This fall, acclaimed choreographer and director Shannon Litzenberger brings her multimedia dance production World After Dark on a multi-city Canadian tour, premiering on October 18, 2024, at the River Run Centre in Guelph, co-presented by Guelph Dance.
This evocative and immersive performance explores the mystery, wonder, and sensory experience of the night, offering audiences a profound reflection on the human connection to darkness and its metaphors.
A decade-long evolution
Beginning in 2014, the production of World After Dark premiered in 2019 at Harbourfront Centre Theatre in Toronto.
Reflecting on the journey of the show, Litzenberger noted that the core themes of the work—our growing disconnect with the night and its metaphorical significance—have become even more relevant as the world grapples with the many overlapping crises we are facing as a society. From planetary and human health to economic sustainability and social justice, we are in a time of amplified consciousness that transformational change is needed.
“The themes of this work existed long before the pandemic,” she shared, “but there are new layers of meaning that reveal themselves as the work meets this moment in time.”
A sensory exploration of night and the feminine
At its heart, World After Dark explores night as both a sensory and metaphorical experience. Litzenberger draws inspiration from her research on the connection between body and landscape, particularly influenced by Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park and its dark sky preserves—specially designated areas where our view of the night sky is unobstructed by artificial light.
She also found inspiration in Christopher Dewdney’s book Acquainted with the Night, which explores night’s mysteries from sunset to sunrise, blending scientific inquiry with poetic expression.
In Litzenberger’s view, the night is a metaphor for the “sensual, the embodied, and the feminine,” offering a counterpoint to society’s pervasive focus on productivity, efficiency, and progress. In the production, two central characters—a protagonist shaped by Western ideals of night and day and a personification of night as a feminine force—guide the audience through a journey of transformation.
The first half of the show presents a familiar experience of night through scenes at an office at the end of the workday, a nightclub, and a forest, transitioning into a more abstract, cosmic exploration of the unknown.
“We’ve really shaped our energy around output and progress, and there are consequences to living in a world like that,” Litzenberger said, reflecting on how disconnected we have become from the sensory and mysterious aspects of life.
Through the performance, she invites audiences to reclaim the feminine Yin energy and rediscover the power of simply being.
A collaborative multimedia experience
Litzenberger says World After Dark is the result of a deeply collaborative process brought to life by an incredibly talented ensemble of performers and creatives. The original creation was performed with and shaped by Linnea Swan, Louis Laberge-Côté, Syreeta Hector, Emily Law, Nikolaos Markakis, and Kathia Wittenborn, whose dynamic interpretations, along with contributions from the late Dan Wild, who helped define the essence of the show.
As the production embarks on its 2024 tour, Litzenberger thanks the touring cast, which includes performances by Linnea Swan, Louis Laberge-Côté, Aryana Malekzadeh, Michael Mortley, Yui Ugai, and Kathia Wittenborn.
One of the most striking elements of World After Dark is its multimedia integration, creating an immersive experience for the audience. With contributions from video artist Elysha Poirier, the production uses interactive video design that responds in real-time to the dancers' movements, allowing the audience to feel part of the journey rather than just spectators.
Ken MacKenzie's lighting and John Gzowski's Dora-nominated sound design also play pivotal roles, transforming the stage from the depths of a forest to the pulsing energy of a nightclub, reflecting the emotional and thematic shifts within the hour-long performance. Technological advancements since the works' premiere in 2019 have allowed World After Dark to become a richer, more dynamic production than its earlier iterations.
Touring across Canada and connecting with audiences
The Guelph premiere marks the start of a broader Canadian tour, with Litzenberger especially excited to bring the show to northern audiences in places like Yellowknife.
“The relationship to the night is different in the North, where the fall and winter seasons offer longer periods of darkness,” she said, noting that audiences there may resonate more deeply with the themes of the show, particularly its exploration of the cosmic and sensory aspects of night.
For Litzenberger, each stop on the tour presents an opportunity to engage with audiences in unique ways, depending on their personal, geographic and cultural relationship to night.
An invitation to reconnect
World After Dark is not just a performance; it is an invitation for audiences to reconnect with the sensory and mysterious aspects of life, elements that often fade into the background in today’s data-driven, hyper-rational world.
As Litzenberger prepares to open in Guelph, she extends a simple invitation to all: “Come for the magic of it.” With its deep philosophical layers, multimedia richness, and sensory allure, World After Dark promises to be an unforgettable journey into the night.
Tickets for the October 18 premiere in Guelph are available through the River Run Centre’s website. Don’t miss this transformative experience.