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“im sad because cant
tallk yyet ... you must help me to talk”
~ Birger Sellin
New collective, Tones of Voice, is pleased to announce the debut
of besidemyselfworld, a multi-disciplinary solo piece based on
the autobiographical writings of the German autistic mute
teenager, Birger Sellin. besidemyselfworld uses an emotionally
powerful radiophonic soundtrack along with evocative light and
imagery to convey the story of a young autistic man reaching out
to the world through the once-impermeable walls of his autism.
besidemyselfworld runs from September 6 to 11, 2011 at the
Artscape Wychwood Barns.
A California study in 2009 found a seven to eight-fold increase
in the number of children born with autism since 1990, and the
trend shows no sign of abating. Many recent articles have
referred to “the epidemic of autism” affecting our world.
But while the Hollywood
depiction of autism focuses on high-achieving autistic people
such as Temple Grandin and Kim Peek (Dustin Hoffman’s character
in Rain Man), most people diagnosed with the disorder have much
more difficulty communicating.
Like many autistics, Birger Sellin experienced an overload of
sensory information in aspects of daily life that would lead to
extreme anxiety and confusion, and shut down his ability to
speak and participate in the world. By the time he was a
teenager, Sellin was virtually locked away in a personal exile.
He could scream, he could mutter nonsense, but he could not
articulate what he was feeling. Finally, at the age of 17, by
learning the technique of facilitated communication, typing into
a computer with his arm supported by his mother, he found a way
to express his feelings in words.
besidemyselfworld is adapted by Mark Cassidy of Threshold
Theatre and Darren Copeland of New Adventures in Sound Art, from
Sellin’s groundbreaking book Ich will kein Inmich mehr sein (i
dont want to be inside me anymore). German actor Sebastian
Schäfer plays the narrator/technician who seeks to understand
autism and the autistic element that exists in the creative
personality. Media artists Katie Kehoe and Peter O’Neill equip
Schäfer with a repertoire of portable multi-media devices to
transform both theatrical and everyday environments into highly
immersive worlds of sound, light, and abstract imagery.
The production marks the launching of Tones of Voice, a new
company created by Copeland and Cassidy to present and develop
stage and media works which merge sound and spoken word in
innovative ways. Tones of Voice aims to reach an international
audience by producing touring performances, digital media and
online presentations. For more information please visit
http://tonesofvoice.wordpress.com.
Show information for besidemyselfworld:
Venue:
The Artscape Wychwood Barns
601 Christie Street, Toronto, ON (Christie just below St. Clair)
(Meet in Barn 2 Covered Street)
Dates:
September 6 to September 11, 2011
Tue-Sat @ 8 PM and Sun @ 2 PM
NOTE: September 9th performance in German
Tickets:
Regular $10, Students $5, available only at the door.
To reserve, email:
tonesofvoice@gmail.com
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