FACE VALUE: WEST
Theatre Centre Incubator (1115 Queen West)
Rating: NNN
Aug 8 at 5:30 pm, Aug 9 at 10:15 pm, Aug 10 at 5:15 pm, Aug 11 at 7:30 pm, Aug 14 at 7:30 pm, Aug 15 at 8 pm, Aug 16 at 3:15 pm. 1-888-328-8384, summerworks.ca.
This intriguing solo experimental piece has a unique concept: photographer Kate Ashby projects a series of six black and white shots taken around Toronto, and actor Tracey Hoyt – who is seeing the photos for the first time – imagines short scenes based on the people and places depicted.
The photos are different for each performance, but the ones we saw included an older woman seated alone outside the ROM, a homeless couple and their dog, and an man sitting in a bar with a karaoke poster in the foreground.
A talented improviser, Hoyt begins by matching the physicality of a person in the photo, then adding voice and a funny backstory. Sort of an actor’s Rorschach, it’s intriguing to see what little details end up informing Hoyt’s interpretations.
