What happens when a ragtag group of panelists assemble at a public symposium to discuss hope: is it a curse or a blessing? Find out the answer at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies mainstage show “House on Fire - A post-hope comedy” directed by Martha Ross and created by the DRM403 students. The show runs from March 7 to 9 and 12 to 16 at 8 pm. Each performance is 1.5 hours with no intermission. General admission is $20 and student admission is $10. Get your tickets at Houseonfire.eventbrite.ca. For more info visit uoft.me/houseonfire

Synopsis:

“I often hear adults say: ‘We need to give the next generation hope’…But I don’t want your hope. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I do. Every day. And I want you to act. I want you to behave like our house is on fire. Because it is.”

— Greta Thunberg, 16-year-old Swedish activist.

A ragtag group of panellists assemble at a public symposium to discuss Hope: is it a curse or a blessing? A question that philosophers have been debating since the Ancient Greeks. Is Hope a good thing to cling to when one’s situation looks grim? Does the world still have Hope? How do we start behaving like “the house is on fire” without the support of Hope? Are we hard-wired to be hopeful?

Drawing from “Scenes from the Classics” the panellists aim to illuminate some answers to these questions. But instead of answers they descend into unexpected mayhem, at times hilarious, at other times terrifying. They discover truths they weren’t expecting. Perhaps only Pandora knows the real answer.