DARK

A free evening of inspired performances in the Valley

August 25, 7 pm, Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts Centre

Saturday, August 25 will be a summer night to remember as a diverse cast of more than 50 actors, dancers, playwrights, musicians and spoken-word artists take over the sprawling Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts Centre for DARK, an exciting evening of free performances.

Nestled in the Don Valley at Pottery Road, the Todmorden site features historic homes, the Brewery Gallery, the Papermill Theatre & Gallery, an historic train station and a 9.2 hectare wild flower preserve. Each of these spaces will be utilized in site-specific, overlapping performances as audiences move about the grounds from 7 - 11 pm in what promises to be a magical and entertaining evening.

Mainstage performances in the Papermill Theatre include premieres of new works from Dora Award-winning Fu-Gen Asian Canadian Theatre Company and Tapestry New Opera Works. The AMY (Artists Mentoring Youth) Project combines drums, dance and drama, while dancer/choreographer Santee Smith performs a new, original piece in the Papermill Gallery space during the mainstage intermission.

Sponsored by Toronto Culture's Live With Culture program, DARK is curated by Marjorie Chan (Cahoots Theatre Project) who has charged the performers with transforming Todmorden Mills into "a thrilling evening of performance happenings."

Other performers include banjo-playing storyteller Sean Dixon (author of The Girls Who Saw Everything), performance artists Hyun Liya Choi, Belladonna and Lisa Pijuan-Nomura, actor Melissa D'Agostino, INpulse Dance artists Diana Groenendijk and Suzanne Liska, improv troupe The Wrecking Crew, the Actors Repertory Company and Korean drum ensemble Samul Nori Canada. Seven playwrights, including Governor General's Award nominees Lisa Codrington and Mark Brownell, will perform 15 minute readings of their works.

"DARK will be a wonderful showcase for Todmorden Mills," says site administrator Ulana Baluk. "Our theatre and gallery spaces are state of the art and our historic buildings will provide evocative backdrops for the performers."

For more information visit www.livewithculture.ca , the ultimate guide to Toronto's culture scene. Live With Culture is a celebration of Toronto's extraordinary arts and cultural communities, shining a spotlight on the vibrant and diverse activities happening in the city each and every day.

City of Toronto Culture, Museums and Heritage Services, operates 10 historic museums offering public, education and special event programming.

Todmorden Mills is located at 67 Pottery Road
For details call (416) 396-2819