How to Disappear Completely
by The Chop Theatre
Written by Itai Erdal with James Long, Anita Rochon and Emelia Symington-Fedy
Director: James Long, Dramaturge: Anita Rochon, Sound: Emelia Symington-Fedy and Andrea Young, Projections: James Nesbitt, Lighting: Itai Erdal, Photos: Emily Cooper
“It may sound like a grim, three-hankie experience, but along with the tears (and they do come, eventually), there is humour, and life. Emotional manipulation and melodrama are mercifully absent. What could have been a dark show is driven in fact by light. The professional insights of Erdal, who at times operates the lighting from the stage, are used to great effect to illuminate his story, becoming a metaphor for his experiences and for life’s big questions. He uses the medium he knows so intimately to transcend the private, and present theatre with universal resonance.”
Marsha Lederman, Globe and Mail 18.02.2011
“The show’s pacing is impeccable. Erdal balances humor, beauty, and tragedy with the expertise of a tightrope walker. And some of the questions it touches on, such as death with dignity, are poignantly universal while also being courageously personal. But ultimately, How to Disappear Completely is a profound letter of love to a mother, both wise and humorous, who we all come to cherish—and mourn—by the end. If you see one show this weekend, make this it. And bring your mother.”
Aaron Scott, Portland Monthly Mag 20.09.2013
Touring history
Chutzpah! Festival (World Premier) 2011 / JCC, Vancouver
The Shadbolt Centre 2012 / Burnaby
Factory Theatre 2012 / Toronto
On The Boards 2013 / Seattle
Summerworks Festival 2013 / Factory Theatre, Toronto
The Stratford Festival 2013 / Studio Theatre, Stratford
TBA Festival 2013 / Imago Theatre, Portland, OR
Pivot Festival 2014 / Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse
2b Theatre 2014 / Bus Stop Theatre, Halifax
Edinburgh Fringe 2014 / Underbelly, Edinburgh
Battersea Arts Centre 2014 / London
Dublin Fringe 2014 / Peacock Theatre, Dublin
Gateway Theatre 2014 / Richmond
Belfry Theatre 2014 / Victoria
Usine C 2015 / Montreal
JW3 2015 / London
SICK! Festival 2015 / Lowry Theatre, Manchester
SICK! Festival 2015 / Old Market Theatre, Brighton
Mayk, Mayfest 2015 / Old Vic, Bristol
Winnipeg Jewish Theatre 2017 / Berney Theatre, Winnipeg
Segal Centre for the Arts 2017 / Montreal
Undercurrents Festival 2018 / Arts Court Theatre, Ottawa
Tmuna Theatre 2018 / Tel Aviv
Khan Theatre 2018 / Jerusalem
High Performance Rodeo 2019 / Engineered Air Theatre, Calgary
“How To Disappear Completely is a heart-breaking, heart-warming sharing of one man’s efforts to understand, to live a life well lived and to do the right thing. An elegant reminder that even the subtlest light can dispel the darkness and fashion a life affirming and memorable experience.”
examiner.com 17.09.2014
“Erdal, who never trained as an actor, is absolutely mesmerizing”
Jim Burke, Montreal Gazette 05.05.2017
Click below to watch trailers
Segal Centre trailer
