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Toronto has been repeatedly described as a divided city, with a debilitating crisis of perception: viewed from the suburbs, the cappuccino-sipping downtown elites want their glittering art galleries, bike lanes, and organic toilet paper; viewed from the centre, the suburbs want their Big Macs, cars and bulk toilet paper. But is that all that’s going on here? Just a little clash of cultures? We don’t think so.

Promises to A Divided City is a data-driven performance examining socioeconomic dynamics in the city and in the body, and inviting audiences to participate in addressing the divided Toronto. With a cast of over 31 teenagers from across the GTA, one teenager from Brazil, and a six-year-old, the show blasts the audience through economic and biological realities and lands them into a cozy vision of what this city has to offer.

Tired of wasting time talking about Rob Ford? Let’s hang out together with a bunch of wicked kids and try to fix this place.

Starring Shirwa Ali, Virginia Antonipillai, Chandrika Ayyalasomayajula, Yasmin Benatti, Tenzin Chozin, Sharay Dennis, Fadomo Heneke, Claudia Howard, Zohaib Jailani, Ahash Jeeva, Kiam Lam-Bellissimo, Danielle Liuo, Shada Mahdi, Farzana Mohamed, Lasasha Nesbeth, Jennifer Ngyuen, Vanessa Osai, Nadia Pasta, Lucian Pimienta, Jessica Qian, Mohit Rai, Lia Reyes Elgueta, Parth Shah, Kobe Shay, Ekamjit Singh Uppal, Gowri Sivanathan, Nerupa Somasale, Ana-Marija Stojic, Zahra Syed, Soniya Udayashankar, Kathy Vuu, and Cissy Yao. And featuring Barbara Fingerote as Barbara, the Librarian.

Promises to a Divided City is a co-production between The Theatre Centre and Mammalian Diving Reflex.

International research-art atelier, Mammalian Diving Reflex creates complex work all over the world using the souls of people as raw material. They bring ordinary people together in unusual ways, step out of the way, and let what happens happen. Their most famous work is Haircuts by Children, which is exactly what it sounds like.

Promises to a Divided City has been supported by Toronto Arts Council with funds provided by the City of Toronto.