Two Doors: Entering the Artist Experience in Limbo
This November, Arts Commons Presents’ TD Amplify Cabaret series is back - and it’s taking a bold new step with a brand new show Two Doors: Dispatches from the In-Between. Curating this cabaret season are Jae Sterling and Contra, founding members of the THOTNATION/SANSFUCCS collective and fixtures of the underground cultural scene in Calgary. Jae and Contra are also the Fellows of the inaugural season of TD Incubator at Arts Commons, a brand new professional development program for local artists who move between artistic practices and defy typical categorization.
Fittingly, the theme of this first TD Amplify Cabaret embraces the idea of the in-between, existing in liminal or limbo space. Two Doors: Dispatches from the In-Between, was born out of the pandemic experience where many artists have felt suspended in time, or unable to express their practice. Jae and Contra share their thoughts on why this idea is meaningful to them as artists, and how they hope that it will set the stage for the cabaret artists to explore their truths on stage.
You can catch Two Doors: Dispatches from the In-Between on November 20 at 7 p.m. or 10 p.m. in person at the Engineered Air Theatre.
“It really is as abstract as, “let's just see what they will come up with between these two doors,’” says Jae. “I'm looking forward to the different stories and the different perspectives that come along with that, without leading them too much,” says Jae.
TD Amplify Cabarets showcases everything from dance and music to spoken word and performance art. In the past each performance has been indepdent from the next, pastiches among a greater whole, but Jae and Contra hope to have each performer feed off of each other’s energy on stage. And that exchange will extend past the stage, too.
“It’s about how we can bring our experience as visual artists, as people who really know how to set a tone in a space, to a cabaret,” Says Contra. “I think for us, it's blurring the lines between audience and performer, really making the audience feel like they are a part of the set.”
So how does that translate into an audience experience? Well for one thing, rather than be a standalone performance like past TD Amplify Cabarets, Two Doors: Dispatches from the In-Between will be the first step in a season of four interconnected productions - performers and ideas will reoccur across the full season. As an audience member, you will have a chance to watch these artists evolve - in their art, in their messages, and in their relationship to each other, as the season continues past this November, into the following cabarets on February 26, April 30, and June 4, all at 7 p.m. or 10 p.m. at the Engineered Air Theatre.
“It’s really about creating this completely new experience for Calgary, telling new stories in new ways,” says Jae. “And we I hope the audience will want to come back for more.”
Two Doors: Dispatches from the In-Between cabaret takes place on Saturday, November 20 at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets are available at artscommons.ca.
