An underground food court in downtown Toronto may be light years from the Venice Carnival but that was the atmosphere being conjured last Wednesday at BCE Place where Diaspora Dialogues set up shop during the lunch rush to promote A Midwinter Night’s Dream, happening Thursday and Friday at the Park Hyatt’s Roof Salon. Writers, musicians and performance artists will converge on the swish watering hole in an effort to banish the winter blahs.
“It’s an attempt to get out of the drudgery that we usually experience in mid-winter and to just let our minds go,” says artistic manager Philip Adams, “if you can’t physically take your body away, let your mind go.”
At the press preview last week, literary fortune teller Antanas Sileika, above left, had the punters lined up five and six deep to receive a private reading focused on advice gleaned from literature; poet Andrea Thompson, top pic, was composing poems on demand. Both writers will be doing their thing at the Salon this week.
Andrea composed the following poem for me in a minute or two and was adamant that I say as much in this post. “The poem is from you to Toronto,” she explained, as she wrote. “You can’t stop the muse, Christopher, you can’t stop the muse.”
Ode to T.O. by Andrea Thompson
Beautiful city you are bounty, are non-stop action, inspiration, stimulation
You take my breath away with your cornucopia of options . . .
From dawn to dawn, dear T.Dot, you are non-stop
and sometimes for me, a writer for livewithculture.ca, I must admit, it can be a bit much
But oh dear tee-dot, how I would miss you if it would stop
So instead, I’ll just
Take a breath
Drink you in
Drop by drop
I have no choice
You are in my blood.
A Midwinter Night’s Dream is part of WinterCity’s Warm Up series. “Part of the evening will take place on stage,” explains Adams. “There will be readings, musicians and what we’re calling spontaneous performances. The room will be decorated with large Sultan’s cushions, among other things, and there will be sound poetry and performance artists.”
Writers and performers include Sheila Heti, Nalo Hopkinson, Sandy Pool, Olive Senior, Stuart Ross, Joseph Kertes, Autorickshaw Trio featuring Suba Sankaran, Ed Hanley & Dylan Bell and Sean Dixon. Sasha Van Bon Bon hosts Thursday, David Storch MCs on Friday.
WHERE/WHEN: A Midwinter Night’s Dream at the Roof Salon, Park Hyatt Hotel (4 Avenue Road, 416.944.1101), February 11 and 12, 7 and 9 pm, $20.
Lead photo by Ron Smith
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