In between this life and the next, every person must be judged. For performers, that judgement is doled out in an audition hall somewhere beyond the cosmos. Under the misanthropic eye of a tyrannical director, eight such performers have come to compete for the role of an afterlifetime: a shot at what lies beyond. Only one will be selected, and the rest will face the howling chasm of oblivion. From across the great divide of time and space, each will have to confront their deepest fears. Are any of them worthy of a chance at what’s next?
Written & Performed by: Benan Ali, Oshen Aoun, Jake Bunyan, Jake Cohen, Jake Geronimo, Meg Gibson, Carter Gulseth, Artie Lorraine, Juliana Monk, Bella Reyes and Erika Squires
Script by: Carter Gulseth
Directed by:Cherissa Richards
Based on a concept by Tetsuro Shigematsu, with dramaturgy and artistic contribution by Daniela Atiencia
Running time: 90 minutes
Content Warnings: Haze and strobe
Poster Design by: Meg GibsonA3 and Jake GeronimoA3
I have had the extreme pleasure of meeting these artists at the culmination of their two-year Creation work. They are all incredibly smart, passionate and driven artists, and I am the lucky director who got to guide them to the finish line on this exciting project! This has been a true collaboration between all the artists and coaches involved in the making and dreaming up of this show, and they have all put their hearts and souls into this work. Deadline uniquely represents this third-year class and their big and brave imaginations. It has been a thrill and an honour to see these students rise to every challenge that is thrown at them, and I am delighted for us all to dive into this exhilarating kaleidoscope world for a spell!
– Cherissa Richards
Benan AliA3
James (fight captain)
Edmonton, AB
Traditional territory of the Cree, Dene, Nakota Sioux, Anishinaabe, and Niitsitapi
Oshen AounA3
Decimus
Lebanon
Jake BunyanA3
Chase
Calgary, AB
Traditional and ancestral territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut’ina Nation, Stoney Nakoda, and home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).
Jake CohenA3
Janitor (composer)
Tiohtià:ke/Montréal, QC
Unceded traditional Kanien’kehá:ka territory
Jake GeronimoA3
Lesley
Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC
Meg GibsonA3
Maeve (composer)
Kingston, ON
Traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat.
Carter GulsethA3
Director (fight captain)
British Columbia
Artie LorraineA3
Evelyn
Winnipeg, MB
Treaty 1 Territory
Juliana MonkA3
Ruby-Jane (Choreographer)
Victoria, BC
Lək̓ʷəŋən Traditional Territory
Bella ReyesA3
Mariela
Ottawa, ON
Traditional unceded territory of the Anishinàbe Algonquin People
Erika SquiresA3
Stage Manager
Mount Pearl, Ktaqmkuk (NL)
The ancestral and unceded waters and lands of the Beothuk and Mi’kmaq
Jess J. JanderaSCD3
Set and Prop Design Assistant
Vancouver, BC
Unceded shared territories of the, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.
Nikki MabiasSCD3
Costume Design Assistant
Montreal, QC
Tiohtià:ke, unceded Kanien’kehà:ka territory
Zoe DacaPDTA3
Lighting Designer
Grimsby, ON
Traditional Territory of the Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee
Beatrice FreedmanPDTA3
Video Designer
Hamilton, ON
traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas.
