31st edition of Mayworks Festival kicks off at the Toronto May Day rally

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 28, 2016) - Toronto, ON - The 31^st edition of the Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts kicks off on May 1, 2016 at Toronto's 11th Annual May Day of Action Rally & March to mark International Workers' Day.

The 31^st annual Festival celebrates the unique role that Mayworks plays in uniting art and labour movements in Toronto.

"This year we have an exciting line-up of visual and multimedia art, theatre and live performances, workshops, walking tours, film and music events. Mayworks' programming reflects its unique distinction of being embedded in the labour movement - and its commitment to showcasing the compelling and vital work of emerging and racialized artists, queer and trans artists, and artists with disabilities" says Amee Lê, Festival Director.

Highlights of the 2016 Festival include: a special preview of Behind the Fare, a film capturing the stories of taxi drivers in Toronto and their day-to-day decisions navigating a fragmented taxi industry so that collective action for survival becomes a real possibility; Superbutch, a multimedia performance examining the many past meanings of butch, including the history of working-class butch-femme culture in Toronto; Butterfly Voices, a visual exhibition showcasing works by a group of Toronto-based migrant sex workers; and Mapping Our Work, a labour history walking tour highlighting the struggles, gains and losses of immigrant women in seeking fair and equitable working conditions in Toronto.

For more information on this year's program, please visit http://www.mayworks.ca/festival-program/.

Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts is a multi-disciplinary arts festival that celebrates working class culture. For more information, please visit www.mayworks.ca.