Image description: The poster for THAW featuring an image of a harnessed performer suspended in mid-air, interacting with a large blue ice structure against a cloudy sky background. Neon and dark green geometric shapes frame the photo.
A colossal block of ice hangs suspended above Sankofa Square. On it, a solitary figure fights against time and heat, scrambling to protect what's already melting away. As sunset approaches, what will be left?
There’s no time to waste.
Created by Joshua Thomson with an original score by Alaskan composer Matthew Burtner, this epic eight-hour performance makes climate change impossible to ignore. Three times throughout the day, performers take their position on the ice, each bringing their own interpretation to this battle for our future.
Following acclaimed runs at Sydney Festival, Auckland, Antwerp, and London, THAW arrives in Toronto as a monumental call to action. As the 2.7-tonne ice block transforms under the summer sun, we confront our own role in a warming world.
Originally commissioned by Sydney Festival and Sydney Opera House, Luminato's incoming Artistic Director Olivia Ansell, THAW asks: as we watch the ice disappear, what will we choose to save?