Revelations Update: Hamza Ali

Getting to take part in Revelations, a theatre project that was essentially a dramatized game show surrounding an end of the world event, whilst living through a pandemic and an ongoing climate crisis was hilarious. The experience was one of a few sparklers in the dreary cave that is the year 2020, if you can understand the imagery I’m going for. It was a dope opportunity and like a sparkler, it came and went too quickly to genuinely appreciate, so I’m still reflecting on it. I’m truly just happy I got to be a part of it.

Interactive theatre has always been my favourite genre of the medium and Revelations was potentially the most interactive show I’ve done. It was an intriguing piece from the first time it was explained to me up until it finished. This genre is especially interesting to be working in given the world’s current anxiety about interacting with each other, and Revelations did nothing to ease that anxiety, but instead played off of it, even adding another layer of dystopia to the mix. I can safely say that aside from the dollar store décor, Revelations is the play that I could most likely see myself actually suspending my disbelief for, insofar as it takes a lot more to believe that your friends just busted out into dance and song than it does to believe people would have to make difficult decisions that could lead to conflict in a near-apocalyptic situation (minus the game show part). 

Again, I haven’t finished reflecting so I don’t know what exactly I’m taking away from this experience except for a good time and a cupcake, but a thought that was sparked by Revelations that is still on my mind is that the end of the world is relative.

Blog post from Hamza Ali (local actor in Revelations)

Photo Credit: Quang Bui