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Innovative New Multimedia Drama SPINE SFU Woodward’s Inaugural Program will present the world premiere of SPINE (March 10–20), a production that takes audiences on a riveting ride into the world of virtual reality. It’s the creation of the University of Alberta’s Kevin Kerr, Simon Fraser University alumnus James Sanders and award-winning Vancouver actor Bob Frazer, the creative trio that produced the wildly popular action-adventure-comedy Skydive in 2007. SPINE will be staged in the state-of-the-art Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre, in Simon Fraser University’s new SFU Woodward’s Contemporary Arts complex at 149 West Hastings St, Vancouver. SPINE takes audiences into a virtual universe where avatars provide a seductive opportunity to reinvent one’s body and soul, free from the boundaries of human physicality and conventional morality. It’s a modern exploration of our changing relationship with our bodies and our notions of identity, truth, and love in an increasingly mediated world. "SPINE is a character-driven story about someone trying to use technology to reinvent his body and identity," says Kevin Kerr, a Governor General’s Award-winning playwright. "We examine that, along with the growing relationship to our identities through virtual reality. People are getting increasingly comfortable in creating identities online that may not correspond to their actual personal or physical selves. So we're asking, what does it mean to be real, to be human?" The play also pushes the boundaries of technology, making imaginative use of video screens, three-dimensional projections and actor-influenced soundscapes. “My interest in the technology is to meet the demand of a more contemporary audience” says James Sanders, the central character in SPINE. In real life, he became quadriplegic following a spinal cord injury in 1990. He’s the founding artistic director of Realwheels, the Vancouver-based theatre company co-producing SPINE in partnership with the University of Alberta Department of Drama. Realwheels creates shows that deepen audiences’ understanding of the disability experience. This production of SPINE coincides with the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Bob Frazer, University of Alberta’s Mary Mooney distinguished-visiting-artist, directs the SFU Woodward’s production. Frazer is well known in Vancouver as an actor and his performance along with Sanders in Skydive captivated audiences and critics during the 2007 PuSh Festival. SPINE is Frazer’s directing debut. The cast of SPINE features the University of Alberta’s bachelor of fine arts 2010 graduating class, working with Sanders who takes the lead role. The play’s development has been a collaborative process, with the actors, designers and a technological team coming together in workshops and performances in Edmonton to create and refine elements of the production.
SPINE has been co-commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad. Reserved seats - buy tickets online at www.sfuwoodwards.ca or call the box office at 604.873.3311.
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SPINE
