Posted in: Comics, Pop Culture | Tagged: Alan Moore, Bill Sienkiewicz, Brought To Light, canada, stage, theatre
Alan Moore & Bill Sienkiewicz’s Brought To Light, On Stage, On Video
Alan Moore and Bill Sienkiewicz’s Brought To Light theatrical adaptation has been uploaded to YouTube, twice
Article Summary
- Alan Moore and Bill Sienkiewicz’s Brought To Light: Shadowplay has now reached the stage in an authorised Toronto adaptation.
- James Llewellyn Evans staged Shadowplay 1989 as a one-night performance in a basement goth bar, with handmade props and projections.
- Two YouTube uploads are now available: a close-up dress rehearsal cut and a static archival performance video with audience reaction.
- Evans says Alan Moore’s reps approved sharing the video, with hopes of securing permission for a longer future run of the show.
Earlier this month, I reported on how Brought To Light: Shadowplay, the political graphic novel about the CIA by Alan Moore and Bill Sienkiewicz, was coming to the stage as an officially authorised adaptation in Toronto, Canada, by James Llewellyn Evans as Shadowplay 1989,for one night only. The costumes, props, and set decorations, including a conspiracy board of portraits of every named historical figure, were all handmade and accompanied by rear-projections of Sienkiewicz’s artwork as illustrated subtitles. A video of the dress rehearsal and the final performance was made to be shared with Alan Moore and Bill Sienkiewicz, and they have now allowed those to be shared as well. James Llewellyn Evans tells me;
“The show was a success! A little over fifty people crammed themselves into a basement goth bar on a Sunday to watch and listen to a performance of an out-of-print Cold War propaganda comic/history lesson! I couldn’t be more pleased with how it worked out and if I can get permission from Moore and Sienkiewicz to do a longer run of the show, I would love to do it again. They’re both very busy on their respective careers and I don’t think either have actually had time to sit down and watch the thing yet, BUT, I have received permission from Moore’s reps to share the video so here it is!”
“I’ve linked two versions because they each have their strengths and drawbacks for viewers who weren’t at the show. The first is a first-person POV video that is a verbatim version of the comic filmed as a “dress rehearsal” in the empty bar a week before show time, during the day before the bar was open to the public. This version was filmed by my friend/producer Freyda James and is delivered right into the camera and clearly captures all of the props and sight gags.”
“The second is an “archival” video filmed by two static cameras by Parmida Vand of Howland Sessions which misses some of the “business” but captures the audience reaction to the piece well (including a bar regular doing his level best to completely ignore the Company Man, thus reinforcing the play’s thesis) ‘All we’re asking is your indifference, just turn away, pretend it ain’t happening. Ain’t like ya gotta give up part of yourself. No important part anyway…'”
Shadowplay 1989 by James Llewellyn Evans
Sunday, October 25th 2026, 8-9 pm, The Wych, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
“You don’t remember how you came to be here” Enjoy a speciality cocktail and listen to The Company Man reminisce about his past in a blood-soaked 45-minute journey into American history… 1989: Meet the Company Man, an embodiment of the Central Intelligence Agency, as he drunkenly spills the secret history of American foreign policy: drug dealing, gun-running, torture and assassination. As the Cold War draws to a close, he reminisces about a legacy measured in swimming pools’ worth of blood, foreshadowing the horrors of the 21st century. Tickets in advance for $25 or at the door for $30. Guests are encouraged to stick around after the performance and discuss the subject matter. WARNING: This work contains coughing, slurs, drugs, suicide, loud noises and war crimes.
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
