≈ 90 minutes · No intermission
Last updated: November 2, 2023
Dear audience,
A visit from Crystal Pite is always a cause for celebration. The Vancouver choreographer first visited the NAC Studio in 2004, shortly after forming her own company, Kidd Pivot. NAC Dance has supported her ever since, and continues to do so today, to the delight of Ottawa audiences—it’s a beautiful love story!
I’d like to take this opportunity to mention the NAC Creation Fund, which supported the development and creation of Assembly Hall. The Fund gives artists the resources they need to achieve their goals, to take the magic of the performing arts, the magic of dance, to the next level.
Let us be carried along together by the ingenuity of Crystal Pite, Jonathon Young and their wonderful associates and performers, by their clear and thoughtful view of life in all its depth and complexity.
I’d like to join the NAC Dance and NAC teams in wishing you a wonderful dance experience.
Sometimes these things begin with a concrete premise or proposition, but we were starting from scratch. It was early spring, and we were meeting over coffee one bright morning for the first conversation about our next project. Neither of us knew what the other was thinking and both had come with only the faintest inkling about what terrain we might want to explore next.
By the end of that meeting though, a group of individuals had assembled in our imagination. They were gathered around the remnants of an old story – a story, it seemed to us then, that they were caring for and keeping alive. Were they Historians? Folklorists? Conservators? How had this story drawn them into its orbit? What was the connection? Perhaps these people needed this story as much as the story needed them. Or perhaps the story itself was secondary to that age-old human need to congregate; to participate in a communal activity; to be recognized and feel a sense of belonging. Then Spring became Summer, and Summer, Fall. Then Winter came and before we knew it, a year had passed.
A quick scan through our various exchanges over the course of that year reveals something of the meandering route we took to arrive at Assembly Hall. Although many signposts were left along the way, with headings written in bold above paragraphs of what seemed essential information at the time, the truth is, many of the paths we so eagerly blazed are now overgrown. Here are some examples from the trail:
The Shirt of St. Louis. The Lund Astronomical Clock. An Automated Display of Two-dimensional Figures. A Collection of Fragile Artifacts. An Unexpected Reunion, by Johann Peter Hebel.
“The spirits that I summoned I now cannot rid myself of again.” Goethe
The Quest to Fail, the Medieval Presence in Modernist Literature, by Jonathan Ullyot.
From Ritual to Romance, by Jessie Weston. Perceval, by Chrétien De Troyes.
The Chapel Perilous. The Harrowing of Hell. The Hour of Recollection.
“Absence is the form God’s presence takes in this world.” Simone Weil
The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes. A History of the Elks.
The Society for Creative Anachronism.
“There is no death.” Guy W. Ballard.
Roberts’ Rules of Order. Ten Laws for Great Governance. A Bunch of Amateurs by Kim Hopkins.
A small community hall used by a variety of different groups.
Was there a more obvious, more direct route to get here? It may have been more efficient to avoid the forest and stay on the road. Then again, if we’d taken a different route, with a different group of people, this particular hall might never have been found. Despite its many mysteries, Assembly Hall emerged from familiar memories. It’s as though we spent some of our childhood here attending recitals, or fundraisers, or ceremonies, or pageants, or potlucks. It was built by a group of people who came together on a common quest; A group of people who sat together, hour after hour, conjuring it, sketching it, speaking it into existence, listening for how it sounded, and for what it might say. A group of people who struggled to maintain and restore it when it seemed on the verge of falling apart; A group of people who believed in it and fought for it at each twist and turn. A group of people who, through the passing of seasons, filled this little hall with life. Welcome. We’re grateful you’re here.
– Jonathon and Crystal
World-renowned for radical hybrids of dance and theatre, Kidd Pivot creations are assembled with a keen sense of wit and invention. Led by Canadian choreographer and director Crystal Pite, the company is unflinching in the face of such challenging and complex themes as trauma, addiction, conflict, consciousness and mortality. Pite’s bold and original vision has earned her international acclaim and inspired an entire generation of dance artists.
Kidd Pivot strives to distill and translate universal questions into artworks that connect us to profound and essential parts of humanity. “Running through all of our work is the question of what moves us,” says Pite.
