Organization History

Jonathon and Carlynn met on the dance floor of the weekly Sunday Contact Improv Jam in April 2002.  Early in 2003, Carlynn put out a note to the Toronto Contact Dance community that she was looking for a male actor/dancer to work with her on a script/show she had written, man&woman.  Jonathon responded and they began rehearsals on March 21.  However, two weeks later they had a request to develop another show, Mountain Top Talk, which Carlynn had previously produced with Peter Gardiner-Harding.  They went into high gear and prepared the show for a women’s conference on May 3.  They received a thunderous standing ovation.

Following that success, they resumed rehearsals for man&woman, and committed to a July 26 performance at Walmer Centre Theatre in Toronto.  Audience response was overwhelming.  After a brief hiatus, they embarked on a rigorous rehearsal schedule in September to bring the show to another level for three fall performances.  Audiences hailed it as “beautifully honest”, “cheeky”, and “life-changing”.  In November and December, they also performed parts of Mountain Top Talk in three venues, yielding written audience feedback: “You went all the way, and I'm speechless”, “overwhelmed by this one”, “penetrating, soulful”, and “I usually have a hard time understanding dance and poetry. In this case, I could understand both. Thanks.”

It was in the midst of rehearsing emotionally gripping scenes for man&woman that conversations erupted about their challenges at home with disabled family members.  By mid-fall the urgency to investigate the dynamics in care-giving had mounted and they were committed to developing a theatre piece which would be transformative art.

Jonathon and Carlynn are committed to portable theatre (planning to take man&woman to fringe festivals in 2004); they perform in theatres, dance studios, church spaces, retreat centres, community gardens, parks, and streets.

For our company’s development, we host the Workshop Follow-Opp.  People who have participated in workshops (ours or others’) want the opportunity to practice the workshop material and integrate it into their lives.  We now have free use of space for this at St. John’s Lutheran Church.  The price is $0, because we are all students and we are all teachers.

Carlynn Reed

Carlynn is a free-lance performing artist, writer and director. Before moving to Toronto in 1987, she performed in the United States for several years with the dance company Move, directed and performed with The Church Street Players, toured New England with Patrick Mooney, an Irish Roman Catholic priest multi-media artist, and began her related career of writing and producing scripts.  The Family, written and directed by Carlynn, won a national award for best ensemble performance.  With well over three dozen plays to her credit, her work has been seen in Southern Ontario, Quebec, Eastern Canada, Victoria, the United States, New Zealand, the Sudan, and South East Asia.

After spending ten years in a private high school in Toronto as a teacher of Drama, English, and Law, Carlynn left to pursue a free-lance artist’s career.  Five years ago, she began writing and producing shows specifically for young people – custom made for each cast so that every performer plays a substantial role.  She was inspired to begin this work when some of her students asked her to begin a young people’s theatre group in the area.  Also for the past 5 years, Carlynn has been commissioned to write and produce a short play annually for a group in one of the most ethnically diverse churches in Toronto, St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux.

Besides her work on stage, Carlynn also leads workshops in contact improvisational dance and integrates her work into both spiritual and business conferences.  Through Focus Management, she has brought her theatre skills to the business world where she has helped facilitate leadership training programs, using dramatic techniques and simulations to develop more effective communication skills.

Carlynn tours several of her shows as a soloist and with other performing theatre artists.  After the Apple toured central and eastern Canada and New England.  A Sending God toured southern Ontario and Quebec and played in the 2001 Victoria Fringe Festival.  In 2003 she played Mountain Top Talk, The Creation and Man&Woman with Jonathon Neville.  More performances are lined up for the spring of 2004, as well as a modest Fringe tour in the summer.

Carlynn continues her professional development, currently studying with the Dance Teachers’ Collective in Toronto, various dance workshops, and improv theatre.   She participates in and frequently hosts Contact Improvisational Dance Jams on Sundays and Wednesdays at Dovercourt House and participates annually in the Festival of Interactive Physics.

Jonathon Neville

Jonathon’s mandate is to develop an economy where people prefer to create than consume and therefore are more productive, more ecological and more joyful.

In his arts career, Jonathon has lead embodied-learning dance workshops and social/fitness dance classes for up to 250 people.   He co-ordinated the 2003 and 2004 Contact Improv on the Island events, founded an ongoing Butoh study group, co-leads improv theatre classes and clown workshops, and is a leader of the Toronto chapter of the Collaboratory, which develops communication, leadership and improvisational skills via conscious communication, fearless engagement and systems-thinking.  He also formed a simple-living study group which practices Edible Landscaping.  He has been slated to lead campaign canvassing role-play workshops for the upcoming federal election.

