Theatre Replacement
Theatre Replacement is an ongoing collaboration between James Long and Maiko Yamamoto. Whether working together or apart, they use extended processes to create performances from intentionally simple beginnings. Their work is about a genuine attempt to coexist. Conversations, interviews and arguments collide with Yamamoto and Long’s aesthetics resulting in theatrical experiences that are authentic, immediate and hopeful. [1]
Mandate
RECOGNIZE. MAGNIFY. REPRODUCE.
Theatre Replacement builds performances that react to contemporary existence.
When making this work, they recognize the accomplishments and failures of the world around us; use biographical material to magnify these events through extended collaborative processes and training programs; and reproduce the results for local, national and international audiences.[2]
Theatre Replacement is an ongoing collaboration between James Long and Maiko Yamamoto. Whether working together or apart, the pair use extended processes to create performances from intentionally simple beginnings. Their work is about a genuine attempt to coexist. Conversations, interviews and arguments collide with Yamamoto and Long's aesthetics resulting in theatrical experiences that are authentic, immediate and hopeful.
Values
- To collaborate with artists of diverse histories, backgrounds and disciplines;
- To attract diverse audiences and challenge their relationship to performance;
- To participate in a global network of artists, creators, presenters and producers;
- To assist others in developing new works through mentorship and educational programming;
- To evaluate and reflect on our work on an ongoing basis.[3]
History
Theatre Replacement is the culmination of over 11 years of collaboration and is dedicated to continuing the evolution of collaborative theatre making and ensemble training. Artistic directors, James Long and Maiko Yamamoto are both graduates of SFU School for the Contemporary Arts Theatre Program, and are two of the original co-founders of Boca del Lupo Theatre. They served as co-artistic directors of the company for the first five years of its existence, producing, co-creating and performing in several critically acclaimed productions, as well as co-developing a daily training practice and show building methodology.
In 2003, Long and Yamamoto decided to continue the work they began with Boca del Lupo in a more focused direction with a new company. The result has been the continued development of a practice of devising new work through a highly collaborative process as well as the honing of a particular performance aesthetic that the artistic directors are striving to achieve. Theatre Replacement was incorporated in August of 2003, and attained charitable status the following year.
The company has created over 22 new works and been presented in 39 different cities, festivals and venues, including Festival TransAmériques (Montreal), Magnetic North (Ottawa, Kitchener-Waterloo and Vancouver), The PuSh Festival (Vancouver), Free Fall Festival (Toronto), High Performance Rodeo & Enbridge PlayRites Festival (Calgary), On the Boards (Seattle WA), Fusebox Festival (Austin TX), Noorderzon Festival (Groningen NL), PAZZ Performing Arts Festival (Oldenburg, Germany), Lokal Festival (Reykjavik, Iceland), Dublin International Festival (Ireland), Aarhus Festival (Denmark), Foreign Affairs Festival (Berlin) and Soho Rep. (New York City).
Theatre Replacement is recognized locally, nationally and internationally as a leader in Canadian contemporary art practice. In 2014, Yamamoto and Long travelled to Mannheim, Germany to deliver the keynote address at the IterKultur Heimaten Bewegen conference on cultural diversity and policy-making in the arts.
Theatre Replacement's offices are located at 320-640 West Broadway in Vancouver.
Production History
- The Empty Orchestra (2005)
- Broiler (2005)
- Box Theatre (2005)
- Sexual Practices of the Japanese (2006)
- Farther and Farther On (2006)
- I Am
SamStan (2007) - Yu-Fo (2007)
- BioBoxes (2007)
- WeeTube (2008)
- Train (2008)
- Clark and I Somewhere In Connecticut (2008)
- That Night Follows Day (2009)
- 20 Minute Musicals (2009)
- The Greatest Cities in the World (2010)
- Everyone (2010)
- 100% Vancouver (2011)
- Dress Me Up In Your Love (2011)
- Movie Group (2012)
- Winners & Losers (2012)
- Obstructions (2013)
- Jack and the Beanstalk: An East Van Panto (2013)
- Kate Bowie (2014)
- Cinderella: An East Van Panto (2014)
- The Sensationalists (2015)
Educational Programs
Since 2004, Theatre Replacement has initiated professional development programs designed to expand the artistic practices of a national community of artists:
- New Aesthetics Performance Intensive (2013 – present), VANCOUVER
- International Intensive Workshop Series (2007 – 2012), VANCOUVER & ARMSTRONG at the Caravan Farm Theatre
- Spark Summer Intensive (2004 – 2009, biannually), VANCOUVER
- Core Training Room (2004 – 2007), VANCOUVER
2013’s inaugural New Aesthetics was led by Crystal Pite (Kidd Pivot, VANCOUVER) and Pol Heyvaert (Campo, BELGIUM) and took place between July 22nd to August 2, 2013. New Aesthetics 2014 was led by Mariano Pensotti (Grupo Marea, ARGENTINA) and Toshiki Okada (chelfitsch theatre company, JAPAN).
New Aesthetics 2015 will take place July 20-31, led by Gob Squad‘s Sarah Thom and Mat Hand (UK/BERLIN).