Kidd Pivot tours internationally with critically acclaimed works such as Betroffenheit and Revisor (both co-created with playwright Jonathon Young), The Tempest Replica, Dark Matters, Lost Action, and The You Show.
Since 2015, Kidd Pivot has measured its touring carbon footprint and offset over 1000 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), enabling Kidd Pivot to be one of the first dance companies to tour carbon neutral.
In a choreographic career spanning three decades, Crystal Pite has created more than 50 works for dance companies in Canada and around the world. She is the founding artistic director of the Vancouver-based company Kidd Pivot, world-renowned for radical hybrids of dance and theatre that are assembled with a keen sense of wit and invention. Crystal is known for works that courageously address such challenging and complex themes as trauma, addiction, conflict, consciousness, and mortality; her bold and original vision has earned her international acclaim and inspired an entire generation of dance artists.
Crystal Pite was born in Terrace, BC, and grew up in Victoria. She began her dance career as a company member of Ballet British Columbia (Ballet BC), then William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. She made her choreographic debut in 1990 at Ballet BC, and since then has created works for such prominent companies as The Royal Ballet, The Paris Opera Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Cullberg Ballet, Ballett Frankfurt, The National Ballet of Canada, Ballets Jazz Montréal (resident choreographer 2001–04), and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. She has also collaborated with Electric Company Theatre and Robert Lepage, and is currently Associate Choreographer of Nederlands Dans Theater, Associate Dance Artist of Canada’s National Arts Centre, and Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells in London.
In 2002, she formed Kidd Pivot, a company that strives to distill and translate universal questions into artworks that connect us to deep and essential parts of humanity.
“Running through all of my work is the question of what moves us,” she says. Kidd Pivot tours internationally with critically acclaimed works such as Betroffenheit and Revisor (both co-created with playwright Jonathon Young), The Tempest Replica, Dark Matters, Lost Action and The You Show. In 2008, Crystal Pite participated in the inaugural GGPAA Mentorship Program as the protégée of 2004 GGPAA laureate Veronica Tennant, former principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada.
Crystal Pite is a Member of the Order of Canada. Her other awards and honours include the Benois de la Danse, Canada Council Jacqueline Lemieux Prize, Grand Prix de la danse de Montréal, two UK Critics’ Circle Dance Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and an honorary doctorate from Simon Fraser University.
Canadian theatre artist Jonathon Young is playwright-in-residence at Kidd Pivot and a core artist of Electric Company Theatre, where he has created and performed in over 20 original productions: Tear the Curtain! (Arts Club Theatre, Canadian Stage), No Exit (American Conservatory Theatre), Betroffenheit (international tour). He has worked as an actor on stages across Canada : Knives in Hens (Coalmine Theatre), The Full Light of Day (Electric Company/ Luminato Festival), All But Gone (Necessary Angel, Toronto), The Great Gatsby (Theatre Calgary), Hamlet (Bard on the Beach, Vancouver). In addition to Betroffenheit and Revisor, Jonathon collaborated with Crystal Pite on two productions for Nederlands Dans Theater (Parade and The Statement). Jonathon is the recipient of an Olivier Award and the UK National Dance Award.
World Premiere: October 26, 2023
Vancouver Playhouse, Vancouver, Canada
Approximately 90 minutes. No intermission.
