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The
Aleatory Project
an experiment in fate
Thought
for Food Productions presents The Aleatory Project
by Helen Juvonen
Media contact: Lionel Tona (416) 927-8491
lioneltona@rogers.com
"A man. A woman. A hotel room. Everything else is left to chance. "
Thought for Food presents an experiment in fate, exploring the themes of choice vs. chance and fate vs. free will. Inspired by concepts developed by the late composer John Cage, The Aleatory Project is a play with many potential variations.
The play opens with a man and woman trapped together in a hotel room. Who they are, how they feel about each other, and what they talk about are chosen live in front of the audience. During each performance random elements, such as a coin toss, will give the actors directions to guide them through the play – as they are performing.
No two shows will be the same.
The show is also an experiment in live theatre music soundtrack. The real-time reactive score will be performed by local “Live P.A.” artist pir8-x, using custom software developed by Toronto’s Silvershard Music.
directed by Steven
Arkle
starring Helen Juvonen and David Tripp
original score by pir8-x and Silvershard Music
The Factory Studio Theatre, 125 Bathurst St. (at Adelaide)
Wed. July 2 10:30pm • Sat. July 5 2:00pm • Mon. July 7 7:00pm •
Wed.
July 9 6:30pm• Thu. July 10 noon • Fri. July 11 11:00pm
Sun.
July 13 2:00pm
tickets: $8 / ABSOLUTELY NO LATECOMERS!
For more information, call Thought for Food at (416) 617-6020 or the Fringe Hotline at (416) 966-1062
Show
Log
Wed.
July 2 10:30pm
The Cards:
4, 10 hearts, 2 of hearts, 6 of clubs, 10 of diamonds, Jack, 3 of spades,
9 of diamonds, 4 of clubs, Jack, 7 of hearts, 6 of diamonds, 8, 7, 6,
Jack, 2, 10, King of Spades, 5, 9, 2, Ace (--which turned the game into
a drinking game much to the audience's delight), 8, 3, 10.
The Plot:
Helen played A. David played B, a male escort. A record-breaking 26 cards
were drawn during the game. There was a moment of violence, but in the
end B stayed.
Relationship: 
Ending:
Sat. July 5 2:00pm
The Cards:
9, 3 diamonds, 4 hearts, queen spades, queen clubs, 2
diamonds, 2 hearts, 7 diamonds, 5, 2, ace of spades, 2 (--which made A force
B into eating olives straight from the jar), 6 of clubs, 8, 6, 5, jack,
9, 4, ace, 10.
The
Plot:
David played A, Helen played B. a stranger.
There was a brief moment of passion, but in the end B left.
Relationship:
Ending: 
Mon. July 7 7:00pm
The Cards:
Game: 4 hearts, queen clubs, 3 diamonds, ace diamonds, 3 hearts, 10 hearts,
3 clubs, 5 diamonds, 5 clubs, ace, queen spades, jack diamonds, 8, 2,
8 hearts (--which resulted in Handsome Dave removing his shirt) , 2, jack,
jack, 5, queen diamonds
The
Plot:
Helen played A. David played B, a stranger. There was a brief moment of passion,
but in the end B left.
Relationship:
Ending:
Wed. July 9 6:30pm
The
Cards: Jack of clubs, 8 of clubs, 10 of spades, queen of diamonds,
king of spades,
9 of diamonds, 7 of spades, queen of spades, 10, ace, 10, 7 of hearts,
5, 5, 3, joker (--the game changed...),
2 of hearts, king of clubs
The Plot:
David played A. Helen played B, A's lover. There was a moment of violence,
and in the end, B left.
Relationship:
Ending:
Thu.
July 10 noon
The
Cards:
3 of diamonds, 9 of hearts, queen of clubs, 2, queen of spades, 6 of
hearts, 10 of clubs, king of clubs, ace of spades, 8, jack, 3, king of
spades, king of diamonds.
The Plot:
David played A. Helen played B, an escort. There was a moment of violence,
but in the end, B stayed.
Relationship:
Ending:
Fri.
July 11 11:00pm
The
Cards:
4 of clubs, 10 of diamonds, ace of diamonds, 4 of spades, 7 of clubs, 8 of clubs,
2 of spades, 6 of spades, 5 of clubs, king of spades, king of hearts, 7 of diamonds,
8 of hearts, 9, 2 of clubs, king of diamonds, 8 of spades, ace, 6 of clubs, jack,
joker, queen of clubs.
The Plot:
Helen played A, David played B, A's research assistant. There was a moment of
violence,
and
in the end, B left.
Relationship:
Ending:
Sun.
July 13 2:00pm
The Cards:
TBA
The
Plot:
David played A, Helen played B, A's lover. There was one last moment
of passion, but in the end, B left.
Relationship:
Ending:
The
Players
Helen Juvonen
as A (or B)
Helen has been active in Toronto’s independent theatre scene since long
before her 1997 graduation from the Drama Studies program at Glendon College.
