Multilingual Theatre at Toronto Fringe: A Focus on "In Sundry Languages"
This year I had the pleasure of attending the Toronto Laboratory Theatre’s production of in Sundry Languages at the Theatre Passe Muraille on July 9, 2017. The TLT was “founded in 2012 in order to develop, support and produce artistic work and education projects that explore the "new," the "unknown," and "the difficult" through practice-based artistic research” (Toronto Laboratory Theatre). This company seems to be using the term ‘laboratory’ in the same sense as Shannon Rose Riley’s theory, where the lab is a “site of modernization, collaboration, and repeatable outcomes” (Riley, 139). For instance, the production company’s name TLT has a scientific connotation through the use of the word ‘laboratory.’ The use of this term seems to aid in the legitimization of theatrical arts and experimental theatre pieces like in Sundry by aligning them with a modern, scientific perspective (Riley, 140).
Directed by Art Babayants—a recently graduate PhD student at the University of Toronto; his research focuses on the intersection of Applied Linguistics, Acting and Theatre Education (Toronto Laboratory Theatre)—this devised collective creation includes the “personal stories, encounters and experiences” of many diverse contributors and the cast (Program, 2). This piece set out to explore multilingualism in Toronto. On the Toronto Laboratory Theatre website, in Sundry is described as a show that “looks and speaks like Toronto” (Toronto Laboratory Theatre), showing this with a diverse multilingual cast. The NOW magazine review of in Sundry by Jordan Bimm described the show as a “compelling critique of Canadian inclusiveness” (Bimm, 1). Toronto is a unique area for such a multilingual show, for one can always count on a fairly multilingual audience. However, not everyone would know all the languages spoken, which would inhibit anyone without knowledge of each language to fully understand each character or scene. However, “by reading the body language of each performer in association with the spoken language, both performers and audience can gradually expand their worlds, one word at a time” (Samur, 2).
Receiving a widely positive reception, In Sundry critiqued the inclusiveness of Toronto through a compilation of small scenes based on true experiences of the actors and contributors. Performed by a multilingual cast of eight, the use of multiple languages, “[promoted] a sense of empathy by deliberately placing everyone in a position of ignorance and vulnerability” at some point during the performance (Samur, 1). This disorientation, however, was situated in the city of Toronto and much was communicated though non-verbal communications means, such as gestures and semiotic symbols. For example, the symbol of Tim Hortons made appearance for a scene, as a unifying common space where a verbal common ground was missing. In Sundry explored stories of identity and the search for belonging in a uniquely Canadian way. As such, this show could hopefully be used as a model for further multilingual productions.
Works Cited
Arfina, Art Babayants, Gloria Gao, Ahmed Moneka, Mario Lourenco, Yury Ruzhyev, Lavinia Salinas, and Angela Sun. "In Sundry Languages." Toronto Laboratory Theatre, Program n.d.: n. pag. Print.
Babayants, Art, director. In Sundry Languages. Collective creation devised piece. Performances by Ziying Gloria Gao, Henry Heng Lu, Paul Stoesser, Angela Sun, Shelley Liebembuk, Yury Ruzhyev, Lavinia Salinas, Cristina Kindl, Giorelle Diokno, Montgomery Martin, Ahmed Moneka, Arfina. Toronto Laboratory Theatre. July 9th, 2017. Theatre Passe Muraille, Toronto.
Bimm, Jordan. "Fringe review: In Sundry Languages." NOW Magazine. Metro Publisher , 09 July 2017. Web. 22 July 2017.
Toronto Laboratory Theatre. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2017. <https://www.torontolab.org/about>.
Riley, Rose Shannon. Lab/ Studio. Cartographies.– Terms for finding/charting the way(s). Mapping Landscapes for Performance as Research. - Scholarly Acts and Creative Cartographies. Edited by Shannon Rose Riley and Lynette Hunter. Palgrave Macmillian, New York. 2009. 125-153.
Samur, Sebastian. "In Sundry Languages": Pleasure and Disorientation through Multilingual Melange n.d.: n. pag.
