JUNE 8 - 11
MAIN STAGE SELF-GENERATED AI PERFORMANCE
ALONE TOGETHER
XOST (SECRET THEATRE)
Step into the shoes of a rented family member with ALONE TOGETHER. Combining cutting-edge tech with emotional storytelling, explore the depths of human connection.
Discover a new kind of human connection with ALONE TOGETHER, the app that lets you play the role of a rented family member to lonely people seeking companionship. Blurring the lines between reality and fiction, ALONE TOGETHER combines cutting-edge technology with theatrical storytelling to create a unique and immersive experience.
Inspired by the concept of a family rental agency, ALONE TOGETHER invites you to step into the shoes of a professional stand-in and weave in and out of the lives of lonely people. With voice recognition and AI, your interactions are unpredictable and spontaneous, exploring the depths of human connection and your sense of social isolation.
In Season One, users follow Kya, a lonely university dropout working for the Alone Together Agency. Over four daily episodes, players delve into the intricacies of human relationships while addressing their feelings of isolation as they interact with clients seeking connection. The episodes include: "Forgive," where players help Sara reconnect with her estranged daughter; "Inspire," focusing on motivating Ben to reengage with the world; "Release," aiding Ana in coping with a breakup and moving on; and "Connection," where players connect with Kya to help her find her place in the world.
Play now and discover a new kind of journey that challenges your beliefs about human connection. Then, join our community of players at a season finale party!
ALONE TOGETHER, STAGES 2023
(Photo by James Arthur MacLean)
XOST (Secret Theatre)
Nova Scotia / Mi'kma'ki
Secret Theatre creates new ways of being together while shedding light on how we've grown apart. Established in 2003 as a vehicle for the interdisciplinary projects of Dartmouth-based actor/writer/tinkerer Dustin Harvey, Secret Theatre has grown to encompass a myriad of people and places come, gone and soon to be. Over the years, we invited people to slow dance with strangers in disused storefronts, confess secrets to a scene partner thousands of kilometres away through text message, and perform together in public locations and busy city street corners from Aarhus, Denmark to Whitehorse, Yukon. Each production is about creating meaningful, shared experiences that are thoughtful, intimate, and temporary.
Moving between diverse contexts like dance, live art, public art, and theatre, Secret Theatre projects have been presented at internationally recognized festivals and events in Wales, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Scotland, and Canada.
Selected International: SXSW (Austin, Texas), IDFA (Amsterdam), BelfastXR (Northern Ireland), EXPERIMENTICA (Cardiff), Aarhus Festival (Denmark), Cork Midsummer Festival (Cork), Lokal (Reykjavik), A! Festival (Akureyri, Iceland), Forest Fringe (Edinburgh).
Selected National: High-Performance Rodeo (Calgary), OFFTA (Montreal), Festival Images des Temps (Usine-C, Montreal), SummerWorks (Toronto), Magnetic North Theatre Festival (Whitehorse), Impact Theatre Festival (Kitchener), Prismatic Festival (Halifax), FoldA (Kingston), Art In The Open (Charlottetown), Nocturne (Halifax), RCA Theatre (St.John's), Imperial (Saint John), Nakai (Whitehorse), Uno (Victoria)
CREDITS
Created by Dustin Harvey
Produced by XOST
Digital Producer Arcade, Ltd.
Film Production by Afro Viking Pictures
Creative Director Dustin Harvey
Head of Production (Digital) Jon Meggitt
Project Manager (Digital) Olivia Hinkin
Developer (Digital) Shahd Sherief
Technical Artist (Digital) Zach Thompson-Howley
Sound (Digital) Graeme Campbell
Writer (AI) Dustin Harvey (Ep1)
Writer (AI) Michael Lake (Ep2)
Writer (AI) Tara Thorne (Ep3)
Writer (AI) Dustin Harvey
Director (Film) Taylor Olson
Director (Film) Koumbie
Executive Producer and First AD (Film) Britt Kerr
Cinematography Tim Mombourquette
Editor (Film) Amy Mielke
Screenplay Koumbie
Screenplay Taylor Olson
Screenplay Dustin Harvey
Animation (Film) Emmitt Rans
Sound (Film) Graham Cowell
Colorist (Film) Brittney Gavin
Production Coordinator (Film) Gina Thornhill
Craft/Catering (Film) Tieren Hawkins
1st AC (Film) Mike Roy
Sound Recordist (Film) Cameron Slade
Production Designer (Film) Brielle LeBlanc
Art Department (Film) Abi Cuevas
Gaffer/Grip (Film) Chelsea Innes
Gaffer/Grip (Film) Keandre Johnson
Cast
Koumbie - Kya
Taylor Olson - Daniel
Kathleen Dorian - Anna
Jordan Poole - Ben
Julia Williams - Sara
Phoebe Rex - Lauren
Nathan Simmons - Ryan
Maja Packer - Emily
Jessica Barry - Alone Together Client
Ailsa Galbreath - Film Crew
Kathryn McCormack - Syro
Background Cast:
Shyla Wright
Megan Townshend
Darrell Nogler
Olivia Martin
Kathryn McCormack
Dale Willman
Thom Payne
Tyler Craig
Gil Anderson
Joanne Miller
James MacLean
Samantha Wilson
Stephanie MacDonald
Harmony Adesola
Dustin Harvey
Music Rich Aucoin
Project Mentor Zillah Watson
Discoverability Consultant Laura Mingail
Story Consultant Gillian Clark
Graphic Design Aidan Searle
Produced with the assistance of:
UK-Canada Immersive Exchange
Story Futures Academy
Canada Media Fund
Canada Council for the Arts
Arts Council England
CFC Media Lab
Arts Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Canada’s National Arts Centre’s Creation Fund
360 Camera provided by Trisio
ARTIST BIOS
TAYLOR OLSON
Taylor Olson (he/they) is a queer former hockey player-turned filmmaker. The Canadian Screen Award & ten-time ACTRA Award nominee is based in Kjipuktuk/ Halifax, N.S. Taylor’s feature film directorial debut Bone Cage was released to critical acclaim; sweeping the awards at the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival and earning over 30 additional accolades at festivals around the globe. Bone Cage appeared in competition at Camerimage, competed in the Forward Future section of the Beijing International Film Festival, and toured numerous US festivals before being nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards for Adapted Screenplay & Supporting Actress. Olson recently directed two episodes of This Hour Has 22 Minutes on CBC, completed post-production on his sophomore feature film Look At Me, and released his first short-form comedy series King & Pawn, a 5 x 15 min series for Bell Fibe TV1. Upcoming, Olson will be releasing his new short-form dramedy series I Hate You on Bell Fibe TV1. Olson likes to explore themes of masculinity, queerness, and the ways the two intersect.
TEA TIME CREATION CO
AILSA GALBREATH, GINA THORNHILL, JAMES MACLEAN, KATHLEEN DORIAN
Tea Time Creation Co is a quartet of quirky clowns including Ailsa Galbreath (she/her), Gina Thornhill (she/they), James MacLean (they/he), and Kathleen Dorian (she/her). They occasionally perform wild and obscene adaptations of Shakespeare for a pub filled crowd. Or they write, devise, and create their own work including roaming performances, and other types experimental theatre.
FUNDERS
FESTIVAL SPONSORS
