Pictured above: Fourth-year Dramatic Arts students use lighting effects and props to create shadow puppetry portraying a fantasy world of their creation in their upcoming show Truth & Other Things: A Journey Through Alitheia.

Fourth-year Dramatic Arts (DART) students have been hard at work creating a new play that promises to transport audiences to a magical world full of surprises.

Truth & Other Things: A Journey Through Alitheia follows five individuals who are whisked off on a magical journey that challenges their strengths and sense of self. Bound together by fate, the wanderers are put to the ultimate test when asked to rely on someone they struggle to trust: themselves.

Presented by Patchwork Productions (DART 4F56: Advanced Studies in Theatre Practice), the show opens on Thursday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines.

Led by Instructor Mike Griffin, DART students formed a vibrant theatre collective over the course of the academic year and have been working on every aspect of staging the show, from conceptualizing the story and writing the script to composing music and choreographing movement.

The theatre collective chose Patchwork Productions as their name to reflect the process of artistic collaboration they have undertaken as a group since September using movement, music, puppetry and dialogue.

Fourth-year DART student and Head of Construction Genevieve Batista said that the creative process felt like piecing together pieces of a patchwork to create a cohesive final play.

“We are telling a story together and helping each other out whenever we can; that’s what this year has been all about,” Batista said.

“This is a unique experience for everyone involved as we are exploring different media that some of us haven’t touched before,” said Benoit St-Aubin, fourth-year DART student and Associate Director of the production.

Griffin said this is a significant course for students in Dramatic Arts with the faculty member acting as a mentor and guide for students as they take ownership of all facets of devising and producing a play.

“This is an invaluable, hands-on experience that prepares them well for their next steps as theatre creators,” he said.

Truth & Other Things: A Journey Through Alitheia runs from Thursday, March 28 to Saturday, March 30 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Tickets can be purchased through Brock University Tickets.