What Brings You In: A Confessional Concert at Theatre Passe Muraille
October 17 – 25, 2025
Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace, 16 Ryerson Ave.
Theatre Passe Muraille proudly presents What Brings You In, a groundbreaking confessional concert created and performed by violinist Leslie Ting. Running from October 17–25, 2025, this genre-defying work reimagines how audiences can engage with performance, inviting listening itself to become an act of transformation. A partnership between Leslie Ting Production and Theatre Passe Muraille, the project dissolves boundaries between music, therapy, and thehttps://www.passemuraille.ca/what-brings-you-in/atre, offering audiences an experience that is as intimate as it is experimental.
At its heart, What Brings You In asks a deceptively simple question: what brings us into a shared performance space, and what draws us inward to discover more about ourselves? Inspired by Ting’s research and personal experiences with talk therapy, hypnotherapy, dreamwork, sandplay, somatics, and Reiki, the work becomes a meditation on selfhood, healing, and presence. The title phrase is treated both as an inquiry and an invitation—challenging audiences to reflect on their own inner landscapes while participating in a collective act of listening.
The performance blends new music with innovative staging. Ting, on violin, is joined by percussionist Germaine Liu to create an experimental soundscape that stretches the boundaries of classical performance. But the experience extends beyond the concert hall. Online audiences are invited into a live broadcast version of the performance, enhanced with interactive elements designed by EMMA Technology Cooperative. Using their cursor or touchscreen, participants engage with sound-based interactions, building a parallel layer of discovery alongside the live event.
In keeping with its exploration of perception and presence, What Brings You In was created in collaboration with Blind and Low Vision artists. By shifting the focus away from sight, the performance foregrounds listening as the central act of engagement. It is an intentional reorientation—one that prioritizes deep listening as a form of attention, empathy, and connection.
As Ting describes:
“This project grew out of my desire to have a new relationship with the audience. It is an experiment in opening ourselves to a different kind of attention, to tuning in by exploring the high and low stakes of listening.”
Show Information
- Dates: October 17 – 25, 2025
- Venue: Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace, 16 Ryerson Ave, Toronto
- Running Time: 75 minutes (no intermission)
- Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can-Afford pricing: $15 | $40 | $65 for in-person; $15 for online. Available at passemuraille.ca or 416-504-7529.
Online Performances
Audiences who cannot attend in person can join What Brings You In (Online), a live broadcast that mirrors the in-theatre performance. Through a specially developed interactive web-app, participants enter a digital communal space where listening, rather than seeing, shapes the experience. Two interactive web-app performances will be offered:
- Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 7:30 pm
- Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Headphones are strongly recommended for the best audio experience.
Accessibility & Special Performances
Accessibility is central to the production. All performances are Blind-friendly, with audio description offered both in person and online:
- In Person: Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 2:00 pm
- Online: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 7:30 pm
A mask-mandatory performance will be held on Friday, October 24, 2025 at 7:30 pm.
Audiences should be aware that the live music includes high-pitched and loud moments. Content warnings include themes of mental health and references to anti-Asian racism.
Red Circle Community Event: A Tea Gathering with Helen Kong
As part of the production’s outreach, audiences are also invited to a free community event. On Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 11:30 am, artist and tea practitioner Helen Kong of Secret Teatime Studio will guide a mindful tea practice. Participants will select a tea bowl and tea, engage in reflective exercises, and consider how objects carry memory, presence, and evolving stories. This gentle gathering echoes the central themes of What Brings You In—attention, connection, and transformation.
By dissolving boundaries between art forms and centring the act of listening, What Brings You In offers audiences an experience unlike any other. Whether in person or online, it is an invitation to pause, tune in, and reflect on the question: what truly brings you in?
ABOUT LESLIE TING
Violinist and interdisciplinary artist Leslie Ting is known for performances described as “breathtaking” (Onstage) and “eloquent” (Wholenote). Since 2014, she has created music-driven works blending classical performance, theatre, and new media, informed by her background as both musician and former optometrist. Nominated for multiple awards, including the Pauline McGibbon Award for Speculation (2021), Leslie has held residencies at Eastern Front Theatre, MITU580, and Durham Art Gallery. Her collaborations span the National Arts Centre’s SPHERE Festival, the Caddisfly Project, and Race Cards (in Two Acts). She leads the Anchoring Accessibility research project and mentors emerging artists through Why Not Theatre’s ThisGen Fellowship.
ABOUT THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE
Founded in 1968, Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) is Canada’s first alternative theatre company, dedicated to developing and producing new Canadian plays that reflect the diversity of our society. Guided by values of collaboration, inclusion, and representation, TPM amplifies unique artists and stories, engaging local, national, and international audiences. The company acknowledges the Anishinabek, Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Mississaugas of the Credit as original caretakers of its home territory. Inspired by the Dish With One Spoon Treaty, TPM honours the principles of sharing, community, and respect. In this spirit, the company works to create theatre that is accessible, innovative, and deeply rooted in connection.