Seventh Fire, part of the SummerWorks Performance Festival, is an immersive experience currently happening at the Aki Studio.  It’s a ceremony/performance in which the participants are invited into a prepared, dark space where they can sit or lie down on cushions or chairs (lying down strongly recommended) and experience 90 minutes or so of a carefully constructed 3D soundscape.

There is a narrative about two sisters separated for a long time and reconnecting with each other and the spirit of their grandmother on their ancestral land.  But the narrative is non-linear and interwoven with stories from way back and the sounds of nature.  Ultimately it’s “about” why we need connection; to the Land, to each other, and what we lose when we lose that but it’s subtle, beguiling and doesn’t feel at all didactic.  It’s very beautiful too.  The soundscape is full of wonder and shifts in unexpected ways.  It’s also subtle and though the tickets come with a warning that one might need earplugs mine stayed firmly in my pocket.

The team that made this happen really deserve a lot of credit.  The concept is by Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen with sound design by Mishelle Cuttler and Debbie Courchene.  The voices are provided by Margo Kane, Tasha Faye Evans, and Lisa C. Ravensbergen, with additional vocals by Renae Morriseau and Kaitlyn Yott.  I don’t know who is playing the grandmother but it’s a particularly compelling performance.

Participating in the Seventh Fire involves taking a journey through past, present and future, above and below the earth. in the human world and in the realm of spirit.  It challenges us to reflect on our own connections and to imagine how we might, collectively, imagine a better future rooted in respect for each other and the land, air and waters that sustain us.  Is it theatre?  Is it ceremony?  It has roots in both and it’s deeply moving.

Seventh Fire happens at the Aki Studio multiple times between now and August 7th.  Highly recommended.