Nezren Pittoors-McMahonPDTA3
Sound Designer
Aylmer, QC
Unceded territory of the Omàmìwininìwag and Anishinabeg
Alex SykesPDTA3
Production Manager
St. Catharines, ON
Traditional Territory of the Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee
Eiden FrenchPDTA3
Technical Director
Bath, Maine
Traditional Territory Arosaguntacook and Nanrantsouak of the Wabanaki Confederacy
Kahentanó:ron Bri MontourNP
Assistant Technical Director
Kahnawake, QC
Kanien’kehá:ka Territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy
Alex JoycePDTA3
Stage Manager
Goulds, NL
Ktaqmkuk, unceded traditional Beothuk & Mi’kmaw territory
Fernando Maya Meneses (Set and Costume Design, 2023)
Set and Costume Designer
Mexico city, Mexico
Nico NogueraPDTA2
Assistant Lighting Designer/Carpenter
Max MalfaraPDTA2
Assistant Stage Manager
Matthew IvanoffPDTA1
Assistant Stage Manager
Xasha StevensPDTA2
Head Carpenter
Sephora N’KosiPDTA2
Associate ATD/Carpenter
Katie WebbPDTA2
Head of Lighting/Carpenter
João VelosoPDTA2
Head of Video/Carpenter
Dani RoyerPDTA2
Head of Sound/Carpenter
Cameron GillieSCD1
Scenic Painter/Costume Crew
Dylan DesjardinsSCD1
Scenic Painter/Costume Crew
Shea SpaffordSCD1
Scenic Painter/Costume Crew
Yasmine BrownSCD1
Scenic Painter/Costume Crew
Andréa de KeiserSCD1
Scenic Painter/Costume Crew
Marie-Pier Bourdeau LabergeSCD1
Scenic Painter/Costume Crew
Mona LéonSCD1
Scenic Painter/Costume Crew
Myriam Daphné OlivierSCD1
Scenic Painter/Costume Crew
Sara StarlingPDTA1
Video Assistant/Crew
Kate Munro-BergfeldtPDTA1
Sound Assistant/Crew
Teddy MacRaePDTA1
Lighting Assistant/Crew
Kathleen GreeningPDTA1
Associate PM/Crew
Duncan GouldIR
Carpenter
Maiyah JohnsonPDTA1
Crew
Aydin DezellPDTA1
Crew
Tehatkatonnions BushPDTA1
Crew
Andrea Lundy
Program Director and Production Management
Caroline Aki Matsushita Guertin
Dramaturge
Rebecca Harper
Movement
Lauren Maykut
Voice
Jonathan Patterson
Music
Nicole Moller
Fight Director/Intimacy Coach
Véronique St-Germain
Makeup Consultant
Réjean Forget
Hair Consultant
Marjorie Lefebvre
Technical Coach
Angela Rassenti (Set and Costume Design, 2008)
Properties
Timothy Rodrigues (Production Design and Technical Arts, 2006)
Lighting Design
Cameron Davis
Video Design
Michael Wanless (Production Design and Technical Arts, 2020)
Sound Design
Maria Popoff
Stage Management
David Surette (Production Design and Technical Arts, 1996)
Technical Direction
Véronique Pagnoux
Scenic Painting
Guillaume Simard (Création et production, 2010)
Head Carpenter – Scene Shop
Christian Larochelle
Scene Shop Carpenter
Guillaume Ménard-Crête
Interim MN Stage Carpenter
Vincent Sauvé
Interim MN Head of Lighting
Bianca Bernier
MN Head of Sound
Michael Slack (Set and Costume Design, 2001)
Costume Project Manager
Julia Metzger
Costume Project Manager
Hugues Auguste
Costume Workshop Assistant
Didier Sénécal (Set and Costume Design, 2023)
Wardrobe Storage Supervisor
Floriane Vachon
Wardrobe Storage Supervisor
Raphaëlle Rieu
Stitcher
Margarita Brodie (Set and Costume Design, 2020)
Dye and Patina
Julie Fournier
Eco Project Manager
Violence in Motion, Sarah Pitman, Kinsey Hollis and Michael Hajj.
The land on which we are gathered has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst nations. It is part of the traditional unceded territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka, whose rich cultural heritage continues to teach us that respect, dialogue and peace are pillars of democratic governance.
Studio Hydro-Québec
Monument-National Campus
(St-Laurent metro)
1182 Saint-Laurent, Montréal
The show is in English.
Everything you see on stage, as well as what happens behind the scenes, is created by students from the Production Design and Technical Arts, Set and Costume Design, and Acting programs.
At the National Theatre School of Canada, we believe that theatre should be accessible to everyone. That’s why we are introducing a pay-what-you-can ticketing system, allowing everyone to attend our productions regardless of their financial situation.
Audiences can choose from five ticket categories based on what best suits their circumstances. Each ticket purchased not only supports our programs, but also helps make the theatre more inclusive and accessible to everyone.
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Each ticket purchased not only supports our programs, but also helps make the theatre more inclusive and accessible to everyone.
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