An auto-biographical re-telling of the frightening events that took place on the streets of Toronto during the 2010 G20 summit protests, which saw the largest mass arrest in Canadian history and resulted in a $14.6M class action lawsuit. We join Tommy Taylor as he recounts his journey attending his first ever protest in the “Free Speech Zone” at Queen’s Park before being swept up in a mass arrest
and detained at the Eastern Avenue Detention Centre. Originally a stage play that toured Canada in 2012, You Should Have Stayed Home now occurs in virtual reality and is presented in three modes:
• In-person audiences at The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts can watch Tommy Taylor perform in-person, while the action unfolds in VR on screen;
• 10 audience members can join the performance in VR using an internet-connected VR headset (Quest, Vive, etc.); and
• On Friday June 10, a livestream will combine in-person and VR footage to be experienced remotely on-screen. Directed by Michael Wheeler and performed by actor and playwright Tommy Taylor, the play presents a virtual adaptation of Tommy’s original Facebook note, How I Got Arrested and Abused at the G20 in Toronto, which has been translated into seven languages and appeared in twenty-one countries. Today, Tommy’s story takes on urgent new meaning in the context of the ever-rising tensions and public dialogue on police violence, protest, and institutional reform. Credits
Tommy Taylor – Playwright and Performer
Michael Wheeler – Director
Laura Levin – Dramaturg
Jayna Mees – Assistant Dramaturg and Research Assistant
Justine Katarenchuk – Stage and Production Manager
Beth Kates – VR Theatre Consultant / Virtual Lighting Designer
David Mesiha – Virtual Sound Designer
Seyed Tabatabaei – Lead VR Developer
Anthony Aloisio – UDON Developer
Rea Goldson – Avatar Designer
Flora Diep – Student Developer
Michaelah Wales – Student Developer
Zarrin Tasnim – Student Developer
Content Warnings
You Should Have Stayed Home contains:
-Images of police brutality and physical violence
-Descriptions of physical and emotional abuse
-Homophobic remarks
-Sexist remarks
-References to ableist remarks
-References to racial profiling
-Temporary use of colourful flashing lights
-Temporary exposure to confined spaces
-Possibility of experiencing VR motion sickness
Acknowledgements
Tommy Taylor acknowledges support from the Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators by way of Volcano Theatre
You Should Have Stayed Home first opened on stage at The 2011 Summerworks Festival where it was named to Torontoist’s Top 10 Highlights of SummerWorks, Lynn Slotkin’s Top 5 Shows and the juried SummerWorks Arts Professional Award. The run included a midnight performance where the cast was expanded from 26 members to 40 to include several people who were detained at G20 as well as other concerned members of the theatre community including RH Thompson and Hannah Moscovitch.
