Virtual Ambrose
Show Summary
In December 1919, theatre tycoon and self-made millionaire Ambrose Small sold all of his theatres, deposited the cheque, had lunch with his wife, bought a newspaper - and then disappeared. Adapted from Single Thread’s original productions of Ambrose in 2015 and 2016, Virtual Ambrose is a reimagined digital installation experience. The mystery is explored as audiences go behind the curtains of The Grand Theatre, prompted by beacons that tell the untold story with the aid of a custom mobile app. This digital installation experience has been condensed and streamlined into an audio-only piece for presentation as part of the 2022 Shortwave Festival. A project of Single Thread Theatre Company commissioned by the City of Kingston with additional support from the Ontario Arts Council, the Kick & Push Festival, Southeastern Ontario and Playlines Inc. Recorded at CFRC 101.9 FM in partnership with the Shortwave Theatre Festival.
Cast
Tour Guide/Eleanor | Haley Sarfeld
Usher/Narrator/Dotty/Voice Beneath the Stage | Christian Milanovic
Theresa/Caretaker/Mother Actor | Tracey Guptill
Jackie/Dicky Actor | Grahame Renyk
Clara | Selina Chiarelli
Patrick Sullivan | John Geddes
Freddie/Audience Member | Oliver Parkins
Crew
Playwright | Adam Seybold
Directors | James Hyett and Liam Karry
Editor & Sound Designer | Cameron McNeil
iOS App Developer | Michael Matan
Production Manager | Amanda Baker
Producer | Liam Karry
In December 1919, theatre tycoon and self-made millionaire Ambrose Small sold all of his theatres, deposited the cheque, had lunch with his wife, bought a newspaper - and then disappeared. Adapted from Single Thread’s original productions of Ambrose in 2015 and 2016, Virtual Ambrose is a reimagined digital installation experience. The mystery is explored as audiences go behind the curtains of The Grand Theatre, prompted by beacons that tell the untold story with the aid of a custom mobile app. This digital installation experience has been condensed and streamlined into an audio-only piece for presentation as part of the 2022 Shortwave Festival. A project of Single Thread Theatre Company commissioned by the City of Kingston with additional support from the Ontario Arts Council, the Kick & Push Festival, Southeastern Ontario and Playlines Inc. Recorded at CFRC 101.9 FM in partnership with the Shortwave Theatre Festival.
Cast
Tour Guide/Eleanor | Haley Sarfeld
Usher/Narrator/Dotty/Voice Beneath the Stage | Christian Milanovic
Theresa/Caretaker/Mother Actor | Tracey Guptill
Jackie/Dicky Actor | Grahame Renyk
Clara | Selina Chiarelli
Patrick Sullivan | John Geddes
Freddie/Audience Member | Oliver Parkins
Crew
Playwright | Adam Seybold
Directors | James Hyett and Liam Karry
Editor & Sound Designer | Cameron McNeil
iOS App Developer | Michael Matan
Production Manager | Amanda Baker
Producer | Liam Karry
Liam Karry (he/him) is the founding and current artistic director of the Single Thread Theatre Company. He was a founding member and is the current Artistic Producer of the Kingston Theatre Alliance and serves on the board of anARC theatre, as well as the advisory committee for the Simcoe County Theatre Festival. Recent directing credits include: Unless, a site specific immersive experience produced in Bangkok, Thailand, and Collider, a live VR performance, which was co-produced by foldA and the rEvolver festival in June 2021, and by Summerworks and World Stage Design - Calgary in 2022. His next project is PXR2022: a national conference on live performance within extended reality which will occur in November 2022.
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Adam Seybold (he/him) is an award winning writer, actor, and director. A graduate of the MFA Acting program at York University, Adam has been featured in several films including such titles as: Exit Humanity, HellMouth, Ejecta, The Chair, Deadsight and Creep Nation. His play The De Chardin Project won him a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play. He has written and story edited countless screenplays including Let Her Out, Grady Girls, Half Past Midnight, Under Duress, American Monster, Anti-Social 2 and Needle’s Eye. |
Amanda Baker (she/her) is a producer, theatre artist, and technologist specializing in immersive and interactive theatre. She is currently the Festival Administrator for The Kick & Push Festival, Bookkeeper for Generator, and Treasurer for the Kingston Arts Council. She has worked in a variety of creative and administrative roles with recent work including UX Designer for The Social Within the City, Technical Coordinator and Digital Marketing for SwirlsXaRt, and Quality Assurance for Cohort, an open source coding framework that allows artists to use smartphones to run live events. As a disabled artist, accessibility is a strong aspect of her practice, and with the generous support of the CCA, she is currently working on an autobiographical show exploring the humour and realities of living with chronic illness.
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Cameron McNeil (he/him) is a theatre tech, sound designer, and performer based in Kingston, Ontario. He is currently the Technical Director for The Kick & Push Festival, composer for the upcoming Dan School production Everybody, and sound designer for Single Thread’s Virtual Ambrose, whilst continuing study at the Dan School of Drama and Music at Queen’s University with a specialization in composition.
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James Hyett (he/him) is a British-Canadian actor. He is a founding member of First Ditch, a collective making fantasy audio dramas for children, starting with Through the Fairy Circle in 2021. He is also a proud member of Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre's Expand the Canon reading committee, a group devoted to broadening the classical theatre canon to include works by women and non-binary people. Other credits include The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (BMO Lab & Canadian Stage), Lusty Juventus (Poculi Ludique Societas), and Goldilocks and the Three Canadian Bears (Little Red Theatre).
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