May 9 to 11, 2017
Grades 7 and 8
Learn more about our Linamar for the Performing Arts school program.
Pre-show Information for Teachers
Evalyn Parry is a Toronto-based multi-award-winning theatre artist, songwriter, spoken word poet and artistic director, whose work is inspired by intersections of social justice, history and auto/biography. Over the last decade she has created seven original performance works, released five CDs and has performed her unique combination of music and spoken word at festivals, theatres & campuses internationally.
SPIN is a unique theatrical and musical journey, Parry’s tribute to the Bicycle as muse, musical instrument and agent for social change. Spinning a web of stories that travel from 19th century women’s emancipation to 21st century consumer culture, SPIN is inspired by the incredible true tale of Annie Londonderry, the first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle in 1895. One part documentary and another part musical activism, Parry cleverly peels back layers of history to reveal a very contemporary heart to her theme of liberation.
Questions/ Suggested Discussion Points
SPIN is loosely based on the extraordinary story of Annie Londonderry, the first woman to travel around the world with a bicycle, in 1894-95. Read more about her story on wikipedia.org and totalwomenscycling.com.
Discuss how the role of sponsorship and self-promotion contributed to the success of Annie Londonderry’s adventures.
What are some ways that developments in bicycle technology and increased availability of bicycles advanced feminism in the 1890s? (changes in women’s clothing from corsets and cumbersome dresses to more practical clothing; ability to travel outside of neighborhoods to outside of the country without the assistance of men; redefined perceptions of femininity, female athleticism and proper female behavior).
Related link: www.annielondonderry.com/womenWheels.html
The bicycle has been a part of many key events in Canadian history, including formation of the CCM brand, the Klondike Gold Rush, and important contributions in World War I. Read more about the history of the bicycle in Canada.
School Program Coordinator
519- 837-5662 extension 2291
[email protected]
This presentation is made possible in part by a grant from the Ontario Arts Council’s Ontario Touring program.
