Poe exploration, Lepage epic slated for Luminato stages

A nine-hour Robert Lepage epic, a journey into Edgar Allen Poe's "tormented psyche" and a reimagined ballet interpretation of Carmen will be on the bill in Toronto in June for the Luminato arts and culture festival.

Organizers unveiled some of the festival's theatre and dance programming in a statement on Tuesday as part of a series of announcements regarding this year's artistic lineup.

The third edition of the 10-day international arts festival will include a number of prominent premieres, including the North American debut of Lepage's Lipsynch, a multimedia epic that tells the story of nine interconnected lives over the course of 70 years.

Edmonton's Catalyst Theatre will use verse, music, song, movement and visual images to pay tribute to American literary icon Poe in Nevermore, a production co-commissioned by Luminato and the Magnetic North Theatre Festival as well as one of several planned Poe-themed pieces.

The National Ballet of Canada will perform Italian choreographer Davide Bombana's reinterpretation of Bizet's classic work Carmen as part of a program also featuring Dominique Dumais' Skin Divers, inspired by the poetry of Canadian writer Ann Michaels.

"This year's theatre and dance lineup once again includes a full range of high-quality presentations that Luminato is proud to share with the city and the world," said Luminato artistic director Chris Lorway.

Other theatrical and dance productions slated for Luminato 2009 include:

• 5 O'Clock Bells: A chronicle of jazz legend Lenny Breau's life, talent and his mysterious death in 1984 by Ottawa's Sleeping Dog Theatre.
• Continuous City: A multimedia production exploring the influence on technology on social interactions by blending live performance with prerecorded video taken in Toronto and cities abroad, presented by New York's The Builders Association.
• Zisele: The North American premiere of a song, dance and pantomime show celebrating the relationship between Yiddish mothers and daughters, featuring the Beit Lessin Theatre.
• Nederlands Dans Theatre I: A three-piece mixed dance program (The Second Person, Shoot the Moon, Wings of Wax) presented by the Nederlands Dans Theatre, appearing in Canada for the first time in 14 years.
• Tono: A dance and music production blending indigenous cultures of Canada, China and Mongolia exploring the horse.

Luminato descends on Toronto streets, stages and public gathering spaces beginning June 5.