In 1994, she founded Thought for Food Productions and has remained its Artistic
Director ever since. She produced, directed, and appeared in TFF’s The
Memorandum, Love’s Labour Lost, and The Universal Wolf, and produced
and directed the company’s Agnes of God and The Birthday
Party. The Aleatory
Project is one of several one act plays that Helen has authored. Helen’s
upcoming appearances include Macbeth at Brampton’s Shakespeare in the
Square Festival.
David Tripp
as B (or A)
After graduating from the University of Guelph Drama Program, Dave
co-founded that city’s For the Love of Louis Theatre Company – a company committed
to presenting modern Canadian plays. Since moving to Toronto, Dave has found
himself acting in a wide range of parts and shows. Select credits include The
Visit, Cash on Delivery, Theatre of the Film Noir, Zastrozzi, Line, Criminals
in Love, Possible Worlds, and Escape from Happiness. He will next appear in
a production of Coriolanus on Philosopher’s Walk.
The
Director
Steven Arkle
Steve’s recent work includes Ship Brecht’s production of Grotowski’s
Head at last year’s Fringe, and two years of in-house direction at the
Ontario Renaissance Festival. He is a graduate of the Theatre Program at the
University of Guelph, and a founding member of the For the Love of Louis Theatre
Company. Steve is currently putting the finishing touches on an original script,
which he is looking forward to producing in the coming months.
Synopsis
A man and a woman are trapped in a hotel room. Are they strangers or lovers or something else? Who they are and how they feel about each other will be determined live on stage through the use of random elements – a coin and a deck of cards.
As the characters await their fate, they pass the time playing a “get to know you” card game. One of the pair maintains that “if you talk to anyone ... long enough ... you will find that you are connected to them in some significant way”. What will these characters learn about each other during the course of their card game, and how will their hidden connection be resolved? Come and find out... as the actors do!
a “get
to know you” game
ace |
• make
a new rule • ask someone a “truth” question • pick someone to ask you a “truth” question • reveal something you’ve never told anyone • mystery card • make another player laugh • remove a piece of clothing • nothing • reveal the worst thing you’ve ever done • pick someone and find out their favorite something (colour ...) • change direction • reveal the worst lie you’ve ever told • “dare” card – pick someone to dare you to do something • you get to pick your card for this round |
The
Company
Established in 1994, Thought For Food began as a summer project for university and high school students. Nine years and seven productions later, the company remains dedicated to showcasing the talents of emerging artists. The Aleatory Project is the company’s latest production, and its first original play.
The
Cause
Originally just a play on words, in 1997 the company decided to live up to its name. To date the company has collected over 250lbs of food for various Toronto area food banks by offering discounted tickets in exchange for donations.
The
Shows
| 1994 1995 1995 1997 1999 2001 2002 |
• Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern are Dead, Fairview Library Theatre • Agnes of God, Solar Stage • The Birthday Party, Fairview Library Theatre • Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Lab on Britain St. • The Memorandum, The Venue • The Universal Wolf, Alumnae Theatre Studio • The Universal Wolf (remount), Alumnae Theatre Studio |
The
Music
Silvershard
Music
www.silvershard.com
Toronto-based Silvershard Music specializes in adaptive music research. Silvershard’s
custom CarpeDM “live P.A.” performance software leverages Microsoft
technology originally developed for interactive video game music playback.
Designed for real-time remix and spontaneous composition performances, the
tool has proved remarkably effective for mixing responsive theatre soundtracks
live. “This kind of flexibility is proving invaluable in the context
of The Aleatory Project’s non-linear script,” says owner and video
game industry veteran Andrew Clark. He expects to announce a public beta test
of the software later this summer, followed shortly by a general shareware
release.
pir8-x
www.pir8-x.com
Local indie recording artist pir8-x (pronounced “pirate X”) specializes
in “live P.A.” performance.
“ Actually, I like the term ‘technomancy’ much better than ‘live
P.A.’,” declares the shaggy-haired twenty-something. “‘Live
P.A.’ is so non-descriptive, really... and ‘technomancy’ just
sounds cool.” Cool and cheesy.
Styles on pir8-x’s mostly instrumental debut CD Metamorphoses range from
jagged industrial to moody trance. “I just do whatever’s going
to move bodies,” shrugs the performer. The 12 track disk is available
through IndiePool.com.
Live shows to date have mostly been of the “test run” variety,
due to the experimental and work-in-progress nature of the software; however,
they have included invitations to the World Electronic Music Festival (2002)
and a seminar slot at the June 2003 OM festival with fellow T-dot “live
P.A” artist Jason Prine.
The
Press
Thought for Food’s 2002 production of The
Universal Wolf was
EYE magazine’s “Best Bet”,
January 24, 2002
EYE magazine called Steven-Arkle-directed Grotowski’s Head “a savvy and hilarious play” - 4 stars
Complete
show credits
Cast
Helen Juvonen as A (or B)
David Tripp as B (or A)
Publicity
Lionel Tona
Director
Steven Arkle
Music Performance
pir8-x
Stage Manager
Joel Clark
Music Director
Andrew Clark
Fight Choreographer
Christopher Mott
