Theatre Gargantua's THE SACRIFICE ZONE Continues Through 11/30

Toronto's acclaimed Theatre Gargantua (TG) opened the world premiere of The Sacrifice Zone on November 14, marking the Canadian debut of Australian playwright Suzie Miller of The Uncertainty Principle and the culmination of the company's tenth cycle of work. The Sacrifice Zone runs to November 30, 2013 at the Factory Studio Theatre.

Directed by Jacquie P.A. Thomas, Artistic Director of Theatre Gargantua, The Sacrifice Zone is a dynamic investigation into the harrowing pursuit of justice after a fatal explosion in an industry town dedicated to resource extraction.

Gargantua's talented acting ensemble for The Sacrifice Zone is: Ciara Adams, Joel Benson, Pam Patel, Michelle Polack, and Michael Spence.

Real world issues of individual, corporate and environmental responsibility come to the fore in The Sacrifice Zone's 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.

The Sacrifice Zone uses a compelling mix of Theatre Gargantua's trademark highly physical, imagistic style coupled with technology and music, including live foley by John Gzowski, to explore the human cost incurred in a complicated bid for 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.

Theatre Gargantua is a Dora-winning, creative ensemble, producing ground-breaking movement-Theatre Projects in two-year cycles. At the heart of its mandate and artistic activity is the desire to create compelling, multidisciplinary theatrical works and to enrich the artistic development of theatre practitioners.

An artist-driven company, Artistic Director Jacquie P.A. Thomas founded Theatre Gargantua in 1992. Thomas was honoured with a 2013 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and has been nominated for 10 Dora Mavor Moore Awards for artistic contributions to the company while the theatre itself has garnered 28 Dora nominations. Past works directed by Thomas for Theatre Gargantua include IMPRINTS, e-DENTITY (which went on to be included in Mirvish Productions' subscription series), fIBBER, Raging Dreams, (nod), Phantom Limb and THE EXIT ROOM. 2013 marks the 21st season for Theatre Gargantua and The Sacrifice Zone marks its 10th cycle of work.

The Uncertainty Principle, established in both Sydney, Australia and London, UK, creates work incorporating novel theatre forms underpinned with dynamic and narrative text. 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.

Photo by Michael Cooper