Spaciousness

Writer and Producer: Nicky Lawrence

Project Website 

Date of Release: September 13, 2023

Spaciousness is an immersive theatre installation that takes place at Fort York National Historic Site. Audience members are led in groups of 15 through the various buildings on site by a tour guide, as if on a regular tour. However, instead of a single tour guide guiding them through the usual history told from the colonizer’s perspective, they are met by actors – one per building – who tell stories of their experience with war from various points in history. These characters represent those whose stories are consistently neglected by history – those of Indigenous, POC, immigrants and other civilians who lost their lives and loved ones, were forced to make their own great sacrifices, and suffered through the consequences of colonialism.

Fort York is where it all began for the country we now call Canada. Without the battle of York, modern Toronto wouldn’t exist as we know it. Spaciousness exemplifies and extrapolates this well-known history through the diverse voices of those who are often left out of the story. From the Indigenous leader who first spotted the invading American ships on Lake Ontario, to the Black soldiers who built Fort Mississauga and fought diligently to defend this nation, little has been done to celebrate their bloody sacrifice. Spaciousness beautifully intertwines the harrowing stories of all who were involved in the battle of Fort York and is a reminder that the heritage of Toronto belongs to a brave group of people who came together and stood steadfast in the face of annihilation. 

Additional Project Members:

Writer and Co-Creator: Ahmed Moneka