ZED.TO by The Mission Business
An 8-month narrative told in real-time through an integrated combination of interactive theatrical events and online content.
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Creator(s): The Mission Business (Elenna Mosoff, Trevor Haldenby, Martha Haldenby, David Fono, and Byron Laviolette)
Cast: Adam Barrett, Karen Donald, Caitlin B. Driscoll, James Fanizza, Shane Hollon, Janet Kish, Ariana Leask, Liam Toshio Morris, Andrew Moyes, Emily Schooley, Kwan Ho Tse, Jennifer Walls, and Burton Wright Additional Writing: Shane Hollon Graphic Designer: Patrick Stolk-Ramaker Production Designer David DeGrow (Patient Zero) and Scott Penner (Retreat) Production Manager: Jonathan Peters (Retreat) Event Logistics: Shazia Abji and Dustyn Wales Stage Management: Joanna Barrotta (Where You Become New) |
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Public Relations: Sarah Miniaci PR
Editor: Zachary Finkelstein
Comics: Dara Gold
Science Writing: Dav Flamerock
Multimedia Production Assistance: Stefan Baranski, Evan Doherty, Eddie Farrell, Geoff May, Matthew Phillips, Jake Roels of Alphabot, Edna Snyder of Kidstreet, Airick Woodhead of Doldrums, and John Watson
Supporting Cast: Sarah Lacelle, Nathaniel Bryan, Katie McClure, Erika Brodsky, Liam Hanebury, Claire Wynveen, Tori Anderson, Marc Bendavid, Brendee Green, Elliott Loran, Keira Jade, Kelly Taylor, Rachel Kennedy, Heather Marie Annis, Duncan McCallum, Jamie James, Linda Gallant, Chrissi Chau, Andrea Blakey, Jenna Harris, Adrian Colbert-Kalb, Caitlin Donnelly, Lisbeth Maidment, and Adam Driscoll
Sanitation and Containment: Aleks Rakocevic, Rory Mills, Eleanor MacVeigh, Nick Theriault, Kirsten Young, Melissa Acker, Dane Kirilovic, Denis Futac, Jesse Vanderburgh, Holly Cotnam, Lindsay Latham, Nazzareno Tassone, and Caleb Block
Editor: Zachary Finkelstein
Comics: Dara Gold
Science Writing: Dav Flamerock
Multimedia Production Assistance: Stefan Baranski, Evan Doherty, Eddie Farrell, Geoff May, Matthew Phillips, Jake Roels of Alphabot, Edna Snyder of Kidstreet, Airick Woodhead of Doldrums, and John Watson
Supporting Cast: Sarah Lacelle, Nathaniel Bryan, Katie McClure, Erika Brodsky, Liam Hanebury, Claire Wynveen, Tori Anderson, Marc Bendavid, Brendee Green, Elliott Loran, Keira Jade, Kelly Taylor, Rachel Kennedy, Heather Marie Annis, Duncan McCallum, Jamie James, Linda Gallant, Chrissi Chau, Andrea Blakey, Jenna Harris, Adrian Colbert-Kalb, Caitlin Donnelly, Lisbeth Maidment, and Adam Driscoll
Sanitation and Containment: Aleks Rakocevic, Rory Mills, Eleanor MacVeigh, Nick Theriault, Kirsten Young, Melissa Acker, Dane Kirilovic, Denis Futac, Jesse Vanderburgh, Holly Cotnam, Lindsay Latham, Nazzareno Tassone, and Caleb Block
3180 days ago, our world ended. This is the story of what happened.
1 viral idea
8 live events
75 performers
333 crowdfunders
3,500 event participants
35,000 online engagements
over 1,000,000,000 dead (and counting)
ZED.TO was an 8-month narrative told in real-time through an integrated combination of interactive theatrical events and online content. It told the story of the beginning of the end of the world, from a viral pandemic created by ByoLogyc, a fictional Toronto-based biotech company.
1 viral idea
8 live events
75 performers
333 crowdfunders
3,500 event participants
35,000 online engagements
over 1,000,000,000 dead (and counting)
ZED.TO was an 8-month narrative told in real-time through an integrated combination of interactive theatrical events and online content. It told the story of the beginning of the end of the world, from a viral pandemic created by ByoLogyc, a fictional Toronto-based biotech company.
Awards & Press
"Over 9 months spanning 2012 and 2013, The Mission Business rolled out an immersive and interactive experience that put the ByoLogyc brand in front of thousands of Canadians, giving audiences a taste (quite literally) of what a biotechnological future ruled by corporate influence might look and feel like." - Journal of Futures Studies
"We are curious about what happens when artists and strategic thinkers collaborate in story making,” said Mosoff in an email. Together, the group hopes to challenge the very format of theatre by “bringing people towards the unknown by testing unknown waters of connection.” Developed through a series of workshops and creative retreats, the project is being funded by a $20,000 Indigogo campaign that included high profile supporters like Margaret Atwood." - The Charlebois Post
"The artists and designers at Toronto adventure laboratory The Mission Business are hedging their bets on a biotechnological apocalypse scenario, with a transmedia science-fiction prototype called ZED.TO. It’s an immersive end-of-the-world origin story told across multiple Toronto public art events and social media, a window into the near-future that tells a scary story." - Spacing Toronto
Winner of 2012 Digi Award for Cross-Platform Fiction
Winner of 2012 Toronto Fringe Performance Innovation Award
Winner of 2012 WorldFuture BetaLaunch Best in Show
Winner of 2025 International Design Innovation Award
"We are curious about what happens when artists and strategic thinkers collaborate in story making,” said Mosoff in an email. Together, the group hopes to challenge the very format of theatre by “bringing people towards the unknown by testing unknown waters of connection.” Developed through a series of workshops and creative retreats, the project is being funded by a $20,000 Indigogo campaign that included high profile supporters like Margaret Atwood." - The Charlebois Post
"The artists and designers at Toronto adventure laboratory The Mission Business are hedging their bets on a biotechnological apocalypse scenario, with a transmedia science-fiction prototype called ZED.TO. It’s an immersive end-of-the-world origin story told across multiple Toronto public art events and social media, a window into the near-future that tells a scary story." - Spacing Toronto
Winner of 2012 Digi Award for Cross-Platform Fiction
Winner of 2012 Toronto Fringe Performance Innovation Award
Winner of 2012 WorldFuture BetaLaunch Best in Show
Winner of 2025 International Design Innovation Award
Presentations
- Ingram Gallery / Toronto / 20 March, 2012.
- Toronto Fringe Festival / Annex Wreck Room / Toronto / 4-15 June, 2012.
- Scotiabank Nuit Blanche / Church of the Holy Trinity / Toronto / 30 September, 2012.
- Evergreen Brick Works / Toronto / 2-3 November, 2012.
- Spacing Magazine Launch Party / Toronto / 29 May, 2012.
- NXNE Interactive / Toronto / 15 June, 2012.
- WorldFuture BetaLaunch / Toronto / 28 July, 2012.
- Autodesk University Innovation Forums / Toronto / 27 November 2012.
