LuminoCity

Every year Luminato offers a long list of shows, concerts and public art pieces. Many of those experiences are interactive. Hosts JJ Hunt and Rebecca Singh tell us how we can participate more in these interactive experiences.

Audio Description of Raphael Montañez Ortiz’s Cowboy/Indian, and Guided Tactile Description of Andy Warhol’s Black Rhinoceros courtesy of Prime Access Consulting.

Audio Description of bass player Eric Larson from Music Stage’s Uncovered, and Juli Saragosa’s ASMR interactive app Let Me In courtesy of Superior Description Services.

DJ and multi-disciplinary artist, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, discusses the raves she organizes as part of her work. However, these aren't the type of raves you imagine when you hear the word "rave". These are inclusive, safe, and transformative, and seek to create collective utopias where self-expression can thrive, while maintaining the distinctive cultural feel of raves. Christine leads this interview. 

For one night only, celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Canada’s first professional choir specializing in Afrocentric music, with this must-see performance. “And Still We Sing…Missa Afro-Brasileira: A Syncretism of Voice and Dance” by The Nathaniel Dett Chorale erases the divisions between the sacred, the secular, the popular and the classical. Featuring Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, and BaKari I. Lindsay & The AFeeree Project, this powerful experience of song and dance will leave you deeply moved and forever changed as you experience the rich cultures of Africa and its Diasporas. Host Christine Malec speaks with conductor, Brainerd Blyden-Taylor and Neema Bickersteth.

Singers: Rebecca Singh, Neema Bickersteth, Nadien Godkewitsch, Stefan Read, Christine Malec, and Frannie, the dog.

Rebecca Singh, along with fellow audio describer, Janis Mayers,  sit down for an in-depth chat with Indigenous multi-disciplinary artist, Terrance Houle. His latest piece, Dance/  Ipásskaa, is a photographic mural that honours his mother’s creations. 

This never-the-same-twice show written and performed by Dora-award winning Haley McGee, is a gripping story about how our relationship with mortality shapes the way we live. Inspired by hospices, mystics and trips to the cemetery, Age is a Feeling wrestles with our endless chances to change course while we’re alive. Charting the seminal moments, rites of passage and turning points in an adult life - your life - from the day you turn 25 through to your death, this Olivier-nominated and Fringe First winning production celebrates the glorious and melancholy unknowability of human life. In this episode host Christine Malec interviews Haley McGee to give us the details about the show.

Christine Malec and JJ Hunt discuss the wonder of on-stage illusions and how blind and low-vision audiences can come to experience them through audio description. Plus, the creator of the Luminato show HOME, Geoff Sobelle, comes on to talk about his show.

Luminato will take over David Pecaut Square again this year for the duration of the festival. Luminato in the Square, our free festival hub will delight festival-goers with concerts, performances, activities, food, and markets for that summer festival feeling in downtown Toronto. Host Christine Malec interviews the Creative Programmer, Veronica Barton and Tamar Ilana from the Miigwech Collective to tell us all about it.

The North American premiere of Dancer of the Year represents the seminal work within Trajal Harrell’s artistic journey, offering a deeply emotional and immersive experience for viewers, regardless of their familiarity with dance. Host Christine Malec speaks with Trajal Harrell about this performance.

Gene Peterson is the producer of 360 ALLSTARS, a show that he describes as a “modern circus”. Featuring B-boying, BMX, Freestyle basketball and live music, it’s a fast paced show that will surely be a challenge to live describe. Radio LUMI host and audio describer Rebecca Singh recorded this short interview with Gene to learn more about his show. You’ll also get a peak into the types of conversations audio describers have with show-runners that allow describers to give us such captivating descriptions.  

I Am from Reykjavik is more than a performance—it's an invitation to introspection. It challenges us to examine our relationships with space and time, to reconsider the boundaries between self and other, and to embrace the possibility of forging meaningful connections in unexpected places.  Host Christine Malec brings Sonia Hughes on for an interview and takes a deep dive into her journey as an artist.