DopoLavoro Teatrale (DLT) is pleased to announce their critically acclaimed walkabout performance The Stranger, returns to Toronto with a brand-new version – The Stranger 2.0.  Designed for the first time to include two audience members at a time and featuring an exciting new virtual reality component developed by mixed reality content specialists toasterlab, The Stranger 2.0 will unfold on the streets of Toronto September 18 – 29, 2019 with a new cast, new scenes, new locations, and a choice between two independent journeys: above & below.

above: A cross-city adventure with a retro Italian flavour that takes participants from a midtown area to locations they have likely never explored before.

below: A downtown adventure in the underground areas of Toronto where performers emerge from the crowds.

In 2014, DLT presented the first, award-winning version of The Stranger at the SummerWorks Performance Festival. Sold out editions have run around the world including in India and Europe and DLT brought two new versions back to Toronto in 2015 and 2016.  The Stranger 2.0 continues The Stranger tradition of an immersive and interactive theatrical experience in which the city becomes the stage and the audience becomes the protagonist. Designed for two audience members at a time, this 75 to 90-minute journey thrusts participants into a secret world.  By following "strangers" into streets, alleyways and undisclosed locations, the downtown is transformed into an urban labyrinth and participants find themselves at the centre of an unfolding narrative that blurs the lines between reality and fiction.

“DLT is dedicated to exploring new possibilities of audience engagement and further pushing the agency of each spectator in their own adventure.  We are incredibly excited to continue this with The Stranger 2.0: above & below,” says Daniele Bartolini, Artistic Director, DLT.  “In 2.0, Toronto audiences are invited to embark on a voyage across the city and will experience the next level of immersive and audience-specific theatre with a digital VR interaction developed by the boundary-pushing team at toasterlab."

The Stranger 2.0 kicks off Close Up (Primo Piano) - a new season of shows and events by Bartolini with Executive Producer Thomas L. Mallon and DopoLavoro Teatrale, community sponsor Villa Charities Inc. and in association with Istituto Italiano di Cultura. The Close Up (Primo Piano) season features an exciting lineup of site-specific and immersive programming including a Christmas production, a new play that addresses the issues faced by parents who work in the arts, and a festival featuring contemporary site-specific Italian theatre.  More details about the season will be announced in the coming weeks.

About DLT
Founded in 2006 in Florence, Italy by Artistic Director Daniele Bartolini and based in Toronto since 2012, DLT is an international company dedicated to innovation and experimental multi-disciplinary artistic practices. The audience has always played a pivotal role in DLT’s work and they have continuously explored the relationship between artist and spectator. DLT productions have grown from theatre shows and installations to fully interactive, urban-immersive creations designed to give audience members an active role inside a dramatic structure.  DLT presented their first fully immersive creation Midway Along the Journey of Our Life at the SummerWorks Performance Festival in 2013.  Other recent works include The Ugly Mess That Happened in St. Catharines at the 2016 In the Soil Arts Festival, the critically acclaimed Off Limits Zone presented at the 10^th Anniversary Luminato Festival, the immersive dining experience Leonardo’s Last Supper and the 2019 Dora nominated If on a Christmas Night.

About The Stranger 2.0
Written and directed by Daniele Bartolini
Assistant Director and Production Manager:  Raylene Turner
Produced by Daniele Bartolini, DLT, Istituto Italiano di Cultura
Executive Producer:  Thomas L. Mallon
Community sponsor: Villa Charities
Virtual reality scene produced and developed by toasterlab with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts

Tickets: General - $50 each, VIP - $90 each (VIP experience contains secret content)
Dates: September 18th - 29th, 2019
Times: Weekdays: 5pm – 9:10pm (shows start every 20 minutes) + VIP @ 9:30pm
Weekends: 3pm – 7:10pm (shows start every 20 minutes) + VIP @ 7:30pm

Location: Starting point for The Stranger 2.0: above is a secret location around in Midtown west. Starting point for The Stranger 2.0: below is a secret location around the downtown core. Tickets holders will be notified by email of the exact meeting point 24 hours before their show time.

Social Media
Web: www.dltexperience.com
Facebook: @dltinteractivetheatricalexperience
Instagram: @Dopolavoroteatrale
Twitter: @dltexperience
#TheStranger2.0