DISAPPEARING ACT

         "Adolphe Appia . . . believed that shade was as necessary as light to form a   connection between the actor and the setting of the performance in time and space. Through the use and control of light intensity, colour and manipulation, Appia created a new perspective of scene design and stage lighting."

Try to imagine a completely selfless act of egotism. It may sound like a contradiction in terms, but in the hands of a gifted storyteller it becomes a funny, poignant and vastly entertaining seventy-five minute journey through some of life’s most difficult, joyous, and memorable moments. Itai Erdal’s one-man show, How To Disappear Completely, is a brilliantly lit, beautifully written, and seamlessly performed monologue of scoreless operatic proportions that defy gravity as hilarious flights of fancy, alongside interactive segments filled with bravado and delightful self-assurance, pay homage to a life lived to the fullest.

Erdal’s connection to classic lighting design, bringing a variety of evocative shadows to any given drama, coupled with his desire to make documentary films, seep into the narrative and give the overall mise en scene a complex metaphoric quality that is at once haunting, wry, and utterly engaging.

Beginning with the admission that he is not an actor Erdal proceeds to prove that brilliant storytelling and high caliber acting are one in the same thing as he nonchalantly interacts with film footage of his mother, sister, and best friend during especially trying times. The sheer magnetism and charisma of all the characters on film, and Erdal’s own stage presence, turn this virtuoso solo performance into a gorgeous ensemble of memory, experience, and profound loyalty.

As part of Factory Theatre’s Annual Festival of Groundbreaking New Work, How to Disappear Completely is a perfect gem-like theatrical hybrid that summons and dismisses both light and darkness, literally and figuratively, with the flick of a switch. See for yourself - there will be shadows, follow spots, and heartwarming humility in the face of sheer confidence and skill as they interact with incredibly deep-seated familial bonds.

To describe the show in any more narrative detail would necessitate so many spoiler alerts that an actual review would disappear, completely…

running at Factory Theatre 

until May 13^th

Masterclass with Lighting Designer Itai Erdal

Experience an in-depth look into the unique artistic process of renowned lighting designer Itai Erdal!

Visiting Toronto with How to Disappear Completely at Factory Theatre (May 8-13), Erdal will give a masterclass on May 12, including a live demonstration and discussion of his lighting techniques. The Vancouver-based designer has garnered critical acclaim, working on productions in North America, Europe, and Israel.

"Lighting designer Itai Erdal does more with light and fog than most designers do with an entire set; indeed, his evocative and magical lighting will undoubtedly be one of the aspects of this production that lives on in the audience's memories."

- John Threlfall, Monday Magazine

“The professional insights of Erdal, who at times operates the lighting from the stage, are used to great effect to illuminate his story, becoming a metaphor for his experiences and for life’s big questions … he uses the medium he knows so intimately to transcend the private, and present theatre with universal resonance…"

- The Globe and Mail

Date: Saturday, May 12, 2012

Time: 2:00PM – 5:00PM

Location: Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst Street)

Admission:   $25

or  $45 package with a ticket to How To Disappear (May 8-13, 2013)

Please call the Factory Box Office at 416-504-9971 or visit in person to reserve your tickets.