imported beers are just an order away.  Guess what else we found out – Stompin’ Tom wrote that song at the Townehouse.  You know the one…

After our meeting with Paul we parked downtown.  A steady line of people came to see us at our storymobile and we got a feel for this nickel city built atop a meteor crater.  You can check out a selection of stories we gathered on our story map HERE.

Some of the local press caught us downtown too...!

Northern Life Article

Sudbury Star Article

After our storymobile stint we went to meet up at the Sudbury Theatre Centre with David Savoy to talk tale of a town.  David invited the creative and savy Matthew Heiti and the four of us imagined together what it would be like to take audiences down the streets of Sudbury while telling its tales…

A site specific performance is certainly something that would breathe life into these story filled streets and spread the good news that Sudbury’s downtown is here to stay.  Details to come…

In the meantime, why not tune in to our podcast and hear about if for yourself!

A Walk Down Main Street – Sudbury Edition.

LITTLE CURRENT - gi zah gin! i love you!

In Little Current, we stayed at the legendary Anchor Inn, one of those old hotels we've heard so much about, but this one was renovated and truly rockin'!  In their community room, we sat in on the live broadcast of The Cruiser’s Net with Roy who keeps the boats on the other side of water street afloat.  Outside, we met the father daughter team - owner and editor of The Manitoulin Expositor who convinced us to join the Let It Be campaign -a civic initiative to keep the Little Current Post Office downtown!

It was a whirlwind 24 hours in Little Current.  Trading ice cream for stories, we ran in to some of the most delightful people we have met so far.  It's true, there is something spirited about this island.  We could have stayed...forever!

To hear from the mouths of the haweaters themselves, tune in to our podcast, created for The Walrus.

A Walk Down Main Street – Little Current Edition!

LONDON DAY ELEVEN – morningstars and ceaser salad

The day began with a delightful interview a la Dana Morningstar.  Dana is the chair of media arts at Fanshaw college and a Londoner through and through.  She told us tales about that market parrot swearing at her when she was a kid at the market, and stopping off at The Bay downtown on way to work to get a squirt of perfume in the early days of her career.  After the interview, Dana treated us to a tour of the INCREDIBLE Fanshawe College media facilities. Wow.  Those students are spoiled, as they should be.  And very lucky to have what they need to get their waves flowing and their bytes dining.  Things have changed a bit since Charles graduated from their Music Industry Arts Program, but the tour still led him on a sound scape down memory lane (just go with the metaphors people – I’m trying to keep it interesting…)

The afternoon took us to an interview with the fascinating memory making machine Jack DiCarlo at Michael’s on the Thames.  Oh Jack – he is retiring this coming Tuesday after almost 40 years serving up silver service tableside a la flambée here in London Ontario.  His heart bursts with passion and his dedication to his patrons is beyond measure.  He reminds me of my “nonno” (Italian grandpa) and I feel that somehow I know him.  I think Jack just has that effect on people – he makes everyone feel welcome and his personality is warmer than a hot toddy.  In fact, a hot toddy shrinks in comparison to “Jack’s Coffee” – one of the specialties that combines ice cream and liquers on fire that we had to cap off our meal on Saturday when we came here to Michael’s on the Thames for Londonlicious.  After that coffee, we couldn’t help but wonder about who this “Jack” was, and that is brought us here today to meet him in the flesh.

To hear more about the real life legend of Jack DiCarlo, listen in to the Huntsville Edition of our podcast A Walk Down Main Street!

HUNTSVILLE DAY TWELVE – Listening, logging and a little bit of walking…

May we present to you our amazing artistic collaborators for:

The Tale of a Town - Huntsville!

DEANNA JONES 

Artistic Director of Suitcase In Point

(sister company to FIXT POINT!)

ANNIE WILSON

Artistic Producer of Suitcase in Point 

ADAM PAOLOZZA

Artistic Director of TheatreRun

(brother company to FIXT POINT!)

ROB FEETHAM

Toronto based Actor, Clown and Creator

 Everybody arrived, and we got right down to it.  As you can see from the pics, listening to all the stories we have gathered was the top order of the day.

 Logging clips of what jumped out at us  was also par for the course.

It didn't happen as this fast, but check us out in action here:

And for a break, we took a stroll down Main Street so the artists could see some of what they were hearing about for themselves...

