The Sleepers is a once in a lifetime experience. It is an intimate immersive cultural experience, for up to seven people at a time. It involves an overnight stay in a specially designed performance space at Soul City Arts venue in Port Hope. The performance will last for approximately 12 hours from 8 pm to 8 am the next day. This includes a period of time of rest and sleep.

It will run for 5 nights only between 27th of September and 1st of October.

There are also daytime visits which will last around 30-45 minutes, but are a compressed version of the night visits.

The Sleepers is based on the story of the Seven Sleepers, also known at the Aṣḥāb al-Kahf in Islam, and it is about a group of young believers who fled religious persecution and hid in a cave. This story is also mirrored in Christian faith, and as part of the experience expect to explore themes about religion, persecution, faith and cultures.

Once on site at Soul City Arts you will be met by a staff member who will brief you on the evenings events. You will also be asked to hand over any electronic devices which will be kept in a secure locked location – we have a FAQs about this and access to emergency contacts that can be made available to you.

You and your group will be guided to the Sleepers area. 

We have short half an hour day time visits available, with no minimum numbers required. You can book this just for yourself if you wish, just be aware the space will  be shared with up to seven other members of the public at one time. We also have extended nighttime slots, that will take up to seven people as well.  The night visits are highly recommended as it is the ‘full experience’.

Due to the nature of the experience, we are asking for all mobile devises to be absent from within the space. We are also asking for any electronic devices and watches to be handed over for those staying over night, we have secure lock boxes to hold the phones during the experience.

Age requirements for overnight stays are 18+.   Anyone under that age will not be permitted.

For daytime visits we are asking any children over 13+ to be accompanied by adults.  The experience will not be appropriate for younger children.

We are based in an industrial warehouse, so it can get cold in our space. We ask you to wear warm layers of clothing.   Similarly at night we ask you to wear layers of clothing  We also ask you to wear nightwear that is respectful.   Please bring some blankets with you.

You will be guided through the evening by a host who will let you know what to do and when.  You will never be asked to do anything you are not comfortable with.

Unless you have registered for the event as part of your group, only those who have registered for your session are able to attend as the event is capacity limited.  You are welcome to choose a selection of frends or family, but be aware that if you have less than a group of seven, other members of public may be included with your group. 

We have especially allocated slots for school and community groups to attend with staff members. This group size can be for up to 15 participants. We have created an activity plan that can be continued after the visit. Contact sumra@soulcityarts.com to book your group visit.  Places are now very limited for school groups.

We use CCTV to ensure the safety and security of our visitors. Due to the overnight element of The Sleepers and its duration, we want to ensure everyone’s safety this includes, illness, needing assistance etc. We have a specific FAQs just for CCTV which can be made available to you if you require.  We also have overnight security staff present to further ensure you are comfortable and feel safe.

Light refreshments and bottled water will be provided by Soul City Arts only for overnight stays.  This will be very light in the form of dates and fruit.

We ask that you do not bring food and drink unless there is a medical reason for this.

 

We hope that this will not be the case and you will have a fulfilling experience, however if you wish to leave, we will manage this to ensure the least amount of disruption to the performance. However, once you have left that is not for a bathroom visit, it is unlikely you will be allowed re-entry.

You will need to bring with you the following items ( nighttime visit):

Something to sleep in, including clothing and sleeping bag or similar, your toiletries and change of clothes for the following day if required.  We will provide a soft sleeping mat which you can place your sleeping bag on top of.  if you do not have a sleeping bag, then we ask you to bring some warm blankets.

Any medications you may need – you should make staff aware of any health conditions that they may need to know about for your safety.

Please note as a precaution and for the safety of ours visitors bags will be searched.

Please note

As we will have CCTV throughout the event, a staff member will be able see if there is an issue. Every participant will have a button that they are able to press in the case of any emergency and will respond swiftly, ensuring your concerns are addressed.

There will be a simple application process to be part of the experience which you can access here: https://rqxrdvy33hk.typeform.com/to/HxOvDtmv

This closing date for applications to be part of The Sleepers is 4:30pm 24th of September.  We cannot guarantee a space for everyone.

The Sleepers is a durational immersive event. We are asking you to commit to the full overnight duration to ensure you get the most out of the experience.  However, in the event of an illness or an emergency the event would be halted and any issues dealt with.

We don’t have changing facilities.  We only have access to a toilet cubicle, which you are welcome to use to change in. We advise you come dressed in clothes your are comfortable sleeping in, but you are welcome to use the toilet cubicle to change. We ask you to bring an extra layer of clothing such as a hoodie etc .

We will be providing gender specific over night sessions for those who wish.  Please enquire with our staff beforehand

Absolutely you are welcome to pray inside the cave space.

There will be toilets available, however no showers.

At the end of the experience (approx. 8am) you will be met in the space by our host who will alert you that it is the end of experience.  We ask you to complete a short questionnaire which will enable us to continue to make work like this in the future.  You may also be asked to give a verbal account of your experience that we film to form part of our showcase film.

Please contact us via email:

Safwan ( Studio Assistant ) – safwan@soulcityarts.com

Rajpal ( Executive Director ) – rajpal@soulcityarts.com 

The nighttime experience is for audiences aged 18 and older due to the nature of the experience, (loud sounds, darkness etc) and ,may not be suitable for younger participants. We kindly request that parents/carers use their discretion when deciding if this performance is appropriate for their children. While the daytime experience is for ages 13 and older.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

The space will be very dark mimicking the setting of a cave, but there will be subtle lighting for you to find your way, so not entirely dark.