by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young
Produced by
Kidd Pivot
Choreographed and Directed by
Crystal Pite
Written and Directed by
Jonathon Young
Composition and Sound Design
Owen Belton
Alessandro Juliani
Meg Roe
Scenic Design
Jay Gower Taylor
Costume Design
Nancy Bryant
Lighting Design
Tom Visser
Video Design
Cybèle Young
Show Control and Sound Programmer
Eric Chad
Assistant to the Creators
Eric Beauchesne
Additional Music
Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23, TH. 55 - I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito performed by Alice Sara Ott · Münchner Philharmoniker · Thomas Hengelbrock ℗ 2010 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin
Performers
Brandon Alley as Woody
Livona Ellis as Gail
Rakeem Hardy as Boyd
Gregory Lau as Dave
Doug Letheren as Shaun
Rena Narumi as Bonnie
Ella Rothschild as Mae
Renée Sigouin as Glenda
Voice Director
Meg Roe
Voices
Ryan Beil as Dave
Marci T. House as Gail
Alessandro Juliani as Boyd
Meg Roe as Bonnie
Gabrielle Rose as Glenda
Amanda Sum as Mae
Vincent Tong as Woody
Jonathon Young as Shaun
Production Manager / Technical Director
Jeff Harrison
Stage Manager
Yvonne Yip
Audio and Show Control Operators
ilvs Strauss & Eric Chad
Wardrobe Supervisor
Donnie Tejani
Set Construction
Great Northern Way Scene Shop
Scenic Artists
Charlie Easton
Barry Kootchin
Sharon Sloan
Patrick Spavor
Prop Builders
Monica Emme
Jay Gower Taylor
Heather Young
Jen Hiebert
Aluminum Armour
Rob Valentine & Valentine Armouries
Cutter
Janet Dundas
Costume Assistants and Builders
Alaia Hamer
Nicola Ryal
Alice Devonshire
Stitchers
Tracey Gauvin
Eloise Pons
Jayme Cline
Dyer and Builder
Tessa Armstrong
Rehearsal Assistant
Nasiv Kaur Sall
Executive Producer
Jim Smith
Producer
Francesca Piscopo
For full bios and photos of dancers, voice actors, and crew, please visit kiddpivot.org
Kidd Pivot would like to thank:
Artemis Gordon, Barry Kootchin, Charlie Easton, Kevin Macdonald, Niko Taylor, Arts Umbrella, Ballet BC, The Dance Centre, Studio 58, Ostrom Climate, and the generous financial contributions from the Friends of Kidd Pivot.
Co-produced by Edinburgh International Festival (Edinburgh, UK), Sadler’s Wells (London, UK), Théâtre de la Ville (Paris, France), Centro Servizi Culturali Santa Chiara (Trento, Italy), National Arts Centre (Ottawa, Canada), Seattle Theatre Group (Seattle, US), Canadian Stage (Toronto, Canada), DanceHouse (Vancouver, Canada), Danse Danse (Montreal, Canada), Le Diamant (Quebec, Canada), Electric Company Theatre (Vancouver, Canada).
A special thanks to the Y.P. Heung Foundation, Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation, and Bonnie Mah for their generous support.
Developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund.
Kidd Pivot benefits from the support of BNP Paribas Foundation for the development and distribution of its projects
Kidd Pivot gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of British Columbia, British Columbia Arts Council, City of Vancouver, and countless individual and business supporters.
Artistic Director
Crystal Pite
Associate Artistic Director
Eric Beauchesne
Playwright-in-Residence
Jonathon Young
Executive Director
Jim Smith*
Producer
Francesca Piscopo*
Special Projects
Sabine Rouques*
Communications and Marketing Manager
Jonathan James*
Accounts Manager
Ann Hepper*
Production Manager
Jeff Harrison
Fundraising Associate & Company Manager on Tour
Brent Belsher
Fundraising Coordinator
Tammi Tsang*
Administration Assistant
Kevin Soo-Locsin*
Representation for Kidd Pivot Eponymous (Canada)
Menno Plukker Theatre Agent Inc. (International)
Menno Plukker, assisted by Magdalena Marszalek and Isaïe Richard
* Eponymous
Eponymous gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
President
Ainslie Cyopik
Vice President
Barry McKinnon
Treasurer
Fiona Hanington
Secretary
Dory Dynna
Past President
Guy Riecken
Directors
Valerie Jerome
Derek Porter
Executive Producer
Caroline Ohrt
Senior Producer
Tina Legari
Special Projects Coordinator and Assistant to the Executive Producer
Mireille Nicholas
Company Manager
Sophie Anka
Education Associate and Teaching Artist
Siôned Watkins
Technical Director
Brian Britton
Communications Strategist
Alexandra Campeau
Marketing Strategist
Marie-Chantale Labbé-Jacques
Marketing Strategist
Marie-Pierre Chaumont
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees