Fast-paced and full of eccentric characters, this dark comedy takes place on a seventh storey window ledge where a man is contemplating jumping. Endlessly interrupted by a variety of quirky building residents, he becomes drawn into the absurdity of their daily lives. So self-absorbed are his neighbours, that no one even bothers to ask why he’s out there! This quick-witted, sophisticated satire will have you philosophizing about life and death, right up to its existential conclusion. Written thirty years ago by the award-winning Canadian playwright Morris Panych, 7 Stories was the winner of six Jessie Awards, including Outstanding Original Play.

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Reviews:

“The stage is set — literally — for the Phoenix Theatre’s production of 7 Stories, the acclaimed existential comedy from playwright Morris Panych. 

And it’s big. Very big, in fact. 

The sheer scale of the set, which stands at a whopping 23 feet and is made to resemble the face of an apartment building, complete with windows and sills, will make for a must-see run at the University of Victoria’s Phoenix Theatre, starting today. 

The set was made using construction plans based on blueprints by Ken MacDonald, the original set designer. 

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Bursting with a colour palette inspired by Belgian artist René Magritte, with snowy-white clouds and piercing blue sky as a backdrop, the set gives the audience the impression of floating. That was an important feeling to communicate, given what transpires.” - Mike Devlin, Times Colonist

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“Before the production even begins, the grandeur of the set is enough to stir you. Director Fran Gebhard uses Ken MacDonald’s original set design of a 23-foot tall apartment building which extends from below the stage to the sky, so to speak, as the backdrop is a brilliant blue overlaid with heavy white clouds inspired by the surrealist artist, Rene Magritte.” - Showbill Canada

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“Set entirely on the window ledge of a seventh-storey building (thus the amazing set, adapted here from Ken MacDonald’s original design by student Conor Farrell, which stretches from floor to the lighting rig), this satire still holds up three decades on […] If you’ve never seen “7 Stories”, this is a great chance to see the show […] And if you have seen it, well, just come for the set-an ode to Rene Magritte’s surrealist art.” - Check the Program

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“7 Stories takes place, yes, seven stories up, in one of the most jaw-dropping sets I have ever seen. Designed by award-winning set designer Ken MacDonald, the set is a mixture of interactive architecture and brilliant lighting. There’s a row of windows at the top, each opening to display the actors who are talking at that time and then closing when the lines have been spoken. […] With its amazing set, marvellous actors, and evocative story that speaks so clearly to the human condition, 7 Stories is an experience that will stay with you for a very long time.” - Emily Welch, Nexus

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“The audience watches from the perspective of the ledge, with the residents leaning out of their windows as the man with the bowler hat awkwardly shuffles out of the way and lets everything happen around him. The set is a curved wall that slopes from the bottom of the stage all the way to the top with the ledge and the windows sitting in the middle. The set is effective, and feels like you’re staring at an inverted lens” - Brianna Bock, the Martlet