Stage Door News
Stage Door News
TORONTO – Do you believe in ghosts? Do you ever jump when something unexplained goes bump in the night? Did you ever play light as a feather, stiff as a board or pull out the Ouija when you were high school?
Everyone has wondered at some point along the way, even the most hardened non-believers, what may await us in the afterlife. Is it possible - just possible - that that beloved relative watching over us? Could the ghost story about the scary house down the block from childhood be true?
This fall, Torontonians will have the opportunity to become part of the ultimate ghost story and join in on the experience that is Séance. First produced in Hamilton in 2013, Séance is the first known attempt to incorporate an actual séance into a theatrical entertainment.
In this completely immersive experience, illusionist Nicholas Wallace invites you to join him in exploring the world of the Victorian spirit medium. Though the belief in ghosts and spirits is exceptionally old, one period in history stands out. In the mid to late 1800’s, millions of people became convinced that they could communicate with the dead. An occult organization, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, flourished in England and North America, and séances were a common way to spend a Friday night. It was the dawn of Spiritualism and it wasn’t a fringe occupation – it dominated the middle and upper classes.
At each performance of Séance, one audience member is chosen to become The Medium. It is a different person every night. There is no way of knowing who will be chosen, what might happen, or who they might become.
“The medium is a different person every night and I can honestly say, from the moment Séance begins I have no idea who will be chosen,” says co-creator Wallace.
With Nicholas Wallace as their guide, participants explore the evolution of the séance room, the advent of spirit photography, and the history of the explosion of Spiritualism. This tour through the history of the occult includes experiments in mind reading, summoning the spirits with the Ouija, and culminates in an actual séance.
The brainchild of illusionist Nicholas Wallace and director and producer Luke Brown, Séance came to be when Wallace and Brown met when Wallace was consulting on illusions for a Theatre Aquarius production of Monstrous Invisible about sci-fi author H.P. Lovecraft that Brown was directing. Wallace expressed a long held interest to Brown in conducting a séance as theatrical experience. Brown, who was caught up in learning about the haunted history of Theatre Aquarius’ own building, was hooked.
“There was no way of knowing what would happen until we just did this. We got people in the room and we just tried it, and, without giving anything away – stuff happens,” says Wallace.
“My hope is that people walk away after having spent 80 minutes in the room having experienced something that 80 minutes before they would have deemed impossible,” adds co-creator Brown.
Audiences packed the inaugural sold out run in Hamilton, exiting the theatre scared, elated, awestruck and entertained.
On September 25th, 2015, join illusionist Nicholas Wallace for an experience like no other - become part of the ultimate ghost story with
SÉANCE
On stage at the Theatre Passe Muraille Main Space September 25th –
October 11th
The Toronto run of the show will debut at the Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace (16 Ryerson Avenue) on September 25th and run through October 11th Tuesday – Sunday. Performances will run daily at 7:30pm, with 2:00pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday, and an additional late night performance on October 3, 9, and 10 at 10:30pm. Tickets are $30-$35 and can be purchased at artsboxoffice.ca or by calling 416.504.7529. For more information visit theseance.ca
Watch the trailer HERE.
About Nicholas Wallace
Nick Wallace has been described as a master of subtle illusion and manipulation. He can best be described as a minimalist - who has forgone fancy props and special effects and prefers to conjure with an audiences imagination by presenting magic and mind reading in a way that is both entertaining and thought provoking.
Recently, he competed against entertainers from across the country, and received top honours from the Canadian Association of Magicians, making him the Canadian Champion of Magic.
Photo Nicholas Wallace. ©2015 Red Eye Media.
2015-08-20
Toronto: Illusionist Nicholas Wallace presents "Séance" September 25-October 11