Welcome to the Bunker – Toronto Fringe 2017 Press Release

Bunker

Excerpt from Press Release:

Welcome to the Bunker! is an immersive zombie apocalypse comedy set in a bunker deep below Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace. Katie, a young zombie rights activist, and Todd, an antisocial doomsday prepper, will give you and your fellow survivors an orientation into bunker living that could just save your lives- if everything goes according to their half-assed, yet optimistic, plan. Feelings Circles! Obsessive rationing! Nearly fully figured out chemical toilets! Just ignore that scratching coming from the walls, won’t you?

Bunker! was created as a collaboration between two very different artistic disciplines: comedy/improvisation, and traditional theatre, plus a side of nerdy obsession with horror tropes. Welcome to the Bunker! is a fast, furious, non-stop comedy that uses the ridiculous cliches of zombie mythology to explore themes such as generational tension, loss, and hope in the face of disaster. Like…a really big, gory disaster.

This is the first collaboration between Clare Blackwood and Ryan F. Hughes. Ryan is an award-winning playwright, actor, and improviser. He is a graduate of the National Theatre School’s playwrighting program and Second City Toronto’s Conservatory program. Clare Blackwood has worked with many independent theatre companies in Toronto, specializing in Shakespeare and musical theatre, and is a My Entertainment World Award best ensemble winner for Romeo and (her) Juliet (Urban Bard/Headstrong Collective). Director Alison Louder has previously assistant directed 2016 Patron’s Pick The Harvester (Rabbit in a Hat Prod.) and has held a spot on the Best Local Actress Top 10 list in Montreal for over a decade. Film/tv credits include Being Human, Murdoch Mysteries, Saving Hope, and Xavier Dolan’s upcoming film The Death and Life of John F. Donovan. Stage Manager Justine Cargo was the assistant stage manager for 2016 Fringe hit Romeo and Juliet Chainsaw Massacre, and stage manager for Storefront Theatre’s Tough Jews, nominated for 6 Dora Awards.

Don’t miss this Fringe’s weirdo, underground (literally!) zombie hit that will have you die laughing, rise again laughing, and eat some brains. Laughing.

Details

  • Welcome to the Bunker! plays at the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace. (16 Ryerson Ave.)
  • Tickets are $12. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes for serious Fringers.
  • Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Fringe Club at Scadding Court, and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
  • Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.
  • Content Warnings: Audience Participation, Mature Language.
  • This venue is wheelchair-accessible, with some tight cornering. Accessible seating is in the front row.

Performances

  • Wednesday July 5th, 10:00 pm
  • Friday July 7th, 06:30 pm
  • Sunday July 9th, 09:45 pm
  • Tuesday July 11th, 08:30 pm
  • Wednesday July 12th, 04:45 pm
  • Thursday July 13th, 06:15 pm
  • Friday July 14th, 03:30 pm
  • Saturday July 15th, 01:00 pm

Photo of Clare Blackwood and Ryan F. Hughes by Max Telzerow.