Local art production being live streamed by National Arts Centre

Aaron Collier’s immersive multimedia show ‘Frequencies’ will be showcased by the Ottawa-based performing arts organization on November 5 and 6

CITYnews\ Steve Gow

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An innovative Halifax-based production has been invited to take part in the National Art Centre’s upcoming Theatre and Physics Symposium.

Entitled Frequencies, performances of the multimedia production will be live streamed November 5 and 6 to Canada-wide audiences from the Bus Stop Theatre — where the inventive show was presented in February for local art lovers.

“For another organization to see the work and think that it has value in the wider society that we live in, that’s really amazing,” says creator and performer Aaron Collier, who is also one of the founders of HEIST, the live art company behind the production.

“It’s similar for HEIST — just the opportunity to work with the National Arts Centre and have them introduce us to their patrons and the people who follow their work is just something we are really grateful for, and we hope we can deliver on our promises.”

Described as part-live techno concert, part-autobiographical confessional, Frequencies was written by Collier in partnership with Giller Prize nominated author Francesca Ekwuyasi and Stewart Legere, associate artistic director of Zuppa Theatre.

An immersive multimedia production that examines family history, loss and grief paralleled with sonic explorations of time and perspective based on the frequencies of nature and the universe.

“We call it a musical storytelling show in mixed reality,” says the 40-year-old artist. “(But) in the end, it really is a musical storytelling show.”

While experimenting with electronic music in 2018, Collier says he wanted to find a way to tell stories that would fit the music he was producing that would allow listeners to forge a connection with the natural phenomena.

“I was doing all this research between the relationships of things (like) the sun and moon as it crosses our sky,” adds Collier, who notes that in the process serendipity stepped in.

While trying to find a story to mesh with the soundtrack, he had created of an entire year’s lunar and solar frequencies passing in about 3 and a half minutes, Collier decided to focus on recounting 1981 — the year he was born.

“That sort of opened the whole thing wide,” admits Collier, who discovered the process caused him to face questions regarding a family member that he had never met. “I didn’t realize at the time that I would make the whole show about that.”

Developed during the pandemic when crowds were not permitted to gather, Collier decided to connect his intimate story to an audience in a unique way — by live streaming it directly into a camera.

“Instead of me telling the story to the audience, which is how the show began,” says Collier, “I realized that I could tell my story to my family member and that the audience would have the opportunity to feel as though they are that family member — that I’m talking to them.”

After Frequencies premiered in February, Collier was flooded with positive reactions and received much gratitude from audience members thankful to go through the experience and share their own personal stories.

“It was quite overwhelming, and it was around that time that the seeds for what we’re doing on November 5 and 6 were planted,” says Collier, noting the artistic director of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa was one of those who responded to the show.

“Because the show is a sort of an exploration of physics through sound, (he) was really intrigued by this,” adds Collier. “So the other thing that is happening is that on November 7, there will be a panel discussion between myself and two leading physicists to talk about the show and that’s a free event.”

Tickets can be purchased for Frequencies through the National Arts Centre’s website and Collier’s soundtrack for the show will be released on November 5 (it is now available for pre-order).

As for HEIST, the five year old live art company hopes that the national recognition will help further establish them as one of Halifax’s leading artist-run organizations committed to creating and presenting innovative, genre-bending performances in Nova Scotia.

“We describe our work as queerly playful,” notes Collier. “We really love the idea of working with different kinds of artists and different kind of art and ideally producing shows and experiences for people that, in the end, are well worth their time. The biggest thing we can get from audiences is their time — it’s the absolute, most valuable thing so we strive to do work that honours that.”

For more information on Frequencies, visit the website.