Here we are on the lot of the old Empire Hotel.

….73 interviews later, and 48 collective hours later, we called it a day.  And our imaginations began soaring with ideas for The Tale of a Town – Huntsville, the show we would put on in 5 days from today…. eeeek!

LONDON DAY TEN – organizing chaos and dr. lendt

Today we tried to organize the many interviews we have taken in, and make a plan for the week to come.  How will we listen to over 70 hours of tape before we leave London next week?!  And the interviewing isn’t over yet!  London has so many downtown stories, and as always - there are so many sides to each story.  But alas, that is where creativity comes to play, and artful decisions will rule the day, as we make something beautiful from what the people say….  That rhymes, non?! In the midst of the organizing of tracks and tapes and papers and plans, I skipped off to meet with Dr. Barbara Lendt who had an office in downtown for many years where she delivered babies and promoted health.  Barbara painted a picture of downtown from the perspective of a Torontonian who came over 30 years ago, just for a short time, but was drawn in.  Above and beyond the insight this interview provided, I loved hearing Barbara’s love for the downtown store Novak’s – that’s one for the story map for sure!

The weekend has come.  And my friend Jo from London, England is getting off the via rail train tonight to visit us here in London Ontario!!  I can’t wait to show the downtown off and take her out Londonlicious!  (I wonder if Jo will feel more at home here with The Covent Garden Market and the forks of the Thames nearby…)

HUNTSVILLE DAY SEVENTEEN - showtime!!!!

The show was a true success!!! See for yourself….....

And how did it all happen?  With a little help from our friends, of course…

Tina Turley, the Janis Joplin of the north played guitar in our show to help us bring back the bar era of the Empire Hotel!  Doug Banwell, David Kaye’s best friend sounded a sweet saxophone in silhouette.  Our newest friends Zsiporah and Michael Moon, who we met on the day they moved to Hunstville last week, graced the audience with Harp and song in the prologue.  Our colleague Tony Mara who was cottaging in the area stepped in to play my hilarious husband. Jay Cheel, Kevin McMahon and Kristina McLaughlin of Primitive Entertainment were there to capture us on film.  The Christmas Tyme store lent us lights.  The Great Vine lent us lamps.  The Rotary Club dug out bathtubs from storage and even lent us the coveted Rotary wheel and bell. The Huntsville Festival for the Arts found us chairs and ladders every other little thing we needed. The EXTRAORDINARY Dan Watson, Artistic Director of Edge of the Woods Theatre, put together a MAGICAL Nuit Blanche North for us to take part in.  And last but not least, the people of Huntsville inspired us with their tales.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU EVERYONE!  Another exciting memory was made, about how we brought stories to life on that bright night in Huntsville in July…

Oh, and just in case you are wondering, the tales that made it into the show were:

The Tale of The Bathtub Derby!

The Tale of The Empire Hotel!

The Tale of the Silver Ambassadors!

Shopping on the Main!

Which one was your favourite?!  Drop us a line: info@fixtpoint.com

CREDITS:

The Tale of a Town – Hunstville was produced by FIXT POINT, and created by Lisa Marie DiLiberto and Charles Ketchabaw in collaboration with theatre artists Rob Feetham, Deanna Jones, Adam Paolozza and Annie Wilson.

This exciting site-specific theatre and media project was made possible through generous support from The Ontario Arts Council, The Huntsville Festival of the Arts, Chapman’s Ice Cream, The Walrus Magazine and The Hive Strategic Marketing.

Listen Here for our radio show we crafted with some of these stories:

A Walk Down Main Street – Huntsville Edition

And stay tuned, the tale continues…  Next stop – LONDON TOWN!

HUNTSVILLE DAYS THIRTEEN to SIXTEEN – a blur.

It’s difficult to say how it all happened.  But it did!  From all of the interviews, together we selected stories, and sound bytes and scenarios and created four tales to tell at Nuit Blanche North.  We crafted and cringed and created and collected and carried each other through.  We set up lights and sound, put up projections and pictures, we sang and we danced, we laughed and we cried (but mostly laughed), and all we could hope for, was that on Saturday July 14, the people of Huntsville would be proud of what we made from what they gave… We were so busy making our show, we didn't take too many pics, but here's a fun glimpse of our pre-show set up.  Check us out lighting up the night before unit blanche north!