Title 66 Productions to Present NUCLEAR SKY: THE EXPERIMENT, 6/3-7

Title 66 Productions, the company that brought Clive Barker's play The History of the Devil to the Fantasia International Film Festival, is excited to present Nuclear Sky: The Experiment as part of Montreal Digital Spring 2015. This devised, collectively created work will be at Theatre Rouge du Conservatoire for five shows only, June 3-7. Integrating new media technologies, Nuclear Sky: The Experiment is the ambitious vision of Jeremy Michael Segal and Logan Williams. The talented cast of nine performers from dance, theatre, film, circus and music, along with eight designers from various fields, will make this an unforgettable, immersive experience. Contains nudity.

With their newest work, Title 66 Productions investigates the paradoxical isolation that has taken hold of society- is technology irreconcilable with human connection? Is violence a natural impulse or is contemporary war fuelled by this breakdown of communication? Nuclear Sky: The Experiment explores the dehumanizing consequences of war and technology on society in this digital age. Bertolt Brecht's play Mother Courage and Her Children is used as the structure and starting point for exploring themes of loss, nuclear devastation, the impact of social media, and humanity's disconnection from the natural world. Through inventive and innovative use of text, movement, dance, lighting, video, live sound manipulation, live music, and new interactive media technologies, audiences will experience the journey of a mother and her children as they navigate through a surreal, war-torn world.

Co-Director Logan Williams is compelled to share this story from the fringes of war about the power of a mother's loss. For Williams, the question is how to bring this piece into the 21st century: "As Canadians, despite the social and political wars we face in this country, we are unfamiliar with war and violent conflict on our soil. Mother Courage is set distinctly during war, with not one scene depicting killing or violence in the name of warfare, provoking a disconnection from war's ravages." He continues, "This is made even more obvious today via the reception of war through social media platforms as well as slanted news articles and the Internet in general. In a 'slacktivist' society, is a Facebook status or an Instagram photo enough to fully understand the severity of our modern world? Does our ignorance weaken change or is it saving us from insanity?" For Williams, bringing the company together from multiple backgrounds has been vital in creating a dynamic and unique theatre experience, "We work together as an entire team. Each person has shaped the way I look at performance, as well as Mother Courage itself."

Co-Director Jeremy Michael Segal is thrilled to be incorporating technology into Nuclear Sky: The Experiment, "It feels like a moment of collision. My interests in theatre, performance, dance, writing, design, and technology are all coming together under this one project." What Segal finds most exciting about this piece is the process- creating the show almost entirely from scratch to truly craft a 'Title 66' vision: "It feels incredibly freeing not to be tied down to a set script. As well, it's inspiring to have such a brilliant team of unique, passionate creators from different disciplines influencing the production. Co-directing with Logan, my fellow Title 66 co-founder, is a great experience. We have very different approaches, but compliment each other's styles really well. I've learned a lot from his methods." For Segal, the show is in the title, "It's literally an experiment; we're following our imaginations. Devising a play during rehearsals is very difficult; new ideas are constantly created and destroyed with an intense momentum. As a director, it's scary not having the time to pause and reflect, yet it's exhilarating to let go and trust your instincts." Performer Gitanjali Jain voices many company members' thoughts, "The Title 66 team is a most dynamic, curious and fearless group of people. I admire their need to push boundaries, ask questions and create art that provokes reactions and leads to more questions."

Title 66 benefitted from a residency at the Hexagram-Concordia Centre for Research-Creation in Media Arts and Technologies. The directors' interest in dynamic projection, non-conventional lighting, modern soundscape, interactive technology and water as the play's scenographic environment is beautifully realized; the design aesthetic consists of shallow pools of water reflecting light within a sleek, black environment. Video is used for both imagery and digital text. Custom projection mapping software enables projections to be targeted onto specific surfaces. Sound is used in novel ways, physically interacting with other scenic elements.

Multidisciplinary performers are: Gitanjali Jain, Geneviève Bolla, Adam Capriolo, Béata Groves, Natalie Liconti, Adrian Manicom, Arielle Palik, Patrick Rogers and Ilana Zackon. Spanning multiple fields, talented designers are: Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, lighting; Kenny Lefebvre, video; Clara Congdon, costumes; and Roze Bell, props, along with designers from the Hexagram-Concordia Centre: Lenka Novakova, scenic environment; Joseph Browne, sound; Omar Faleh and Nikolaos Chandolias, projection mapping.

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