The Toronto Pigeons show poster

The Toronto Pigeons

April 22 2021, Online

#ftTorontoPigeons

Recommended for ages 13+

Written by Luke Reece
Directed by Marcel Stewart

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

You Can’t Get There From Here Audio Series

Episode 5: The Toronto Pigeons

It’s June 13, 2019, and The Toronto Raptors are three hours away from their Game 6 tipoff with the Golden State Warriors. Two pigeons, Trae and A.C., are settling in above Jurassic Park in Toronto to watch the game when, all of a sudden, their excitement is interrupted by a kestrel named Klaw who crash lands on their perfect pigeon perch. Having never been to Toronto, Trae and A.C. begin to give Klaw all their insider knowledge about the city – the good, the bad, and the feathery.

A fun electrifying mash-up of soundscape and spoken word (or is it spoken bird?), The Toronto Pigeons is an all-verse, sky-high exploration from National Slam Poet Champion Luke Reece, of how and why The Toronto Raptors 2019 Championship win catalyzed a feeling of belonging in a city renowned for its icy exterior.



About the Playwright

Luke Reece

Luke Reece strives to share authentic and engaging stories with audiences through his work as an award-winning playwright, poet, producer and educator. Through his work as an artistic leader within the national arts community, he advocates for nuanced storytelling that challenges Canadian audiences. Luke is one of Toronto’s most decorated slam poets, becoming the Toronto Poetry Slam (TPS) Grand Champion in 2017, winning the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word as the captain of the TPS team, and again as the coach. In 2018 he placed 2nd in Canada individually which earned him a spot representing the country at the 2019 World Cup of Poetry Slam in Paris France where he placed 4th. Most recently Luke has been featured performing for Toronto Raptor and NBA Champion Serge Ibaka on his Instagram Talent Show.


About the Director

Marcel Stewart

Marcel Stewart is a father, artist, facilitator, dope wordsmith, and arts administrator who loves vacuuming the house while listening to the soundtrack to Waiting to Exhale. Marcel serves as Artistic Director of bcurrent Performing Arts and as an Artistic Associate for SpiderWebShow Performance. Marcel also sits on the Board of Directors for Essential Collective Theatre. He has worked with Soulpepper, Factory Theatre, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Obsidian Theatre, Suitcase in Point, The Theatre Centre, The Blyth Festival, Festival Players, Studio 180, The Grand Theatre, Persephone, Theatre Direct, Carousel Players, and Atlas Stage. He was the founding youth development coordinator for Shakespeare in the Ruff. When he is not creating theatre, Marcel is an arts educator who has facilitated programming to community youth groups, professional actors, students in university, high school, and elementary. He has taught theatre performance to students at Brock University and Carlton University. He was a member of the Soulpepper Academy and completed the Theatre Enhancement Program (as a Directing Foreman) through Factory Theatre. Marcel has directed the podcast play Toronto Pigeons (Factory Theatre); the digital play Meet Chloe (Carousel Players) and the live theatre production of Serving Elizabeth (Thousand Islands Playhouse). Currently, Marcel is developing an immersive audio theatrical series. Loosely based on his dad’s life in Jamaica, the story weaves together themes of home, grief, family, and the influence of Caribbean mythology. Inspired by the teachings of d’bi young anitafrika, Marcel often returns to the questions: Who am I? How am I? How did I get here? Who have I lost? What is my purpose?


Cast & Creative Team

Mikael Bensimon

Sound Designer

Samira Banihashemi

Apprentice Sound Designer

Matt McGeachy

Dramaturge

Lily Chan

Assistant Production Manager