Debut Productions Come to 2018's Devised Theatre Festival

The Devised Theatre Festival returns to York University this March with a lineup of companies debuting original productions. The festival is the culminating project for the 4th year devised theatre students, featuring three new productions exploring loss, millennials, and isolation. The festival appeals to a variety of tastes for its diverse theatrical styles including highly physical, documentary, and immersive performances.

This year's festival is premiering Peeled by Army of the V Monkeys, Metanoia by Palimpsest Theatre, and E V R E N by So, That Was Fun! Theatre, running March 12 - 17, 2018 in the Accolade East Building (studio 207) at York University's Keele campus. Tickets are available at devisedtheatrefestival.com/tickets/.

Through physical storytelling, Peeled from Army of the V Monkeys explores the painful yet liberating path of accepting loss. New members of a grief meeting come to terms with the changes in their lives: A woman trapped in an I Love Lucy dream-world, a child bargaining against her ascent into adulthood, a man sinking into isolation, and the grief counselor still haunted by her family history. Explore the innermost thoughts that can no longer be buried and see how pain brings them together. Peel back the curtain on their despair and journey with them to trace their roots, accept their present, and reclaim their future.

Metanoia from Palimpsest Theatre follows 4 people as their participation in a YouTube interview series prompts them to contemplate their achievements, regrets, and fears about the future. Through abstract physical explorations Metanoia examines what we can and cannot control, and the obstructions that prevent us from changing. An intertwining of real and staged interviews that investigate the conscious of Millennials and their views on careers and life choices. On camera they have a mask of confidence, but when the camera stops rolling, they find themselves unravelling, on a journey of self-reflection. The question posed, "how do millennials think about change?" These are the results.

In E V R E N from So, That Was Fun! Theatre it is 2026. Five explorers aboard the Evren are sent out to discover what lies within a black hole. 70 years of secrecy later, the NARSA Space Agency will now release the findings of the Evren mission to the general public. Through physical theatre, E V R E N displays the tensions that arise in extreme conditions of deprivation, isolation, and the way relationships deteriorate. As seen in the logs recorded by the crew, audiences will witness the ephemeral movement of time and space and the lengths at which these explorers will go to discover what it takes to conquer frontiers, instead of each other.

The devised theatre program at York trains its students in creating their own theatre from the ground up. In their first and second years in the program they are introduced and given the opportunity to explore multiple disciplines and types of theatre making. In their third and final year they are given the chance to put their learning to the test and create their own companies and pieces in their very own festival. This year three new companies are born from the program: The Army of the V Monkeys, Palimpsest Theatre, and So, That Was Fun! Theatre. The 2018 Devised Theatre Festival presents their debut works Peeled, Metanoia, and E V R E N, with E V R E N also premiering at the upcoming Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

More information and updates at www.devisedtheatrefestival.com

Note: In light of the CUPE 3903 contract workers' strike at York University, changes to the schedule will be announced at www.devisedtheatrefestival.com. The Devised Theatre Festival respects CUPE 3903's decision to go on strike, and will make adjustments to its performance schedule if the strike continues through March 12-17, to avoid making its participants and audiences cross any picket lines.

Ticket Reservation at: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e44aba72ba0f85-2018

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