Jul 23, 2015 - Jul 25, 2015

Toronto, PANAMANIA // Canadian Stage

Betroffenheit

A new creation by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young

 
A Kidd Pivot & Electric Company Theatre Co-Production
Co-Produced by PANAMANIA

World Premiere: July 23-25, 2015 - Canadian Stage, Tkaronto/Toronto


Unflinchingly honest. A testament to the transformative power of art.

A state of shock and bewilderment encompasses you in the wake of a disaster. A timeless space where you return again and again, repeatedly responding to the disaster long after it has subsided. Here, a crisis-management team is keeping your emergency situation alive and present, a trusted voice is urging you to come to terms with the past, and a steady supply of The Show is available for all the distraction, escape and pleasure you crave. You are the Survivor.

This is the blockbuster production that launched Olivier Award-winning Crystal Pite and convention-smashing playwright/performer Jonathon Young's pioneering collaboration; two creative forces of nature meeting each other in this unforgettable hybrid of theatre and dance.

Epic, engrossing and visually arresting, Betroffenheit touches on themes of loss, addiction and recovery, exploring what happens to a person in the wake of trauma. Five extraordinary performers provide a glossy cabaret to Young’s tragic central character using contemporary dance, comedy, drama and text.


Electric Company Theatre and Kidd Pivot gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia, British Columbia Arts Council, BC Gaming, the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Foundation, the Koerner Foundation, the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation, and countless individuals and businesses, including the 2015 Indiegogo campaign supporters

Videos

Credits

Created by

Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young

Written by

Jonathon Young

Choreographed & Directed by

Crystal Pite

Composition & Sound Design by

Owen Belton, Alessandro Juliani, and Meg Roe

Set Design by

Jay Gower Taylor

Costume Design by

Nancy Bryant

Lighting Design by

Tom Visser

Rehearsal Direction by

Eric Beauchesne

Additional Choreography by

Bryan Arias and Cindy Salgado (salsa), David Raymond (tap)

Cast

Bryan Arias (2015-2017)

Cast

Christopher Hernandez (2018)

Cast

David Raymond

Cast

Cindy Salgado

Cast

Jermaine Spivey

Cast

Tiffany Tregarthen

Cast

Jonathon Young

Past Performances

DanceHouse – Vancouver

March 14 – 17, 2018

Wellington, New Zealand

March 3 – 4, 2018

Taipei, Taiwan

February 23 – 25, 2018

The Broad Stage – Santa Monica

February 14 – 16, 2018

Juli Danse – Amsterdam, Holland

July 4-5, 2017

Théâtre de la ville/La Colline – Paris, France

May 29-June 2, 2017

Saint Briesuc, France

May 23, 2017

Chalon en Champagne, France

May 17, 2017

Maison de la danse – Lyon, France

May 10-11, 2017

Mercat de les flors – Barcelona, Spain

April 28-30, 2017

Sadler’s Wells – London, England

April 11-12, 2017

Belgrade, Serbia

April 7, 2017

University of Minnesota, Northrop – Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

March 21-22, 2017

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

March 17-18, 2017

University of California, Berkeley; Cal Performances – Berkeley, California, USA

March 10-11, 2017

Adelaide Festival – Adelaide, Australia

March 3-4, 2017

Heath Ledger Theatre – Perth, Australia

Feb 23-26, 2017

Sadler’s Wells – London, UK

May 31 & June 1, 2016

Dublin Dance Festival – Dublin, IRL

May 24 & 25, 2016

TITAS Presents – Dallas, TX

April 21 & 22, 2016

White Bird – Portland, OR

March 31 – April 2, 2016

On the Boards // Seattle Theatre Group – Seattle, WA

March 18 & 19, 2016

Dance Victoria & Belfry Theatre, Victoria

March 11 & 12, 2016

DanceHouse – Vancouver

February 25 – 27, 2016

Canadian Stage – Toronto, ON

February 18 – 21, 2016

National Arts Centre // NAC Dance – Ottawa, ON

February 12 & 13, 2016

PANAMANIA // Canadian Stage – Toronto, ON

July 23 – 25, 2015 (Premiere)

The Banff Centre (In-Progress Showings) – Banff, AB

July 16 & 17, 2015

Media

“Emotionally intense and unsettling as it often is, this gripping and visually arresting production exemplifies what can happen when theatre and dance combine to achieve what neither could accomplish alone… it stands as a testament to the redemptive power of art.”

Michael Crabb | Toronto Star

“Betroffenheit is a harrowing representation of trauma and suffering – but it’s also a stunning testament to what can be made when life undergoes a pretty strange and irreducible process – when it’s turned into art… Betroffenheit is rare and staggering. I texted friends the following morning and told them to drop everything and go see it. There is darkness on that stage that will stay with me for a long time.”

Martha Schabas | Globe and Mail

★★★★★ "In this raw and riveting drama of mental conflict, words and dance are expertly combined. But the second half of the work, in which Young exits the room for an open stage, is dominated by a section of pure dance whose imagery seems to stage the cathartic process of Young’s recuperation. Pite’s special genius is in choreographing the body language of emotion in the distorted, lifting, folding shapes of her dancers’ bodies. In the sharply specific rhythms of trauma and comfort we can read whole narratives of suffering and recovery."

Judith Mackrell | The Guardian

ARTICLE: “Stepping into contemporary dancer Crystal Pite’s choreographed life”

Marsha Lederman | The Globe and Mail

ARTICLE: “Finding joy within the darkness”

Deborah Meyers | Vancouver Sun

ARTICLE: “Crystal Pite reflects on the trip through trauma that created Betroffenheit”

Janet Smith | The Georgia Straight

INTERVIEW: "Betroffenheit dance show, created out of tragedy, explores PTSD and recovery”