Constant State of Otherness
A Toronto Taiko Festival Production
April 19 & 20, 2024

**NOTE: VENUE CHANGE**
Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto ON

[current ticket holders will receive an email from info@rawtaiko.ca with an update on ticket transfer to the new venue]

Constant State of Otherness is an engaging, multi-layered performance work rooted in questions of identity and self worth – how we identify ourselves and how we label others. Through taiko, Japanese folk dance, song, and personal story, six performers guide the audience through a four-part journey inspired by experiences of isolation and displacement that come from not having an easy sense of home.

Rooted in ancestral wisdom and survival, Constant State of Otherness resists simplistic translations of language, cultural ways and the complicated emotions that otherness evokes. Weaving personal narratives from the ensemble with stories collected from diverse youth and adult community collaborators from across the country, Constant State of Otherness redefines whose stories are told, unpacking, unraveling, and acknowledging our stories to reveal the complexities and nuances of identity. By allowing stories to fractally unfold through the resonance of drum, voice and movement, Unit Souzou offers an invitation to find our shared longing to belong.

This production of Constant State of Otherness will also feature a guest performance by RAW Taiko.

SHOWTIMES:

• Friday April 19, 2024: 7pm (ASL Interpreted show)

• Saturday April 20, 2024: 7pm + Q&A​

Q&A

A Q&A with Unit Souzou will take place following the show on Saturday April 20th. Entry to this 45 minute-long Q&A is included in the price of a ticket for the Saturday show.

ACCESSIBILITY:

• Hart House Theatre is wheelchair accessible. For more accessibility information, visit https://harthouse.ca/theatre/visitor-info

• For the safety of our performers and audience, we strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask in the theatre. We will have masks available at the door.

• This production includes audio-visual projections of image and text, including closed caption videos.

• ASL interpretation for significant sections of spoken content will be provided during the Friday April 19th show.

• Due to the multi-disciplinary nature of this show, some sections of spoken content will not be interpreted but will be communicated visually via projection of closed captions.

• To book accessible seating for patrons and support persons or inform us of a service animal at a performance, please contact Sara Filipowski at audienceservices@harthouse.ca or 416 978 3755.

COMMUNITY WORKSHOP

OTHERNESS: In Conversation is a community workshop being offered in conjunction with this production. Registration is open to all April 19th show attendees. Tickets sold separately.