MONEY
The play is in development, and we are working towards a world premiere in 2026.
VISION
Everyone loves money, but very few of us understand it. Our vision is to create an ENTERTAINING, IMPORTANT and INTERACTIVE show that tells the story of money: what it is, what it does to us, and what we do for it. And with AI now replacing human labour, we’re also asking: “what VALUE do humans have?”
The theme of money brings out strong emotions in all of us. Emotions are part of human nature, and yet they are dismissed by certain economists, amplified by social media, and flattened by AI. The 8 storylines told in MONEY embrace these contradictions in a grand melodrama that celebrates humanity, and our messy, imperfect emotions.
MONEY is packed with heart, humour, and state-of-the-art stagecraft and technology.
It's like nothing you've ever seen onstage in Canada.
STORY
MONEY is structured around 8 characters, whose lives intersect in 3 time periods: 1988 (in the height of 1980s “Greed is Good” mentality); 2008 (in the heart of the global financial meltdown); 2028 (in the future: where we speculate on AI, liberal capitalist democracy, cryptocurrency, and the climate emergency). The 8 performers each embody a central character, plus a variety of supporting parts. The MONEY storylines will culminate in a 2028 Canadian federal election featuring an AI candidate, with our audience voting - or betting - on the future with their phones.
STAGING & DESIGN
- CHESS: The game of chess features in the MONEY storylines, and is the main inspiration for the set design and staging. The 8 cast of 8 perform around 8 white blocks, which move like chess pieces. The blocks act as projection surfaces, transforming into doors, desks, data towers, skyscrapers, a bathtub, a coffin… constantly in motion, like money.
- GAMING/GAMBLING: Humans react very similarly to gaming and gambling, and tech companies have pushed for the "game-ification" of modern society. MONEY is more than a play — it’s set up as an interactive game. In the end, we bet on the outcome of the 2028 Canadian federal election featuring the world's first AI politician.
- FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS: Money only has value as a story, one we all need to believe, together. Like any story, it needs to move. Cash-flow, Current-cy, Trans-action. Each scene in MONEY ends with a financial transaction, which is displayed on a gaming console. The audience follows the characters’ money as it travels across time and around the world.
MONEY is supported by the following production partners, as we work towards a world premiere in Toronto in 2026.
- Chrysalis (TMU)
- Crow's Theatre
- Canadian Stage
- BMO Lab (for Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and AI) (U of T)