“...the most unique theatre experience I have ever encountered” - EyeGo

SPECULATION is a theatrical concert experience that examines how we prioritize vision over hearing in our lives. The narrative is based on the artist’s relationship with her mother who lost her vision before she died in 2010.

A monologue connects a personal story of grief with stories of creation out of absence. Beethoven and John Cage’s works are re-contextualized to subvert old ideas of classical music performance. Live lighting and projection design challenge our tendency to rely on our vision and how we interact with the visually-impaired.

current ARTISTS

LESLIE TING - Creator, producer, performer

Leslie Ting is a violinist and an emerging multi-arts creator. Her live performances, which have been described as creating ”fire without smoke” (Strad Magazine), strive for honesty and authenticity. A diverse performer, she holds a principal position with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and has created an immersive multi-disciplinary work, Speculation, lauded as “the most unique theatre experience I have ever encountered”(EyeGo). Formerly a practicing optometrist, Leslie brings to the stage her vast depth of knowledge of sight and our relationship to it. She has appeared with the National Ballet of Canada, Music in the Barns, Pocket Concerts, Bicycle Opera Project, and as soloist on pop artist Sarah Slean’s upcoming album. To further explore her art practice, Leslie recently attended the Art of Stillness Residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the centre’s first major multi-disciplinary residency.

HIRO TAKENOUCHI - performer

Heralded by The Times as “just the sort of champion the newest of new music needs”, while being praised as “impeccable in his pianism and unfailing in his idiomatic grasp” by Gramophone, Takenouchi’s curiosity and a natural penchant for integrity makes his playing and vast repertoire unique amongst his generation of pianists: his love for the music of classical masters – particularly Haydn, Beethoven and Chopin – sits side by side with his passion for the music of Medtner, lesser-known British composers such as Sterndale Bennett and Parry, and the contemporary repertoire.

As a soloist, he has appeared on many concert platforms including the Wigmore Hall, Tokyo Opera City, the South Bank Centre.  He has also performed at festivals in Bath, Cheltenham and Salzburg and given recitals in the UK, Japan, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy and Canada.  His more unusual recent appearances include piano solo works by Sterndale Bennett and Mckenzie specially recorded for BBC Radio 3’s Composer of the Week programme, the Rarities of Piano Repertoire Festival in Husum (Germany) and the BBC Four documentary The Prince and the Composer on the life and music of Parry alongside HRH The Prince of Wales. Takenouchi’s discography includes Haydn: 4 Sonatas (Artalinna), Sterndale Bennett/Schumann (Artalinna), Cosmos Haptic: Contemporary Piano Music from Japan (LORELT) as well as the world première recordings of works by James Dillon (NMC), Edwin Roxburgh (NMC) and Jeremy Dale Roberts (LORELT).  2012 saw two further releases: two piano arrangements of Delius’s orchestral works (SOMM with Simon Callaghan), and a highly acclaimed disc of piano concertos by Catoire and Sherwood (another world première recording) with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Dutton Epoch).

Since 2012 Takenouchi has been teaching piano at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Glasgow).  He also returns every summer to give masterclasses at the Poros International Piano Academy (Greece) and Ingenium International Music Academy (UK). 

James Bolton - make-up artist/costume design

James Bolton is a Toronto based set, costume, hair and make up designer working in theatre, opera, and film. James studied production design at York University then swiftly attended George Brown College/Yorkville school of makeup and Wink Make Up Academy. Recently, James has designed sets for the University of Toronto’s production of Orphée aux Enfers, Tales of Hoffmann for Wilfred Laurier University, costumes for The Argument, Daniel Cockburn’s latest short film. James’ hair and make up designs range from wild and creative as seen in University of Toronto’s new opera Prima Zombie to the simple and historically accurate, as seen in the world premiere of The Wings of the Dove for the COSI connection. James is also active in designing children’s theatre across the GTA and working with students of all ages.

joe price - lighting design

Joe is a professional lighting designer based in London, and was the recipient of the 2015 Francis Reid Award for Lighting Design.

Joe studied MA Theatre Design at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and previously received a first class BA (Hons) in Performance Management from the University of Winchester.

He has a variety of experience including Opera, New Writing, Dance, Musicals, Comedy, Spoken Word, Live Music Events and Children's Theatre. He has worked in both fringe and commercial situations, from small to large scale, and has toured around the UK as well as transferring work to New York.

