Toronto’s getting its very own version of New York City’s Sleep No More — and this time, you actually have a chance to get tickets.
After a completely sold-out debut earlier this year, Ophis, the city’s seductive, choose-your-own-adventure Medusa myth, is returning to The Great Hall this January. The remount comes from Transcen|Dance Project, the company that first brought large-scale immersive theatre (the run-where-you-want, follow-who-you-want kind) to Toronto with hits like Eve of St. George and A Grimm Night. Think moody lighting, masked audiences, eerie corridors and choreography so close you can hear the dancers breathe.
“I tend to like things that lean a little darker,” says artistic director Julia Cratchley. “I like things that have some sexiness to it, some mystery to it. I love working in worlds that have some sort of fantasy or magic quality to it because it creatively allows us to do so much more.”
And yes — Toronto really is doing this now. If you’ve ever wished Sleep No More (the award-winning immersive theatre production in New York City) would spawn a northern cousin, this is it.
Audiences enter wearing masks and are let loose across four floors of the historic Great Hall, discovering hidden scenes, one-on-one encounters and an entirely reimagined Medusa — one who isn’t a monster, but a woman reclaiming power. “Everyone’s experience can be quite different,” Cratchley says. “There are four to six scenes happening at once, so you’re always choosing whose story you’re going to follow.”
Cratchley (a rare breed of choreographer-director-producer hybrid and the brain behind this whole fever dream) describes Ophis as a “choose-your-own-adventure meets haunted house” experience — minus the jump scares, plus a lot more seduction. The show unfolds in simultaneous storylines, meaning every audience member sees something different…and misses a hundred other things.
“Even if you came last time, you didn’t actually see the whole show,” Cratchley laughs. “It’s impossible. And we’re adding even more this round.”
While the myth of Medusa has been borrowed, rewritten and feminist-reclaimed countless times, Ophis weaves together several lesser-known retellings with Cratchley’s own interpretations. The result is a version of Medusa who is vulnerable, powerful, misunderstood and magnetic — far from the villain audiences might expect. “I love villains,” she says. “One of the reasons I love them is that they’re often so misunderstood. With Medusa, I wanted to find the vulnerability in her and give her some of her power back.”
Cratchley’s inspiration came years ago, when she saw a Medusa ballet in London and realized the story was ripe for an immersive world. Cue several years of research, reading modern reinterpretations and crafting multiple intersecting plotlines (because this show runs up to six scenes at once).
“It’s such a misunderstood story,” she says. “I wanted to give Medusa her power back — without losing the parts of her that are messy or heartbreaking.”
The entire production is scored by award-winning Canadian composer Owen Belton, whose atmospheric music basically functions as its own character. Cratchley built the choreography and narrative alongside Belton’s score, creating something that feels like stepping into a living dream. “His score is so incredible,” she says. “I feel like you could just go into the building and listen to the music and have an experience.”
Ophis debuted to overwhelming demand, the kind that leaves entire weeks sold out and audiences begging for more shows. The production also earned two Dora Award nominations — including Outstanding Production — which made a remount feel inevitable.
“You always wish you had more time the first round,” Cratchley says. “A remount lets us expand scenes, add new moments, deepen storylines, and create more intimate encounters. The world just gets richer.” She adds, “For me, I think this is our best show, so it’s exciting to take it up another notch.”
And while the show attracts theatre people, the majority of the crowd? Not at all.
“We call them the muggles,” Cratchley jokes. “People who don’t normally go to dance or theatre, but love an experience. They come for the adventure and accidentally fall in love with contemporary dance.” As she puts it: “We’re the only ones doing it like this in Canada — and you’ve got to be a little bit crazy to make these shows.”
In other words: it’s the show your nightlife friend, your art-lover friend and your “I don’t usually do theatre” friend can all enjoy together.
Ophis will run from Jan. 9–18 at The Great Hall, with tickets ranging from $60 for general admission to $110 for VIP and $160 for a special Behind the Curtain experience.
If you missed Ophis the first time, don’t make that mistake again. Between the masks, the mythology, the four floors of roaming freedom, and this upcoming year’s expanded storyline, the show is set to be one of Toronto’s most hypnotic theatre events of the winter.
