LuminoCity

Theodore Walker Robinson meditates on a few things they find worth noting on the themes of transformation and the art of storytelling in opera as Luminato 2023 prepares for both opera productions of Dragon’s Tale and Treemonisha.

In “Grounding Conversations, Part 5: Building Futures and Momentum,”  Dev watches the ripples of transformation that emanate off them and the people that have impacted them as they move through a temporal Lake Ontario.

Christine Malec sits down with audio describer Rebecca Singh of Superior Description Services and dancer Annemarie Cabri to explore the “Art of Storytelling in Dance" before diving into the connections between joy and dance with Ramya Amuthan as Luminato 2023 prepares for Jean-Pierre Perreault’s Nuit. 

In “Grounding Conversations, Part 4: Joy as Resistance,” Dev anchors themselves in the past as they take to the ocean—one place that they always find joy—to immerse themselves in the ripples of that emerge from the experiences that have taught them how to find it. 

Christine Malec sits down with audio describer JJ Hunt and puppeteer Michelle Urbano to explore the “Art of Storytelling in Puppetry" before diving in with Theodore Walker Robinson about the connections between care and puppetry as Luminato 2023 prepares for Walk with Amal Toronto. 

In “Grounding Conversations, Part 3: Returning to Care,” Dev slips into dreams of where they’re able to seek refuge: the care from their communities. These dreams are haunted by spirits as well, but they’re the spirits of our disabled and racialized and queer ancestors who taught them lessons of care, resilience, and survival.

Ramya Amuthan sits down with audio describer Rebecca Singh, of Superior Description, to explore the “Art of Storytelling in Immersive Art" before diving into their connections with Rest and Ian Kamau’s production of Loss.

In “Grounding Conversations, Part 2: The Jumbies of Capitalism,” Dev awakens in the present  to see the insidious gnarled roots of capitalism that have grown to have a tight grip on Toronto—which are haunted by the jumbies (malevolent spirits) of the past.

Theodore Walker Robinson meditates on the Art of Storytelling in Public Art and how that ties into their own connections with Home and Jordan Bennett’s installation, Echoes Calling Back.

In “Grounding Conversations, Part 1: Situating Ourselves,” Dev describes themselves as a storyteller, a witness and archive that exists simultaneously in the past, present and future. Addressing criticisms of land acknowledgements, Dev explores their relationship with home and place, returning to the land and tracing the landscape of colonialism and how it led to the city they know and how they came to be there.