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Pathetic Fallacy, The Chop Theatre [2018]

Over the past 40 years, there have been more frequent extreme weather events than ever before in human history. Up until 40 years ago, hurricanes were only given female names. Hurricanes with female names kill more people than hurricanes with male names because people don’t prepare for them as thoroughly. People will accept any colour of sky in a painting as realistic. A green sky means a storm is coming.

Using a temperamental broadcast media green screen, this piece explores our complicated relationship to weather. Landscape painting, small talk, meteorological science and pathetic fallacy – the attribution of human feelings to non-human things, like the weather – come together in this personal and factual work.

Creator Anita Rochon set herself the challenge of creating a touring piece with a touring party of zero. Each performance, a different local stand-in takes on the central role in a curious and hopeful show that draws a line between ancient weather gods and our present-day climate crisis.

Text & Direction Anita Rochon 
Projection Design Candelario Andrade & Milton Lim 
Original Projection Design Jordan Lloyd Watkins 
Outside Eye & Dramaturgy Mark Chavez & Emelia Symington Fedy 
Dramaturgy Sarah Stanley 
Lighting Design Itai Erdal 
Video Audio Malcolm Dow

Pathetic Fallacy was originally commissioned by Theatre Replacement as part of a Collider Residency, and was presented at PushOFF in 2018 & 2019.

The development of this piece was supported by Theatre ReplacementFarnham Maltings, the City of Vancouver and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Photos by Samantha Madely, Sophia Wolfe, Jordan Lloyd Watkins, and Anita Rochon

Performances:

  • Rumble Theatre presentation (live stream remount) November 25 - 29th, 2020

  • CanadaHUB (tour) at Edinburgh Fringe July 31st - August 25th, 2019

  • OFFTA (tour), Montreal, QC May 29 - 30, 2019

  • Spark Festival (tour), Victoria, BC March 19th - 23rd, 2019

  • Darwin Festival (world premiere) Darwin, Australia August 10th - 12th, 2018

  • Festival of Live Digital Art (work-in-progress) Kingston, ON June 20th, 2018

  • PushOFF, Theatre Replacement (work-in-progress) Vancouver, BC February 1st, 2018

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