manicpixiedreamgirls
Imagine if Zach Braff directed Zooey Deschanel in a psychedelic Fleetwood Mac music video, with Dido and Jewel as the interns. Inspired by the classic 2004 indie romantic comedy Garden State, MANICPIXIEDREAMGIRLS is a gleeful popculture mashup featuring 90s female singer-songwriter karaoke, precise dance breaks, fantasies, inflatables, desires, femininity, and tropes of the dancer and the dream girl.
The first excerpt of MPDG was performed at Dance Ontario's Dance Weekend at The Fleck Dance Theatre (Toronto, ON) in January 2016.
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The second excerpt of MPDG was performed at Spring Movement at the Center for Performance Research (Brooklyn, NY) in April 2016.
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The full-length work premiered at the Pia Bouman Theatre (Toronto, ON) in May 2016 and has since been presented at the 2017 Next Stage Theatre Festival at the Factory Theatre (Toronto, ON) and at The Registry Theatre (Kitchener, ON) in January 2020.
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MANICPIXIEDREAMGIRLS
Choreography by Alyssa Martin
Dramaturgy by David Bernstein
Performers: Drew Berry (2020), Mary-Dora Bloch-Hansen, Josh Doig (2016-17), Samantha Grist, and Natasha Poon Woo with Kaleb Horn
New York Excerpt Performers: Drew Berry, Samantha Grist, Adrienne Lipson and Natasha Poon Woo
Costume Design by Kelsey Wilson
Lighting Design by Noah Feaver
Stage Management by Christopher Brackett (2016), Troy Taylor (2017), Taylor Young (2020)
Fish by Emily Butters
Music & Text: Bee Gees, Bjork, Carly Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Grimes, Jewel, Kesha, Rihanna, STARFIN, Zach Braff
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AWARDS:
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Dora Mavor Moore Award Nominee: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble
Video from Pia Bouman Theatre. Filmed May 2016 by Kieran Spitzer.
Photos by E.S. Cheah
The 2017 production of MANICPIXIEDREAMGIRLS was funded generously by the Toronto Arts Council.
