created by erika hennebury and dustin harvey. performed by jacinte armstrong, jenn grant and dustin harvey.
FAREWELL
A goodbye party made for a city
Two performers transform a busy street corner into a live video backdrop: like a virtual window or a scenic flat. With audience participation – some of whom are unsuspecting passersby – they attempt to re-imagine the inside of an unused storefront as a temporary community modeled on the moment. With singing, storytelling and dancing; this is a unique perspective on an old city, and an opportunity to imagine what this place would be like if all the people that left had stayed.
It has presented as Farewell Halifax in Nova Scotia, Farewell Cardiff in Wales, and Farewell Aarhus in Denmark. In June, it will be presented as Farewell Montreal in Quebec, and Farewell Cork in Ireland.
“In a time when more and more of us have to deal with the decision to leave or stay, this is an uplifting and clever performance about goodbyes, in a new version specially created for the city. Like all good parties, there may even be a drink and a dance to be had.” - Tom Creed, Artistic Director for Cork Midsummer Festival.
LANDLINE: Halifax to Vancouver, by Dustin Harvey and Adrienne Wong, is an intimate, roving performance for two participants situated in two different cities. Designed to relocate and connect different cities, the performance uses an audio track played over an iPod to guide participants on a walk through urban space. The participants are prompted to text message each other and share anecdotes, observations, and—possibly—secrets. At the end of the piece, the participants return to the start point, where they encounter their counterpoint via video link between the two cities. What happens next is up to the two strangers—who may be closer now than when they started. LANDLINE is a slow dance for two, with their arms wrapped around the nation.
The performance is one hour long and repeats every ten minutes for a maximum of four hours at a time. LANDLINE was first produced between Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Vancouver, British Columbia, in September 2013 by Secret Theatre and Neworld Theatre.