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Richmond's Gateway launches new season

Watch as performer David van Belle is propelled into the air while our collective hopes and fears are projected onto a screen behind him. Or see how an all-white painting costing 200,000 francs divides a group of three friends.

Watch as performer David van Belle is propelled into the air while our collective hopes and fears are projected onto a screen behind him.

Or see how an all-white painting costing 200,000 francs divides a group of three friends.

Perhaps, you'd rather learn how a grandfather and granddaughter transform their relationship into one of roommates.

These three plays are part of Gateway Theatre's new 2013-2014 season, as announced at a launch party last Friday.

"I was looking for something fun and accessible that would be exciting for everyone, something that the whole community can engage in," said artistic director Jovanni Sy.

This season marks the new director's first year selecting the season's plays.

Kicking it off in October is a multi-media experience by performer van Belle and director Eric Rose with The Highest Step in the World. The two were fascinated by a story of a man taking a hot air balloon to the edges of space and then skydiving off of it.

The play uses light projections and captivating imagery to tell tales of real-life danger and fictional perils in one mesmerizing narrative, while van Belle flies above the stage.

Midway through the season, three friends enter a heated argument about the value of an artwork in Art by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton.

The Grandkid, by John Lazarus, wraps up the season next April, showing that sometimes a relationship is better when one skips a generation or two.

Once Abby moves in with her grandfather at the beginning of university, the two have to negotiate a new relationship as roommates.

"Choosing a season is like solving a puzzle, and trying to get all the pieces to fit in," said Sy.

"Fortunately, I had a lot of puzzle pieces to work with. It's going to be a memorable season, I couldn't be happier with it."

Interspersed between the three MainStage plays, are Crash by Pamela Sinha, Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I, and Dreary and Izzy by Tara Beagan.

Seasons tickets are now on sale. For more information, visit www. gatewaytheatre.com.