It’s a humid July day, and I’m standing in the entrance hall of an enormous manor in the heart of Toronto. Summer sunlight streams in through the windows, reflecting off of the white shirts worn by the 100-odd people milling through the house. Along with everyone’s identical outfits, each of us wears a similar expression of confusion and excitement. Twenty-four hours earlier, we were sent a vague e-mail instructing us to arrive at the mansion wearing a white shirt. No other information was offered.
PHOTO COURTESY 360 SCREENINGS
Sound a bit like a cult initiation? Not quite.
Every person visiting that old manor on that steamy summer afternoon was there to experience an entertainment like no other: 360 Screenings.
360 screenings is an innovative company that combines theatre with film to allow cinephiles a chance to step inside their favourite films. 360 Screenings prides itself on mystery and elusiveness, so the location, dress code and subject matter aren’t disclosed until 24 hours before the screening.
It turns out that the old manor we were invited to visit was the perfect spot to replicate an old mental asylum, while our white shirts made the perfect uniforms for troubled mental patients. As we stood there, a woman dressed in a nurse’s uniform, with a frighteningly placid smile, came out and began warning us not to misbehave. It was Nurse Ratchett. Yes, the film we were about to be pulled into was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
After Ratchett’s introduction, the event began — filled with actors portraying characters from the film, terrifyingly accurate props (including an electroshock chair), and, of course, a screening of the film.
The event was like no other I’d been to, so I decided to sit down with one of 360 Screening’s co-founders, Ned Loach, to talk about the story behind the company’s creation, his proudest moments, and the upcoming (and undoubtedly horrifying) Halloween screening.
The Varsity: What inspired you to begin 360 Screenings?
Ned Loach: Robert [Gontier, 360’s other co-founder] and I were living in London, and there were a lot of really groundbreaking forms of theatre and art that play around with immersive theatre and cinema. We were really inspired by the way that they resonated with the guests… It wasn’t happening in Toronto, so we thought, “Why not start it ourselves?”
TV: How would you describe the goals of 360 Screenings, in your own words?
NL: 360 Screenings recreates the environment and setting of a popular film in Toronto heritage buildings, using actors, set design, props, and spontaneous scenes. We really try to examine the way that audiences behave and are expected to behave, and challenge the way that we perceive being an audience by making it as interactive as possible.
TV: At what point did you feel audiences beginning to connect the concept of 360 Screenings?
NL: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was definitely a huge artistic triumph for us, but I would say the first time that we felt like audiences were really getting it — getting the concept and getting the process of becoming an interactive audience — was at our Fight Club screening. We told everyone to wear black, and we had two on-site makeup artists who were applying fake bruises and scars to everyone, so by the end of the evening, everyone looked like they’d just been in really violent brawls. It was like everyone had been transformed into members of Project Mayhem, the secret society in Fight Club… It was really cool.
TV: Can you give us any hints as to the subject of your Halloween screening?
NL: The one word we’re playing around with is “transformation.” So, you can take that as you will, but there will be some sort of transformation.
Ned, Robert, and 360 Screenings returned on October 25 and 26 with a spine-tingling Halloween screening that, just as their tagline promises, allows you to “step into the film.” Find out more about 360 screenings at 360screenings.com.
