Theatre Gargantua to Present World Premiere of THE SACRIFICE ZONE, 11/13-11/30

Toronto's acclaimed Theatre Gargantua proudly presents the world premiere of The Sacrifice Zone, marking the Canadian debut of Australian playwright Suzie Miller of The Uncertainty Principle. Representing the culmination of the company's tenth cycle of work, The Sacrifice Zone is directed by Jacquie Thomas, Artistic Director of Theatre Gargantua, and is a dynamic investigation into the harrowing pursuit of justice after a fatal explosion in an industry town dedicated to resource extraction. The Sacrifice Zone opens November 14 and runs to November 30 (previews November 13) at the Factory Studio Theatre.

The Sacrifice Zone uses a compelling mix of Theatre Gargantua's trademark highly physical, imagistic style coupled with technology and music to explore the human cost incurred in a complicated bid for justice. In our chaotic, competitive universe how much would you sacrifice to make things right? Real world issues of individual, corporate and environmental responsibility come to the fore in this multi-layered story of a man and a woman who struggle to come to grips with the tragic loss of their partners and the consequences of their pursuit of justice.

Thomas and Miller first met in Quebec City during rehearsals for Robert Lepage's new work Playing Cards, and discovered that they shared similar artistic philosophies and aesthetics. Once Thomas revealed that Gargantua's next development cycle was exploring the idea of justice, Miller's former career as a human rights lawyer seemed a perfect fit and this international collaboration was born. The creation process was initiated in the spring of 2012. Using actual life experiences of the creative team as source material the company began exploring the human instinct for fairness, and our unquenchable need for justice - a paradigm that defies objective definition. Gargantua was in Sydney for further development this past January.

The acting ensemble for The Sacrifice Zone features Ciara Adams, Joel Benson, Pam Patel, Michael Spence. Dramaturgy is by Bruce Barton; Set Design by Michael Spence; Lighting and Projection Design by Laird Macdonald; Costume Design by Sheree Tams and Sound Design and live foley performance is by John Gzowski. Yolanda Ferrato is the Associate Producer and Tracy Lynne Cann is the Production Stage Manager.

Theatre Gargantua is a Dora-winning, artist-driven creative ensemble, producing ground-breaking movement-Theatre Projects in two-year cycles. A multi-disciplinary creation approach begets an ever-evolving, increasingly informed, provocative style all its own. As founding Artistic Director of Theatre Gargantua, Jacquie P.A. Thomaswears many hats. She has been nominated for 10 Dora Mavor Moore Awards for artistic contributions to the company while the theatre has received 28 over the course of its 21 year existence. Past works directed by Thomas for Theatre Gargantua include IMPRINTS, e-DENTITY, fIBBER, Raging Dreams, (nod), Phantom Limb and THE EXIT ROOM. Select credits outside Gargantua include the Ossetynski Actors Lab in Los Angeles, Roy HArt Theatre in France, The National Theatre of Greece and the Gardzienice Theatre Association of Poland.

The Uncertainty Principle, established in both Sydney, Australia and London, UK, creates work incorporating novel theatre forms underpinned with dynamic and narrative text. Other Current Productions include OVEREXPOSED scheduled for a multi-venue release, Everything I Have at the Sydney Opera House and Victorian Arts Centre as well as Queensland Theatre Company and UK venues. The company is led by multi-award winning playwright Suzie Miller who was a writer in residence at Sydney's Griffin Theatre in 2012 and has worked with international directors in five countries, and twice been attached to The National Theatre in London. Miller's work includes Caress/Ache(developed at The National Theatre in London), JUNE, Infidelity, DUST, Driving Into Walls (Sydney Opera House - 2013), In the Heart of Darby Park, Transparency(nominated by the Irish Times and other Irish newspapers as 'best of' 2009), SOLD, Reasonable Doubt (NY Fringe Festival's Excellence in Playwriting Award), All the Blood and All the Water, Cross Sections, Confused Sea Conditions and Flight/Fright Mode.

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