Deborah Pearson

Twelve people each with a runners number pinned to their tops are sat on a stage. In the background there is a mosaic of maps. One person has their hands up. Everyone has their eyes shut.

Post National

Instructions towards an uncertain Future

‘‘There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada.  There are shared values — openness, respect, compassion, willingness to work hard, to be there for each other, to search for equality and justice. Those qualities are what make us the first postnational state.’’

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, The New York Times, 2015

Following on in the tradition of pieces like White Rabbit Red Rabbit and Rimini Protocol’s 100% project, British/Canadian artist Deborah Pearson, Canadian choreographer Kate Alton, and Canadian company Volcano worked with students from York University (Toronto) to create an instruction-based touring production for 12 guest performers at a time.

Historically, university students have been the bastions of political change.  Deborah Pearson, Kate Alton and Volcano have created a piece that asks what this generation of students’ attitudes towards political change look like today, exploring the post-national approach supposedly shared by many Canadians with a national and international audience, involving instruction-based choreography, text, and questions answered live.

Touring opportunity
This performance is available for touring. If you are interested, please get in touch via the contact page.

Gallery

Eight people each with a runners number pinned to their tops are stood on a stage with headphones in. In the background the words 'What, if anything, would make you go into the streets to protest' One person is speaking into a microphone.
Eight people each with a runners number pinned to their tops are dancing on a stage with headphones in. In the background there is a mosaic of maps.
Nine young people each with a runners number pinned to their tops are stood on a stage. In the background the words 'how do we unfuck the world' are in blue.

Credits

Created and written by

Choreographic instructions

Kate Alton

Staging decisions

made jointly by Ross Manson, Deborah Pearson and Kate Alton

Dramaturgical contributions

from Ross Manson, Kate Alton and students from the York University Theatre Department

Post National’s touring producer is Deborah Pearson with assistance from Volcano.

At York University, Post National was a joint project between Deborah Pearson, Volcano and York University’s Theatre Department. The original performance was a double bill, featuring the instruction-based show and a pre-rehearsed devised piece with the 12 fourth year acting conservatory students.  Set, sound and lighting, and all technical elements were created and executed by York University students with guidance from the creative team.

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