After studies in economics and work in accounting, he is now immersed in Theatre Performance, Contact Improv, Butoh, Improv Musical Theatre, Alexander Technique, and Personal Clown.

Theatre Experience - Selected:

2002-2005                  Motus O – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

2003-2004                  Imagiscape Theatre – man&woman,  The Creation,  Mountain Top Talk, Mary at the Crossroads,  Psalm 150

1997-1998         Queen’s University – shows developed and performed using Augusto Boal’s Popular Theatre techniques for all incoming students and residence dons.

Performing Arts Studies:

Acting/Drama             (Queen’s University B.A.Honours - double major: Economics + Drama)

Personal Clown           (Neil Muscott, Nick Johne)

Improv Theatre            (Ian Keeling, Marcel St. Pierre)

Improv Singing            (Jamie Bell)

Contact Dance          (Allen & Karen Kaeja, Peter Ryan, John Faichney, Pam Johnson,
Kathleen Rea & Carlynn Reed)

Modern Dance            (Jessica Runge, Tom Brouillette, Susanna Hood & Rebecca Todd)

Voice                           (Susanna Hood, Alex Bulmer)

Graham Technique     (School of Toronto Dance Theatre)

Butoh                           (Yukio Waguri (co-ordinated by Denise Fujiwara))

Alexander Technique   (Joshua Lyons)

Noguchi Gymnastics    (Mari Osanai)

Danny Wilson
Video Producer

Danny is a Director/Digital Cinematographer who has been freelancing in Toronto since arriving in 1998. His work has taken him as far away as the magical stone circles of Avebury (in the U.K.).  Danny now finds himself on the frontlines of the digital revolution.  His diverse body of work includes short films, documentaries, music videos, commercials, dance films, a TV pilot, promotional videos and live event documentation.  Danny is a staunch advocate for today’s digital technology and is a highly active indie producer.

Peter Jarvis
Composer/Musician
www.silverelvis.com

Peter enjoys writing music for theatre, film, video, CD-ROM, and circus.  He has traveled to Turkey, Kiez, Singapore, and the USA to play music live for stage presentations.
    Peter is the founding member of the Subtonic Monks and Improvisational World Beat Ensemble now in their tenth year of playing.
    He has composed music for years with his most recent scores being for the Stratford presentation, Be’reazed of Light and MOTUS O’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Peter also performed a Cirque du Soleil television special.

Apollo Tang
Lighting Design, Installation, Operation

Apollo installed and operated multi-media systems at REAson d’être productions Vivid (2003) and designed, installed and operated the lighting for Imagiscape Theatre’s man&woman:  “An incredible job – so imaginative, resourceful, quick and clear-thinking.”

Jack Langenhuizen
Artistic Mentor

A former national figure skater, Jack studied dance at Roland and Romaine Dance School in Toronto, as well as at the Academy of Performing Arts College, Cambridge Ontario, and York University in Toronto.  He studied ballet, jazz, tap, ballroom, modern, contact improv and musical theatre. 

After completing his B.A. at Wilfred Laurier University (Waterloo, Ontario) and business courses at Centennial College (Scarborough, Ontario), Jack began choreographing and teaching dance and theatre to all age groups in parts of Scotland, Finland, Jamaica and North America.

In 1990, Jack co-founded Motus O Dance Theatre and continues to work with the company as co-artistic director, choreographer, teacher, performer, and general manager.  He has co-created over 25 original works for the company and has toured them throughout Australia, the U.S.A. and Canada.

Kirk & Christine

Kirk & Christine are committed to this project.  We asked them what interests them about this process, and this is what they said:

Kirkland Reed

“When people meet me, their deepest psychological needs surface.  Some try desperately to act casually, some are absurdly solemn, some hide their talents for fear that I will envy them, and some, often for their own reasons, want to cure me.  Sometimes I find this quite amusing.  Sometimes I feel I am just an object – either a means for someone to satisfy his/her need to be a healer or martyr – or I am a burden.  I cannot go where I want, do what I want, or say what I want.  I am a silent, hobbling ghost.  But I live in the moment.  I cannot live wishing I were different.  Carlynn says, “Sometimes it feels like a morgue here.”  She’s right.  I used to be supremely muscular and an extraordinary guitarist – now I can’t even hold a guitar.” 
 

Christine Neville

“My life has been a constant battle, but I did great things:  I have a PhD in aquatic toxicology and fish physiology. But now with my eyes and my arthritis and my memory – I want to live until I’m 70 (November) – but that’s it.  I am willing to participate in this because Jonathon can be so beautiful.  I so love his vitality – perhaps this ‘co-creative process’ will be good.  And Carlynn is … my best friend.  I’m afraid I will discover I can change.”