Sudden Spark Collective Premieres ABOVE GROUND FLOOR
Above Ground Floor (duration: 20 mins) is streaming now.
By: Stephi Wild Jul. 18, 2022
Sudden Spark Collective announces the premiere of their second digital project, Above Ground Floor.
After their critically acclaimed film-theatre hybrid february: a love story (featured on CBC q, streamed on STRATFEST@HOME, 2021) Sudden Spark Collective is back with another heartwarming tale for pandemic-weary hearts.
In Above Ground Floor we meet Arthur Daniels, an elderly stroke survivor, as he learns that visitors, including his wife, will no longer be allowed inside his Long Term Care facility. Arthur retreats to an interior world, brightened by travel memories and his love of music, to cope with his newfound solitary stasis. His interactions with Jonelle, a personal support worker, are a bright spot, but she is facing her own strain as a front line worker. As pandemic restrictions drag on, Arthur must hatch a plan to escape.
Above Ground Floor initially debuted as a one-act play, written by Ellen Denny, and commissioned by Live Bait Theatre (Sackville, New Brunswick). Denny was inspired by the extreme isolation experienced by her father, as a resident of Long Term Care during the pandemic. Now re-envisioned as a mixed media short film, Above Ground Floor examines the cost of 'safety'. When we treat germs as the only threat, what other ills are allowed to grow and thrive?
Above Ground Floor (duration: 20 mins) is streaming now. With the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Sudden Spark Collective is pleased to offer this film for free to virtual audiences.
Sudden Spark Collective has dedicated this project to the residents and staff of Long Term Care, for whom the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect. To help honour their resilience, viewers are invited to share this film with their community.
ABOVE GROUND FLOOR
A Sudden Spark Collective production
Directed by Cherissa Richards
Written by Ellen Denny
Illustrated by Ngabo Nabea
Starring Nicholas Rice as 'Arthur' and Jenni Burke as 'Jonelle'
Original Music: Deanna H. Choi
Sound Design & Mixing: William Fallon
Editing: Julian Papas
Director of Post Production: Emilio Vieira
Cinematography: Ryan McIntyre
Camera Operator: Julian Papas
Recording Engineer: Chris Letts
Production Intern: Ria Kapur
Video Equipment provided by Max Vlassenko
Recorded at Cherry Beach Sound
Sudden Spark Collective acknowledges the Canada Council for the Arts for making this project possible.
Sudden Spark Collective was formed in 2020 in response to COVID-19's impact on the live theatre industry. Building off of their critically acclaimed debut february: a love story, this artist-led initiative seeks to offer timely, heart-warming stories to audiences during this dark chapter in our shared history. (Based in Toronto, Canada.)
february: a love story can be viewed at februarytheplay.com
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