Free Concert Series / Lunchtime
DanceWorks presents:
The Suffering by Fatal Shapes
Fatal Shapes is a performance platform created by dance artist Krista Newey.
Incorporating contemporary dance movement with theatrical narratives, Fatal Shapes performs physical theatre work that is absurd, comedic, evocative, and visually captivating.
COC Free Lunchtime Concert Series
Friday, October 9, 2026
12:00PM - 1:00PM
Presented at: Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre
The Suffering by Fatal Shapes
The Suffering is a captivating and evocative dance theatre work that delves into the intricate interplay between surviving your inner torment and the frantic chase to succeed. With a cast of five performers, the work takes its audience on a tumultuous journey through the struggles of contemporary life as women, artists, and theatre makers. Set against the backdrop of a world intentionally designed to test the performer’s endurance, patience, and sanity, The Suffering explores a range of modern-day issues through comedic, tragic, and melodramatic circumstances.
From feeling the pressures to achieve perfection, to seeing your peers succeed while you are still stuck, to clawing your way through your own pain to feel important in a superficial world, this piece is meant to encompass a broad range of narratives involving personal success and failure. Throughout the piece, the dancers gradually lose their grasp on reality, succumbing to the overwhelming forces at play. Yet, in a moment of clarity, the chaos ultimately gives way to a desperate desire for radical acceptance. In the end, "The Suffering" leaves its audience with a thought-provoking exploration of the human condition, inviting reflection on the ways in which we navigate the tumultuous currents of existence while seeking solace in the simple joy of living.
“The Suffering is Fatal Shapes’ first full length group work. It encompasses everything I strive to achieve in a dance theatre performance: comedy, tragedy, rigorous physicality, and characters who are both relatable and ridiculous. This piece is a very bright, bold, and chaotic interpretation of how I see reality, making it a fitting introduction into the world of Fatal Shapes. With distinct costuming and an eclectic mix of musical choices, The Suffering allows me to express a visual aesthetic and emotional landscape that is unique, specific, and engaging. I first began developing this piece in 2022, and over the years it has grown into a body of work that feels very true to who I am as an artist. ”
About Fatal Shapes
Fatal Shapes is a performance platform created by dance artist Krista Newey. Incorporating contemporary dance movement with theatrical narratives, Fatal Shapes aims to present physical theatre work that is absurd, comedic, evocative, and visually captivating.
At its essence, this platform is built on the desire to create authentic and bold dance performance that enriches the dance tapestry in the city of Tkaronto/Toronto. With an emphasis on creative collaboration and themes surrounding the feminine experience, Fatal Shapes explores performance beyond just movement. With Fatal Shapes, Krista aims to create and present new worlds, new sounds, new voices, and new stories by blurring the boundaries of dance and theatre.
Krista Newey
Krista Newey is a dancer, performer, comedian, and choreographer working across live performance and film. After graduating from Toronto Metropolitan University with a BFA in Performance Dance, she has developed a multidisciplinary practice rooted in physical theatre, storytelling, and the intersection of comedy and contemporary dance. Her work has been presented at festivals and performance programs including the Toronto Fringe Festival, Next Stage Theatre Festival, Dance Matters, Kaeja d’Dance’s Wind Down Dance, AGO All Hours, The Garage, Assembly Theatre’s WOO Festival, DMIC Film Festival, TDT’s Screen:Moves, and FORM Festival. Krista is also the founder of Fatal Shapes, a creative platform for crafting dynamic, bold, and abstract physical theatre that embraces diverse forms of expression.
Credits
Performers: Morgyn Aronyk-Schell, Sonja Boretski, Miyeko Ferguson, Sully Malaeb Proulx, and Mary Patsiatzis.
Costume Pieces: Angela Cabrera
Content Warnings — Audience Participation, Themes of Death/Dying
Photo Credit in Order of Appearance: Cutesy of Canadian Opera Concert, 2025. Kendra Epik.