Adhere And Deny explores the metaphysical and the pataphysical.  

Adhere And Deny, originally called SHARED STAGE, was incorporated in 1984.  SHARED STAGE began as a cooperative project of Agazzis Theatre, the Manitoba Association of Playwrights and the Winnipeg Film Group as a venue to exhibit a mixed program of theatre, performance, poetry and prose readings, and film, video and audio exhibition.   Often the submission process was to grab the curiosity of the artistic director. 

 

SHARED STAGE also gave birth to the DADA DUMB.

Significant work produced by SHARED STAGE were:

OMERTA, R&R, and FIRST AID by John Gurdebeke,

C TO THE THIRD POWER and THE SHADOW PLAY by Alex Poruchnyk,

DUETS FOR SCHIZOPHRENICS by Chris Johnson.

Some of the artists who presented at SHARED STAGE were Doug Melnyk, Alethea Lahofer, Vern Hume, Harry Rintoul, Per Brask, Gilles Hebert, Carol Pickering, Bruce McManus, Al Rushton, Liz Jarvis, Tannis Kyle, Hope Peterson and Ken Gregory.

SHARED STAGE was the instigator and prime partner in the International Intermediate Performance Festival of 1987.  Artists who performed at the festival were Jeff Gillman, Connie Beckley, Marcella Bienvenue, Carolee Schneeman, John Gurdebeke, Tina Keane, Elizabeth Chitty, David Brown and Betina, Doug Melnyk and Alethea Lahofer.

SHARED STAGE coordinated and hosted the 1987 Plains Canada Film And Video Conference and exhibition.

 

In 1987 SHARED STAGE was renamed Adhere And Deny which created and/or oversaw a number of projects.  A few of the projects were NIGHTCLUB (with Ace Art), LIGHT/LIGHT (with Video Pool) and GROUND ZERO (with Ace Art) that featured the performances of Rita McKeough, Sharon Alward and Tanya Mars.

 

During the early 1990s Adhere And Deny produced THE INVISIBLE THEATRE PROJECT.

 

In 1998 Adhere And Deny accepted an annual grant from the Manitoba Arts Council to present seasons of object/puppet based theatre.  The texts were from the classical canon such as PROMETHEUS BOUND, BLOOD WEDDING, WOYZECK, and ANTIGONE.  The other works were fragmentary theatre pieces created by the artistic director of Adhere And Deny such as KLEIST:FRAGMENTS, KATARSIS, FOUND AND LOST, MEDEA ETUDE, CANTICLE and THREE SISTERS: A STILL LIFE.  

In 2004 Adhere And Deny began to quietly reinstate media into its productions: CANTICLE and MEDEA ETUDE, MOZART AND SALIERI, HAIKU and PARADISE LOST.   

 

Productions since 2005 included ELEGY FOR KHLEBNIKOV, THE SWAN SONG, VIA CRUCIS, SONG FOR SIMON, THE TELEPHONE, THE PRAMPOLINI ACTION, THE PROUDHON ACTION, THE GRAND INQUISITOR, and the beginnings of THE CIRCUS OF OBJECTS EDITION, ONE thru THREE. 

Adhere And Deny has received funding from the Manitoba Arts Council, the Winnipeg Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.

 

Grant Guy, founder and artistic director of Adhere And Deny, has worked professionally in the arts since his graduation from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1973. He is a director, designer, playwright, curator and arts programmer/curator, video producer, performance artist and writer. The theatre companies Guy has worked for include the Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Projects Manitoba, the Manitoba Theatre Centre, Alberta Theatre Projects, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Chamber Opera West, Magnus Theatre, Shakespeare In The Ruins, Theatre Calgary, the Performing Theatre Company, Stratford Festival Theatre and Manitoba Theatre Workshop. Guy's performances and videos have been exhibited at Ace Art Gallery, Plug In Gallery, Neutral Ground, Second Story Gallery, A.K.A. Gallery, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Gallery 1.1.1., Centre D'Art, Ed Video, Collective Gallery, Sea Gate Gallery, Saw Gallery and Artcite Gallery. Guy has also programmed or produced curatorial projects such as LIGHT/LIGHT, FOR A RADIO, VAN TV, and THE INSTALLATION PROJECTS for Video Pool, GROUND ZERO and NIGHTCLUB for Ace Art, DOK TRINAIRE'S TRAVELING SHOWS for Main/Access Gallery, and was the programmer and executive director for the 1986 International Intermedia Performance Festival.