In August 2005, under the auspices of the SummerWorks Festival, 13 of us checked out the houses surrounding the Factory Theatre. We were welcomed into the homes of a young nightclub promoter who lives in a tiny two-bedroom house with his roommate; a marriage counselor working from home who didn’t want to disrupt his session, but whose wife agreeably hung out with us under a canopy of grape vines; a live/work architecture firm that was designing the new super jail for juveniles; and the live/work space of two graphic designers whose stunning home, complete with roof-top garden and a system to recycle rainwater, was recently featured in the Globe and Mail. In September 2005, 8 of us explored the Annex, finding reluctance and paranoia, but with persistence, we managed to tour through the digs of a couple of newlyweds, a grad student and a U of T English professor. We hung out in the professor’s back yard and spent some time getting to know each other – the group of participants as strange to each other as our various subjects. When we departed, he gave us full access to his herb garden, encouraging us to take home handfuls of pungent sage, oregano, rosemary and basil.

Home Tours once again demonstrates the generosity of the public sphere and creates compelling drama from seemingly banal encounters. It is simple but nerve-wracking work that demands spontaneity, humility and a comfort with discomfort. Failure - that is rejection - must be embraced, as it must be with all creative endeavors. Courting failure is a sign of a healthy process, and this theme is as important as that of social generosity and the viability of the banal as dramatic content.