Mondo Arte Cabaret: A Decade of Artwear

Description:

Living Art Performance Festival kicked off at the Commodore Ballroom with Mondo Arte Cabaret: A Decade of Artwear. Hosted by Hank Bull and Gina Daniels, the variety show gala highlighted costumes by artists used in their performances over the past ten years. Unfolding on sets designed by Charles Rea and Janice Toulouse, the program was divided into three sections—The Beginnings, City Life, and New Wilderness—and featured cameo performances by all of the artists taking part in the festival. Other spectacles included live music by AKA, Gary Middleclass, and The Braineaters (Jim Cummins); shadow puppetry by Michael Brodie, Jane Ellison, and Lola Ryan; slideshows, and other surprise antics. Audience members were invited to “dress the part” and compete in a costume contest. 

Costumes and concepts were provided by John Anderson, Hugo Ball, Anna Banana and Bill Gaglione, David Buchan, Circus Minimus, Kate Craig, Irene Dogmatic, Deborah Fong, Randy Gledhill and Berenicci Hershorn, Chris Gallagher, Rick Hambleton, Corinne Itkonen, Carol Itter, Glenn Lewis, Fabio Mauri, Eric Metcalfe, John Mitchell, Sid Morosoff,  Herman Nitsch, Fionna McKye Pinney, Gretchen Perks, SS Girls (Mainstreet Inc.), The Girls Club, Aleh and Judy (Tunnel Canary),  Vincent Trasov, and Paul Wong. 

The evening featured a roster of models, including Bev Barnes, Marilyn Bodnarchuk, Justine Brown, Marilyn Burgess, Ida Carnavale Burrows, Peg Campbell, Cathy Charleton, Helen Clarke, Deborah Fong, Janet Forsyth, Olga Froelich, Myriam Gabela, Allan Gislason, Maria Goldinger, Nick Graham, Pat Grey, Carol Hackett, Stephen Hackett, Tina Fierro, Ko Ko, Stan Leak, Glenn Lewis, Annastacia MacDonald, Emmy Mackenzie, Ewen McNeil, Marlene McGregor, Sean Newton, Mary Ready, Jeanette Reinhardt, Sue Schinee, Carole Segal, Catherine Sheffield, Sparkletoes, Edward Tang, Janice Toulouse, R. Dick Trace-It (Richard Hambleton), and Michael Wonderful. 

Slide sequences were courtesy of Taki Bluesinger, Peg Campbell, Cavellini, Kate Craig, General Idea, Rick Hambleton, Glenn Lewis, Eric Metcalfe, Michael Morris, Mike O’Connell, Kim Tomczak, Vincent Trasov, Mary Jane Way, and Paul Wong. 

Mondo Arte Cabaret was written by Glenn Lewis and organized with Hank Bull, Carol Hackett, and Jeanette Reinhardt.

Presented in partnership with PUMPS Centre for the Arts, and Video Inn/Satellite Video Exchange Society.

Video documentation is available upon request.