Lighting Design credits include: This Must Be The Place (Poleroid Theatre, VAULT Festival); Let The Right One In (Arts Educational Schools); Magnificence (Fat Git, Finborough Theatre); Launch Party (Bucket Club, UK Tour); Heads Will Roll (Told by an Idiot, UK Tour); How To Date A Feminist (Laundry Productions, Arcola Theatre); Some Girl(s) (Buckland Theatre Company, Park Theatre); Around The World in 80 Days (Blue Apple, Theatre Royal Winchester); Fossils (Bucket Club, UK Tour & Brits off Broadway); The Love I Feel Is Red (Tobacco Factory, Zion Community Space); Some People Talk About Violence (Barrel Organ, Camden People's Theatre); Dry Land (Damsel Productions, Jermyn Street Theatre); Alternative Routes (National Dance Company Wales, Dance House WMC); The Duchess of Malfi (Richard Burton Theatre Company, RWCMD); Animal/Endless Ocean (Royal Court/National Theatre Wales/Richard Burton Theatre Company, Gate Theatre); Y Twr (Invertigo, UK Tour); I Feel Fine (Fat Git, New Diorama Theatre).

Relight credits include: Kite (Wrong Crowd/Soho Theatre, UK Tour); Blink (nabokov/Soho Theatre, UK Tour & Brits off Broadway); Wasted (Paines Plough, UK Tour); Hamlet (Blue Apple, UK Tour).

 alex bulmer - artistic advisor, voice coach

Alex is the writer and narrator of the critically acclaimed acoustic installation LIFE UNSEEN.  She is a New York Radio Award nominee, Society of Canadian Musicians award recipient, writer of two award winning short films, and writer of the stage play SMUDGE, which earned two Best New Play nominations in Canada, and was Time Out’s Critics Choice during its UK premiere. 

Alex has written for The Royal Court, London 2012 Olympics, Graeae , BBC radio; winning an AMI award for her adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Channel 4 series Cast Offs(nominated for BAFTA and Royal Television SocietyAward), Theatre Centre andFace Front.

She is co founder and Artistic Director of Invisible Flash UK , co-creator of The Canadian based Republic of Inclusion and Artistic Director of Cripping The Stage in association with The British Council Toronto. 

Her teaching interests are in the area of voice, writing and inclusive creative education. Credits include Central School of Speech and DramaUK, Rose Bruford College, Clean Break, London Metropolitain University, Lyric Belfast, The National Theatre School of Canada, the APAE Institute Brazil, SESC Madureira Rio,Extant Theatre, Definitely Theatre,  and the Banff School of Fine Arts.

Alex was awarded the visa status of Highly Skilled Migrant when she moved to the United Kingdom from her home country of Canada in 2003. She is now a citizen of both countries.

In 2014 she was named as one of the UK’s most influential disabled artists by Power Magazine.

Alex holds a Bachelor of Artsin Humanities from Bishops University, an Advanced Diploma in Voice Studies from The Central School of Speech and Drama, and a Master of Arts with Distinction Screenwriting from the University of the Arts London.

Photo credit below: Bo Huang

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Support

We are so excited that, following its success in Kitchener, Speculation has been invited to the Open Senses Festival in London, UK in May 2017, and planning is underway for a Canadian tour in 2018! 

We need your help to share this powerful work with new audiences. Speculation is only made possible through the generosity of our donors and sponsors.

Please click below to send a donation of any amount to support Speculation. Every bit helps! All donors are acknowledged on our website and in our programs.  

Speculation is very pleased to be a co-presentation with Chamber Factory. 

For contributions up to $20, please click the Support button below:

For contributions above $20 and to receive a tax receipt:

• Follow the link and select "Speculation" to contribute by credit card:  

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/chamber-factory-works-for-small-ensembles/

OR

•  Cheque payable to:  Chamber Factory at 34 Mapleview Avenue, Toronto, ON , M6S 3A7

Presenting partners:

Generously supported by:

and thank you to following organizations and individuals: 

Virginia Chen-Wells   Christopher Crebolder   Karen Y. Chan  Melina Chow   Amy Gottung

Rory McLeod   Gabriella Solti   Janet Youngdahl   Christopher Mayo   Audrey Lee  

Jessie Brooks   Darren Creech   Antonia Malchik  Andy & Angela Ting   Ace Ting   

Brandon Chui & Melissa Sung   Lara Bonokoski & Harvey Basi  Tammy Labreche  

Allison Adema   Nelly Kim   Frank Lorkovic