5th 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art

We're baaaaack. Toronto's only international performance art festival opens on October 20 for 12 jam-packed days of progressive and provocative new performance works, interactive experiences, exhibitions, artist talks, panel discussions, our d2d (direct to documentation) video program, a publication launch and other surprise events. For our fifth full-scale festival -- still grassroots but more ambitious than ever -- we offer up a stellar list of live performances by established and emerging contemporary artists from the UK, Spain, Finland, Indonesia, the Philippines, Chile, Cuba, the USA and across Canada.

Produced by a not-for-profit collective of artists since 1997, 7a*11d's purpose is to offer a professional showcase for performance works that fall outside the traditional boundaries of established genres (theatre, dance, music etc.). We are dedicated to representing a wide range of work, and are committed to presenting both the breadth and depth of performance art as a genre.

Improvisors, peace-makers, trouble-takers, noise-makers, infiltrators, disseminators, cogitators ... and mess-makers ... will all be in evidence at this year's festival, from the thoughtful activism of Cheryl l"Hirondelle, Reverend Billy and Mideo M. Cruz to the wry humour of Joanne Bristol, John Marriott or Esther Ferrer. From the Toronto premiere of the world-touring Compagnie PME's "Unrehearsed Beauty" (directed by Toronto experimental theatre veteran Jacob Wren) to Tamara Paris and Matt Fontaine's durational mediation on "The Art of Sexual Home Improvement", from the intensity of Melati Suryodarmo's EXERGY -- butter dance to the surreal improvisations of Songs of the New Erotics, 7a*11d presents works that suggest the limitless possibilities of performance.

For complete descriptions, pick up one of our festival brochures (available at various downtown galleries), or visit http://www.7a-11d.ca/2004/2004.html.

Festival Schedule (also available at http://www.7a-11d.ca/2004/schedule.html)

All events at XPACE, 303 Augusta Avenue (Toronto)
unless otherwise noted
Festival hotline 416-822-3219 updated daily