A blindfolded dining experience for the adventurous food lover
About
“...equally brilliant meeting of drama and tasting…” Stephen Hunt, Calgary Herald
Hungry for an intimate space that will satisfy both your taste-buds and your thirst for the unexpected? Ravenous for a one-of-a-kind blindfolded experience that promises to awaken both your senses and your imagination — and get you a tasting at one of Calgary’s finest restaurants as part of the deal?
Combining the best of local cuisine with intimate storytelling and the latest in scientific and performance research, Taste is a unique, tongue-tingling, palette-expanding experience for the adventurous food lover. Ghost River Theatre in collaboration with Vertical City Performance, and River Cafe presented Taste at River Cafe as part of Beakerhead 2015 featuring the remarkable creations of its’ celebrated Chef Matthias Fong with wine pairings by Proprietor Sal Howell.
TASTE is the second instalment of GRT’s Six Senses Performance Series, designed to explore the theatrical potential of our senses.
Please note this performance combines storytelling with the experience of tasting food. Taste is a sensory based performance where the audience will be blindfolded. It is not a traditional meal but rather a series of taste experiences that have been specially crafted by Chef Matthias Fong for the performance. To add to the mystery, the tasting menu remains a secret until all of the performances are concluded. A Ghost River Theatre representative will contact you prior to the event to confirm your attendance and discuss dietary restrictions if applicable. This is an 18 + event.
Awards and Nominations
Nomination - Best Creative Concept , 2015 Calgary Critics Awards
PRODUCTION HISTORY
September 2015: Taste premiered as part of Beakerhead 2015
October 2016: GRT and teamed up with One Trunk Theatre and renowned Chef Ben Kramer for an exciting installment of the show in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Credits - Calgary premiere
Concept /Co-Creator / Director – Eric Rose
Playwright/Co-Creator – Bruce Barton
River Café Proprietor/Artistic Collaborator – Sal Howell
River Café Chef/Artistic Collaborator - Matthias Fong
Audience Experience Manager/Dramaturg - Laurel Green
Dramaturg – Pil Hanson
Assistant Director – Nicola Elson
Featuring:
Kris Demeanor
Joe Perry
Bobbi Goddard
Emily Promise Allison
Edward Ogum
River Café Servers & Staff:
Andrew Winfield
Jenn Lamb
Courtney Robinson
Ethan Trillana
Kelly Beames
Thank You:
Beakerhead, Mandy Dale, Michelle Htun-Kay, Hanan Chebib, University of Calgary’s School for Creative and Performing Arts
THE SIX SENSES SERIES
TASTE is the second instalment of GRT’s Six Senses Performance Series. The Series is a rigorous exploration of what happens to the boundaries of narrative when you focus on stimulating the audience’s senses. When you take away sight—our primary gateway in the world— how do our imaginations open up to narrative? How can being deprived of sight prime us for a unique performance experience? How does the audience imagination/engagement factor into the overall narrative experience of performance?
At the forefront of our work is the question of liveness: how we unearth and reveal the world differently for audiences based on the immediacy and interactivity of the performance experience. The Six Senses Series challenges us in our devised practice to break down our ‘total artwork’ approach to creation into its component parts, in order to better understand and trust the imaginary space our audience needs to fully engage in the live performance experience.