Ep. 48: Merendiando One Year into the Pandy
March 17, 2021
We don’t need the ‘you’ from a year ago, we need the ‘you’ now. We need the ‘you’ that you’ve become, and what that requires is a lot of honesty.
– Camila Diaz-Varela
This week is all about reflecting, and checking in with the community. Camila and Monica discuss how a year of physical distancing has impacted their art practice, and we hear from extra special guests Yolanda Bonnell, Rhoma Spencer, Sofia Fly, and the Party People Collective, Elizabeth Staples and Jordan Campbell.
How have you adapted your craft to this new context? Did you venture into digital or different live performance, or keep to yourself? What do you wish you knew 12 months ago? We dive into all these questions and more.
Guest bios in order of appearance:
Sofia Fly is a DJ/Producer/Vocalist from Toronto. Listen to her music on all major music streaming services and tune in to her DJ sets on Twitch (twitch.tv/djsofiafly). Check out her instagram.
Yolanda Bonnell (She/They) is a Queer 2 Spirit Anishinaabe-Ojibwe & South Asian Dora nominated multidisciplinary performer, writer and facilitator. Check out their instagram.
Rhoma Spencer, Actor, Play-creator, Director and Comedian, is a veteran theatre practitioner practicing in Toronto since 2001. Check out her instagram.
The Party People Collective is Jord Camp and Elizabeth Staples. Jord Camp is a genderfluid, genderqueer club kid alternative drag performer in Toronto. Elizabeth Staples is Bi/Queer performance artist, theatre creator, director, and arts administrator born and raised in Toronto. Check out Jordan’s instagram and Liz Staple’s instagram.
SHOW NOTES:
- Bad Dog Theatre Company has adapted their improv shows online.
- Here are some reports and stats about how the pandemic has affected women in and outside the workplace.
- Sofia Fly streams live DJ sets on her Twitch channel most Sundays! The vibes are immaculate.
- Listen to Sofia Fly’s latest album Beats II Virgo Rising
- Buy a copy of Yolanda Bonnell’s play bug, based on her solo show that was most recently presented at Theatre Passe Muraille in February 2020.
- The Bricks & Glitter Festival, a do-it-ourselves multi-arts festival celebrating Two-Spirit, trans and queer talent, ingenuity, caring, anger and abundance in Tkaronto.
- Queerantine by Rhoma Spencer, in collaboration with performers Nickeshia Garrick & Jillia Cato
- Convergence Theatre’s Covid Confessions, an immersive audio experience
- The After Party, the one-to-one person show created by Jord and Elizabeth aka the Party People Collective
All Merendiando episodes are in Spanglish, English, or Spanish. New episodes of Radio Aluna Theatre are released on Wednesdays. Follow and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and wherever else you get your podcasts.
Radio Aluna Teatro is produced by Aluna Theatre with support from the Toronto Arts Council, The Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the Metcalf Foundation.
Aluna Theatre is Beatriz Pizano & Trevor Schwellnus, with Sue Balint; Radio Aluna Theatre is produced by Monica Garrido and Camila Diaz-Varela.
For more about Aluna Theatre, visit us at alunatheatre.ca, follow @alunatheatre on twitter or instagram, or ‘like’ us on facebook.