Talk is Free Theatre Artistic Producer Arkady Spivak announced today that their 24/25 season will come to a close with a festival in honour of the god of theatre: The Festival of Dionysos.

The new immersive and participatory festival, which includes eight works of varying styles and genres taking place June 19-July 6 at various locations in and around Barrie, is curated by Griffin Hewitt, whose work as a performer, director and writer has been seen at TIFT frequently.

“Last year’s I Do! I Don’t! I Dare! festival was inspiring, sharing all kinds of performances all over the city for Barrie residents and visitors to enjoy,” says Spivak. “I am very excited by the collection of offerings Griffin has put together for The Festival of Dionysos, and I can’t wait for people to take part in what we do as theatre professionals every day–celebrate the god of theatre!”

Audiences can expect a wide variety of ways to take part in the festival, with offerings that include participating in the creation of theatre, installation art, new play readings, improv, and a Sondheim musical.

The flagship production of the festival is The Frogs (June 19-July 5), a comedy written in 405 BC by Aristophanes, freely adapted by Burt Shevelove, even more freely adapted by Nathan Lane, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and original direction and choreography by Susan Stroman. The Frogs is a boisterously hilarious, yet poignant, musical that follows Dionysos, Greek god of wine and drama, and his slave, Xanthias, on a journey to Hades to collect renowned critic and playwright, George Bernard Shaw, so that he may enlighten the masses of Earth. Hewitt directs this production, staged outdoors in a residential garden (801 Big Bay Point Road).

Lapwing is a new verbatim musical about the myth of Icarus that is being created by Griffin Hewitt and Kelsi James. For this event, audiences are invited to participate in the early creation stages of the musical (June 22 at 4 and 6 p.m., the Meridian Place Stage), where they will take a guided exploration of the myth, share knowledge, collaborate, conceive of new endings, and ultimately have their ideas included in the composition.

Jamie Cavanagh and TIFT regular Richard Lam will bring the Olympian gods of improv to life in Olymprov (June 14 and July 1, 80 Bradford Street), a two-hander in which audiences join the action–even dressed as an Athenian, if they wish.

Underworlds (June 26-29 and July 3-6) is a series of five unique sensory installations at various locations inside the Barrie By The Bay Commercial Complex (80 Bradford Street). Participants can choose between a spacial audio installation where sound reacts to movement (Listening Field), a hybrid physical/projection piece that mimics a waiting room to purgatory (The Waiting Room), a physical installation that explores the boundary between whimsy and unease (Underland: Where Shadows Giggle), an audio/interactive experience that suggests the echoes of the river Styx (Lying in Wait), and a physical/sensory piece inspired by Celtic mythology and a mysterious realm (Exploring the Overworld). All five installations occur simultaneously and repeat each night with four nightly slots, beginning at 7 p.m. Patrons can purchase entry to these events à la carte.

In another feat of collaborative theatre creation, How Legends Are Made (June 28 at 1, 2 and 3 p.m., 80 Bradford Street), audiences will feed the rapid-fire creation, rehearsal, and presentation of a piece of theatre from scratch–and with their input–with three actors helping facilitate, all done in thirty minutes.

For anyone who feels they deserve to be celebrated, Pompe and Circumstance (July 1 at 5 and 7 p.m., meeting at Five Points Theatre) provides that chance. In groups of up to six people, participants will meet a Dionysian Chorus who will teach them a celebratory ritual, music and movements for their very own parade as guests of honor adorned in the vine leaves and drapery of the god of theatre himself.

Rooted in Legend is a pair of new play readings, each exploring our shared relationship with ancient legends—and how they echo through our world today. This Feels Like The End (July 2, 7:00 p.m.), by Bonnie Duff, is a contemporary thriller in which five individuals must grapple with how to live when one day the sun inexplicably doesn’t rise. Chok(H)her (July 3, 7:00 p.m.), by Isabelle Ellis, is a reimagining of the classic horror tale The Green Ribbon, that centres on two teenage boys who witness their neighbor in a compromising moment. Both readings take place at Springwater Provincial Park.

Admission to the festival’s events varies from $5 - $75 + HST, depending on the piece. Patrons are invited to visit the The Festival of Dionysus Page at www.tift.ca for complete details, event schedule, and to purchase tickets.