October 17, 2014

“How can dramatists integrate technology to enhance the meaning of a piece of theatre?” This is a question that Lisa O’Connell, Artistic Director of Pat the Dog Theatre Creation, hopes to answer with the Text+Tech Project. The only venture of it’s kind in Canada, Text+Tech seeks to improve and deepen the integration of technology into the inception of a text-based work as opposed to something added in the final stages of a project. “How is the technology integral to the story?” “How does it enhance and add to the narrative as opposed to distract from it?” “How do text-based creators become familiar with technological language?” These are just a few of the questions Pat the Dog aims to explore with this project.

DodgeAs part of our Text + Tech project Pat the Dog is hosting a series of Visiting Artist Residencies. This program grants a national theatre artist the opportunity to visit Pat the Dog Theatre Creation and work in the technology triangle of the Kitchener-Waterloo Region for an extended period of time. This project is in conjunction with REAP (Research Entrepreneurs Accelerating Prosperity)- coming out of the Canadian Centre of the Arts and Technology at the University of Waterloo, the REAP initiative supports student, faculty, and professional projects that foster the intersection of Arts and Technology through its “digital sandbox for serious play.” Housed in the Felt Lab in St. Jacob’s, REAP focuses particularly on interactive display environments and applications.

For our first Text+Tech, visiting residency, Pat the Dog Theatre Creation is thrilled to host Carey Dodge of Vancouver’s Boca del Lupo. Boca del Lupo is one of Canada’s most innovative and dynamic theatre companies, specializing in experimental theatrical productions and spectacular outdoor presentations. They are widely known for their free, outdoor, all-ages, roving spectaculars. These large-scale productions have drawn thousands of audience members high into the rainforest canopy of Stanley Park, deep into the forgotten regions that lie under Vancouver’s monolithic city bridges and out onto the rain-slicked streets of Gastown. The company has received numerous awards including Jessie Richardson Theatre awards for Outstanding Design, Outstanding Production, Significant Artistic Achievement, Outstanding Performance, along with the Critic’s Choice Award for Innovation and the Alcan Performing Arts Award.

No stranger to new-tech innovations, Carey is a multidisciplinary artist and technologist who works in sonic arts, interactivity, installations, sound design, projections systems, and performance. He specializes in developing novel sound design systems for performance and installation work. These systems often include custom-made software, algorithmic composition, live processing, surround sound environments and interactivity.

Carey will be giving presentations at the Felt lab and the University of Waterloo as part of his residency. Keep watching our website and social media feeds for pictures and updates on Carey’s time with Pat the Dog and REAP.