On Thursday August 5, the Donmar Warehouse production of Blindness officially opened on the stage of the Princess of Wales Theatre for a limited August run – the first indoor theatre presentation in Toronto since the pandemic shut down all theatres.

Rave reviews from critics and audiences immediately followed. (The Globe & Mail critic even wrote: “when I spotted producer David Mirvish, I had to repress an urge to give him a hug.”) Two days later the show’s entire run was completely sold out.

Due to popular demand, Blindness will return to the Princess of Wales Theatre for a fall engagement, September 24 to October 24, 2021. (In between the show’s August dates and its fall run, the Toronto International Film Festival will take over the Princess of Wales for many of its gala presentations.)

Tickets to the fall Blindness run will go on sale to the public at 12 Noon on August 14, 2021 through www.mirvish.com, the only authorized online source. All seats are $69.

The capacity for the fall engagement will increase from 50 to 80 people per performance, while still adhering to the two-metre social distancing rule between pods of audience members who are seated in ones and twos on the massive stage of the Princess of Wales Theatre. Everyone in attendance, including all staff, will be masked.

New for both the August and fall performances is a $29 Rush Seat policy. Availability will vary by performance and is not guaranteed. Rush tickets will be available to purchase online at www.mirvish.com three (3) hours before each showtime. (For instance, rush seats for 2 pm shows will be available at 11 am on the same day, and so on for all performances per day.)

AT THE THEATRE:

• The show runs 75 minutes without an intermission.

• Each performance will be limited to 80 people.

• Every precaution will be taken to ensure that each audience member is safe and comfortable during this very special event.

• All audience members must wear a mask for the duration of their visit for this event.

• All audience members will be seated (socially distanced, in pairs and singles) on the immense stage of the Princess of Wales Theatre.

• Each person will be given sanitized headphones through which they will be told the story by the illustrious stage, screen, TV and audiobook star Juliet Stevenson.

• The sound design is binaural, making the work sound as if it were physically happening around you, putting you in the centre of the action.

For FAQ about Blindness and Covid-19 Audience Safety Measures:

www.mirvish.com

ABOUT BLINDNESS:

Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, for which he won both the Tony and Olivier awards for best play) has adapted Nobel Prize-winner José Saramago’s dystopian novel Blindness as a sound installation directed by Walter Meierjohann with immersive binaural sound design by Ben and Max Ringham. Juliet Stevenson voices the Storyteller/Doctor’s wife in this gripping story of the rise and, ultimately, profoundly hopeful end of an unimaginable global pandemic.

As the lights change at a major crossroads in a city in the heart of Europe a car grinds to a halt. Its driver can drive no more. Suddenly, without warning or cause, he has gone blind. Within hours it is clear that this is a blindness like no other. This blindness is infectious. Within days an epidemic of blindness has spread through the city. The government tries to quarantine the contagion by herding the newly blind people into an empty asylum. But their attempts are futile. The city is in panic.

Blindness had its world premiere at London’s Donmar Warehouse in August 2020, where it received rave reviews and reopened the theatre for audiences for the first time in over five months. It has subsequently been performed in major cities around the world, when the COVID pandemic has subsided in each community.

The creative team includes: Designer Lizzie Clachan, Lighting Designer Jessica Hung Han Yun, Production Consultant Professor Hannah Thompson and Resident Assistant Director Sara Aniqah Malik. The Toronto associates are Dayna Tekatch (direction), Aaron Hanna (sound) and Frank Donato (lighting).

A Donmar Warehouse Production, presented in Toronto by David Mirvish.

Now Playing Until August 29, 2021

New Extension: September 24 to October 24, 2021

On the Stage of the Princess of Wales Theatre – 300 King St. West Toronto, ON

Fall Engagement Tickets (all seats $69) On Sale August 14, 2021

New $29 Rush Seats, based on availability three hours prior to each showtime

All tickets available only through www.mirvish.com

Fall Performance Schedule

September 24 – October 24, 2021

Tue - Sun: 2 pm, 5:30 pm, 8 pm

Running Time: 75 minutes – no intermission