SPIN celebrates the Bicycle as a muse, a musical instrument, and an agent of social change.

Innovative artist Evalyn Parry takes her audience on an uncommon theatrical and musical journey in SPIN, her tour-de-force performance celebrating the Bicycle as muse, musical instrument, and agent of social change. Inspired in part, by the incredible true tale of Annie Londonderry – the first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle in 1894 - Parry spins a web of stories which travel from 19th century women’s emancipation to 21st century consumer culture, peeling back layers of history to ultimately reveal a profoundly contemporary and personal heart to her theme of liberation. Theatre, music, and poetry lovers alike will enjoy Evalyn Parry’s performance in SPIN when she makes a stop at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove on Sunday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m.

In SPIN, a vintage bicycle, hooked up to simple electronics and suspended in a mechanic’s stand,

is played – from fenders to spokes to vinyl seat, from whirling pedals to bells – by percussionist Brad Hart, providing a captivating sonic accompaniment to Parry’s songs and monologues. This brilliant and ground-breaking production was originally developed and presented by Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto in 2011. It has since been presented at numerous theatres and festivals across Canada and in the U.S.

While SPIN recounts the story of several 19th century adventurers and women’s rights activists, for whom the bike provided a truly revolutionary form of emancipation, it’s easy today to take our many rights and freedoms for granted, and to forget the hard-won battles fought by courageous pioneers who helped pave the (still unfinished) road toward true equality.  Inspired by the many histories / ‘herstories’ and metaphors contained in bicycles, SPIN is ultimately about more than just the love of bikes: it’s about the pursuit of freedom, and how every act of resistance, however complex, plays a role in our evolution as a human race, moving us further down the road.

Evalyn Parry is an award-winning theatre creator, songwriter, and spoken-word poet based in Toronto. Inspired by a powerful vision of social activism, Parry’s solo and collaborative performances have taken her to music, storytelling, poetry and theatre festivals from coast to coast of North America. Her witty, personal and highly original creations have been widely produced, broadcast, commissioned, and anthologized, and she has released four critically acclaimed CDs. Accompanying herself on guitar, water bottle, shruti box and loop pedals, she shoots from the hip and aims for the heart. Fierce, funny, poignant and provocative, Evalyn Parry takes her unique perspective on the world and transforms it into art that spans genres, genders, and generations.

Part theatre, part musical gig, part spoken-word poetry, and part documentary, don’t miss Evalyn Parry’s SPIN, Up Close and Personal at Horizon Stage on Sunday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for adults and $30 for students and seniors. Tickets may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave) or by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090. Tickets can also be purchased online through Ticketpro.
 
“…a welcome breath of fresh air….SPIN makes something beautiful out of taking your life into your own hands“ - Globe & Mail

“The depth Parry gives to the concept of the bicycle through her script is quite staggering…an ingenious mixture of songs, monologues, video projection, and modern technology.” - Torontoist

This performance is proudly sponsored by CKUA, Servus Credit Union, Seal & Bedard Accountants, Travelodge Inn & Suites, The Ontario Arts Council, Canadian Heritage, The Alberta Foundation for the Arts, The Horizon Stagelighters, and Ticketpro.