The Four Horsemen Project

Five years in the making, The Four Horsemen Project is a multi-disciplinary extravaganza conceived and co-directed by Toronto’s dance-theatre dynamic duo, Ross Manson and Kate Alton, in collaboration with Vancouver animation studio Global Mechanic. Live, on-stage, swirling animation and sonic hi-jinx make the poetry of Canada’s 1970s avant-garde scene leap off the page and into the theatre.

The show is based on the work of Toronto’s original Four Horsemen: Rafael Barreto-Rivera, Paul Dutton, Steve McCaffery and bpNichol. Their outrageously fun sonic poetry is brought to life by a stellar cast of performers, who surprise with their combination of physical and vocal virtuosity: Jennifer Dahl, Graham McKelvie, Naoko Murakoshi and Andrea Nann. Chief animator Bruce Alcock (TIFF, Venice Bienale) sets the visual poetry of bpNichol and the Horsemen to motion. Archival footage from the 1970s is similarly woven into the show.

The Four Horsemen Project uses the philosophical goal of the early sound poets themselves as its structural spine: the idea that poetry is far more than words on a page; poetry encompasses sound, breath and the human body.

Additional Ticket Information:

Tickets for Sunday performances can be purchased in advance for $20.00; at the door, the tickets are “Pay-What-You-Can.”