A Lion In Mississauga
 |
Players embody actors cast in their first¸ big¸ career making roles. They arrive at the show's first rehearsal only to discover that there have been some setbacks in production and that they may be in for more work than they expected. The game is a rules-light absurdist freeform larp where characters are forced put on an equally absurdist play for the sake of their careers. What others had to say... " A Lion in Mississauga gave me that the best combination you could ask of a larp: the freedom to create without regard for audience or quality¸ coupled with the electrifying certainty that you are in the midst of creating something absolutely mind-blowingly brilliant. A nonsensical adrenaline rush." - Alex Roberts "You'll laugh with your co-participants while also marveling at the genuine almost-art object you create together. I laughed; I cried; I portrayed a pile of hot garbage¸ an aggressive Rothko painting¸ and later¸ a butt. If physical¸ absurdist games are your jam¸ don't miss a Lion in Mississauga!" - Lizzie Stark Playing "A Lion in Mississauga" feels like crafting an intricately honed Russian doll of an experience. Not only do you draw on core principles of improv¸ not only do you band together in meta-textual ways as you literally band together in character¸ but every game ends with its own unique artifact of recorded performance. When I first played it what struck me was the immensity of sheer joy in creating absurdist and unbelievably fun play by the seat of your pants. In true Dadaist spirit¸ what seems like a straightforward game blooms into something that encapsulates not only Alex Rowland's clear love of theater¸ community¸ and LARP¸ but her brilliance in leading players through the wild¸ raucous ride of making art when you have no idea what's going on but need to pull your shit together. I've never experienced anything like it before or after¸ and I'm grateful for the reminder that catharsis can be rooted in delight. - Jeeyon Shim "Lion feels like a satire of a larp. I'm pretty sure it is! But it is also a perfectly honed engine for creating brilliant and absurd improvised theater that invariably surpasses what ought to be possible. It bonds players as the exclusive participants and audience of a unique performance¸ enthralled by their collective brilliance. Honestly¸ I am profoundly jealous of this design. Don't tell Alex." - Jeff Dieterle