{"id":118203,"date":"2025-10-08T12:21:06","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T16:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=118203"},"modified":"2025-10-08T14:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T18:00:01","slug":"feature-darkfield-toronto-two-immersive-audio-experiences-time-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/10\/08\/feature-darkfield-toronto-two-immersive-audio-experiences-time-halloween\/","title":{"rendered":"FEATURE | Darkfield Toronto: Two Immersive Audio Experiences In Time For Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Darkfield's
Darkfield’s S\u00e9ance and Flight installations in Toronto (Photo: Anya Wassenberg)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s immersive theatre, and then there\u2019s immersive theatre.<\/p>\n

What happens when all the lights go out? That\u2019s the heart of the experience offered by Darkfield, a UK company that\u2019s set up shop in Toronto with two of their shows, S\u00e9ance and Flight. It sounds simple enough, but the premise becomes a carefully constructed show where the audience\u2019s own experiences and imagination play a big role.<\/p>\n

Darkfield takes place inside meticulously outfitted shipping containers, and Toronto\u2019s Stackt Market<\/a>, shipping container marketplace with friendly public spaces, is the obvious and ideal setting for the installation. S\u00e9ance and Flight will be set up there until November 9, 2025.<\/p>\n

What Is Darkfield?<\/h3>\n

Darkfield was created by Glen Neath and David Rosenberg in the UK. Rosenberg had a background in immersive and experimental theatre, having worked previously with companies such as Shunt, Requardt&Rosenberg and Wiretapper. The two founded Darkfield in 2016, and staged their first show, S\u00e9ance, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017.<\/p>\n

From the UK, Darkfield has toured to Australia, Asia, Mexico, and North America, reaching more than 700,000 people, and has been featured in BFI London Film Festival, Venice, IDFA, Tribeca, Raindance, and other major international film festivals. In 2021, the company won Columbia\u2019s Digital Storytelling Lab\u2019s Breakthrough Award.<\/p>\n

The shows take place inside shipping containers, which allow Darkfield to completely control the environment. The interiors are meticulously designed in realistic detail. Each participant sits in a specific seat, and puts on a pair of headphones.<\/p>\n

The headphones deliver a 360 degree audio experience in binaural sound, recorded with microphones arranged like human ears. The process accurately produces a recording that emulates the way we actually hear sound within a space.<\/p>\n

Hot tip: You\u2019ll hear the experience based on where you sit in the shipping container; the most intense experiences are to be had in the middle of the room.<\/p>\n

However, the shows are also designed to make each participant feel like they\u2019re in the centre of the action.<\/p>\n

Without giving too much away, movements within the environment add to the effect.<\/p>\n