Ghost sightings, YouTube dance sensations and more at this year’s rEvolver Festival

Held in and around the East Vancouver theatre hub The Cultch, the 12-day rEvolver Festival includes a mock ghost tour, a male dancer recreating girls’ dance routines from YouTube, and a comedy about being watched.

All told, the seventh annual edition of the annual festival features nine main stage production, three site-specific experiences and three companion events. It runs from Wed., May 22 to Sun., June 2. Find out more below.

The rEvolver Festival is dedicated to interdisciplinary productions that are also innovative and experimental, both solo and ensemble pieces. The participants are a mix of emerging and early mid-career artists from Vancouver and across Canada. Here’s a look at a few of the shows.

Body So Fluorescent (Toronto)—Produced by Toronto’s Madonnanera, Body So Flourescent sees performer Amanda Cordner and a local drag artist retracing their steps from the night before to figure out how it all ended in an explosive fight. In their effort to figure out last night’s facts, the two are met with surprising revelations.

Awkward Hug (Vancouver)—In the summer of 2009, Cory Thibert was living in his parents’ basement. When the Ottawa Affordable Housing Unit informs his parents that they have to move out of the only home Thibert has ever known, a series of events are set in motion that uncover the truth about what set his family apart. Thibert’s show has won numerous awards, including Best Storytelling/Spoken Word Show at the Victoria Fringe Festival and a Critics Pick from Now Magazine.

Contemporary Dance Solo (Vancouver)—Robert Azevedo puts his own spin on dance solos that he’s found on YouTube. Specifically, the videos are of dance competition solos in the Contemporary category performed by young dancers between 7 and 17 years old. The audience can watch the original videos projected alongside Azevedo’s dancing body in order to compare the two forms and styles. According to the writeup, “The only problem is that these dances were created as 2- or 3-minute powerhouse showcases for young flexible girls. Putting 18 of them together forces Azevedo to manage his exhaustion and keep smiling through the pain.”

Other Inland Empires (Portland)—Writer/director Julie Hammond explores her family history in a play described as “part travelogue, part adventure, and part meditation.” Cultural artifacts such as Gidget, the 1957 surf novel that inspired the movie, and vintage pop songs brush up against moving props and scenery and historical facts.

Fake Ghost Tours (Vancouver)—Amateur ghost hunters/identical twin brothers Abdul Aziz and Shawn O’Hara take audience members on a walking tour of Vancouver’s “most definitely haunted” (wink wink nudge nudge) locations. Thrill to such mysterious sites as the Jon Bon Jovi Massacre and Vancouver’s first ghost-operated business.

Surveil (Vancouver)—From Vancouver theatre/comedy creators Hip.Bang! comes this immersive comedy about modern surveillance and invasion of privacy. Surveil was the co-Winner of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival’s Artistic Risk Award. This is a revamped production from the one that played sold-out houses at the Edmonton and Vancouver Fringes in 2018.

For more info on these and other shows at this year’s rEvolver Festival, visit upintheairtheatre.com.

rEvolver Festival 2019

When: May 22 – June 2

Where: The Cultch (1895 Venables Street, Vancouver)

Tickets: $22 regular/$15 low income, three-show pass: $51, six-show pass: $96 at 604.251.1363 and thecultch.com/tickets/

Info: upintheairtheatre.com