EVENT: The Loyalists (June 7-22)

Theatre Company Invites Audiences to ‘Occupy Toronto’ 19^th Century Style

With The Loyalists people don’t just watch theatre; they’re a part of it

Toronto, May 25, 2012 - As Canada prepares to mark the bicentennial of the War of 1812, Single Thread Theatre Company invites audiences to travel back in time and explore the lives of people living in Toronto, then York, in 1813 under American occupation.  Far from being mere spectators, the audience will actually become citizens of York, inhabiting a fabricated world in Victoria Memorial Square 

“The Loyalists blends history and fantasy to create an unparalleled interactive experience,” said director Jonathan Langley. "It is not merely the telling of a story, it is the creation of a world and redefines how we engage with the theatre. The Loyalists examines Canada's most crucial moment in history: the decision not to be American.”

Akin to the ‘sandbox’ experience of video game culture, audience members can dally in stores, follow certain characters around and even find employment in the town of York. Interactive stations such as homes, shops and taverns, will be brought to life by an ensemble of actors and musicians. 

Developed, in part, through the support of Canadian Stage’s Festival of Ideas & Creation, and presented in association with Fort York National Historic Site, The Loyalists is an original piece of immersive theatre, created by a unique artistic ensemble. It runs from June 7 -22, 2012. Purchase tickets online at singlethread.ca. 

About Victoria Memorial Square

Victoria Memorial Square, which is part of Fort York National Historic Site, is one of the city’s earliest parks and was also the city’s first military cemetery with over 400 graves, mainly those of men, women, and children connected with the fort who died between 1793 and 1863. According to the City of Toronto, the square “...whispers stories of 19th-century life and death, and it speaks to the values Torontonians have placed on their collective history.” Map

About Single Thread Theatre Theatre Company

Founded in 2003, Single Thread has distinguished itself as one of Toronto’s leading found space theatre companies by using non-traditional spaces to explore history and culture in provocative ways. Since expanding from Kingston to Toronto in 2010, Single Thread has undertaken projects with the AGO, Spadina Historic House & Garden and the Campbell House Museum and was selected as the emerging company-in-residence at Canadian Stage as part of the GYM program. For more information please visit singlethread.ca.