Gameboy Mother

Interactive adventure drama

Created by United Solo-winner Sébastien Heins and developed by Artistic Director Mitchell Cushman, Gameboy Mother is a new work in development that bridges the real and the digital with a deeply human story. “The story is inspired by my relationship with my mother and the health complications that separated us before and during the pandemic,” says creator Sébastien Heins. “Now more than ever, I’ve asked myself the question, ‘How do I spend the time I have left with the ones I love?’”

“I wanted to put that question in the hands of the audience,” continues Heins. Gameboy Mother lets the audience control the show using their smartphone, like a game. “It’s a play that you play.”

Set in the mysterious worlds of a sleep institute and a time-travelling dreamscape, Gameboy Mother introduces Mother, a Jamaican immigrant, and Son, her Canadian-born offspring, who embark on extraordinary journeys through space and time to find each other after Mother is trapped in a coma.

Just when Son and Mother think there’s no hope, an unexpected power grants them the chance to reunite, and they’re forced to rethink what it truly means to protect the ones you love.

Gameboy Mother was workshopped as part of the 2020 Kick & Push Festival in Kingston, Ontario (under the working title ‘The Itinerary’).