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photography by Joseph Samuels

***** WINNER: BEST OF FEST, Wakefield Fringe Festival (Quebec, Canada)

***** WINNER: PICK OF THE FRINGE for Drama, Victoria Fringe Festival (British Columbia, Canada)         

***** CRITIC’S CHOICE SPOTLIGHT AWARD finalist for BEST FRINGE PRODUCTION of 2011

(CBC/CVV Magazine/Times Colonist/Monday Magazine)


“…a perfect gem of a show. Alison weaves a stunningly poetic path with such seemingly effortless grace, it was like watching a painting, or a sunset. The script was utterly gorgeous and universal, and Alison’s presence on stage, whether storytelling, singing or dancing, was never anything less than assured…hell, it’s just all bloody marvellous. It’s a luminous, revelatory show, and I’m probably a better person for having seen it.” The Visitorium

WATCH Giving Into Light TRAILER

Giving Into Light is a solo performance piece created by Alison Wearing and director Stuart Cox. Employing dazzling imagery, music, dance, percussive soundscapes and uproarious storytelling, this one-woman tour-de-force takes audiences to a magical village in central Mexico, a place where the everyday and the fantastical converge.

Giving Into Light is the story of a woman who experiences what she calls ‘post-partum illumination’ following the birth of her first child. Her attempts to understand this heightened perception of the world (contrasted with hilariously-rendered scenes of sleep-deprivation and fluorescent-lit church basement playgroups) lead her on an intuition-inspired journey to a small village in Mexico, a place replete with colour, festivals, bustling markets, memorable characters, myths and unexpected gifts of wisdom.

By turns an evocative travelogue, a spoken-word tour-de-force and a literary/musical journey, Giving Into Light is a woman’s search for light in a seemingly dark world. A riveting and ultimately transformative journey of love, acceptance and grace.

Electronic Press Kit: Giving Into Light

Bio of Director Stuart Cox


Photo Gallery (Courtesy of Joseph Samuels)

Downloadable High Resolution Photos:

(please credit all photos: “Photography by Joseph Samuels”)

  • STAR OF GIVING INTO LIGHT BURNS BRIGHTLY

    "One-person shows are a Fringe fest staple, and in all my years of watching them, few have been as remarkable as Alison Wearing’s Giving Into Light, a tour-de-force chronicle of the plunge into motherhood and the new sense of self that’s born out of the experience.

    By turns witty and wise, Wearing seeks to raise her son Leo in an age of Teletubbies and prescriptions for postpartum depression, preferring to seek postpartum illumination on a path that eventually leads her to Mexico, which she brings to life with vivid descriptions.

    Fully in command of her material, Wearing delivers more than a monologue, using movement and music to underscore her growing understanding of her role as a nurturer and a proponent of the celebration of life.”

    Halifax Chronicle Herald

  • “Written and performed by Alison Wearing, this show is storytelling at its best. Wearing is a word perfect, engaging vision who paints with her body and her voice. Stringing together her life experiences like vibrant beads, the audience sees what she sees, smells what she smells and feels what she feels. If you’ve ever taken the road less travelled or wanted to, you will be fascinated with Wearing’s approach to life. Come and celebrate.”

    VIEW Magazine

  • “This show is WONDERFUL, a one-woman odyssey with something for everyone. Alison Wearing makes us laugh, makes us think, makes us question our values, as she sings, moves, speaks prose, dialogue, shares poetic imagery, all while taking us on her journey of physical, spiritual and emotional growth…Difficult to put into words, beautiful to behold.”

    livefringe

  • “There’s not a wrong note in this production. Alison is a masterful storyteller with a firm handle on the many different characters she invokes. Her Mexican accents in particular are wonderfully consistent yet distinct; I'm sure a native speaker would be able to identify the specific region of the country each of the characters is from. And she's got a lovely singing voice that she uses to great effect, both live and recorded. Giving Into Light is a magical, musical expression of love, and an early candidate for my favourite Fringe show of 2009.”

    Theatre in London.ca

  • “I’m still in shock. I’ve seen lots of Fringe shows in my time, but I’ve never seen performances to equal the powerful works that are currently setting fire to local Hamilton Fringe stages…Alison Wearing is an actress, dancer, poet and playwright. She handles all disciplines equally well. Wearing’s lovely play Giving Into Light is a lyrical encounter with what it means to be connected with the fever of life… In this play about embracing life and letting go of the superficial, Wearing is a superb catalyst for unlocking our own visceral feelings.”

    Hamilton Spectator

  • "This show is an articulate tour-de-force with many amusing - if not laugh-out-loud - moments, performed with a lively spirit."

    Mooney on Theatre

    “Wearing is a gifted performer without a hint of artifice and the moments she relives for us are there again for us all. When she arrives at her place of peace and acceptance, we are there also. A very unexpected delight.”

    RaisetheHammer.org

    “Hugely satisfying! Alison Wearing starts with her as-yet-unpublished book and turns it into a marvelous piece of theatre. She’s a wonderful actor. But listen to her words! She is articulate, witty, wise, and so enjoyable.”

    Joe Samuels, Fringe Photographer

  • “I felt bathed in light and beauty after seeing this show. The writing was lyrical and full of imagery. As a lover of everything Mexican, seeing this show perfectly explained many of the emotions I feel while travelling in this magical country. I eagerly anticipate the book release. Inspirational and deeply spiritual, Alison Wearing follows her own path and finds the grace in seemingly everyday experiences”

    sonrisa

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