Canadian Stage’s pandemic-friendly lineup includes shows in Toronto’s High Park

TORONTO – Canadian Stage has unveiled a pandemic-friendly fall lineup on Thursday featuring a mix of digital, outdoor and interactive events.

The season starts with choreographer Marie Chouinard’s Zoom production, “Time for Time,” wherein a performer will draw inspiration from an audience member’s private desires to come up with a dance on the spot.

The Toronto theatre company will then present a series of pay-what-you-can outdoor dance performances in High Park over three weekends from Sept. 26 to Oct. 11.

Company-in-residence 600 Highwaymen will kick off a three-part theatre experience in November by recruiting two strangers from the audience to embark on a phone-guided adventure.

From Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, Canadian Stage will host the first of three “mini festivals” about the future of live art set to be held over the next nine months.

The not-for-profit is also launching new subscription program that will allow some patrons to directly contribute to Canadian Stage’s efforts to support artists during the COVID-19 crisis.

Initiatives include giving micro-grants to creators who are experimenting with new mediums and technologies. There’s also a residency program that will see Olivier Choiniere’s play “Public Enemy,” originally slated to be staged in early 2021, workshopped as a digital production.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2020.