A scents-ible night!

Alright, judging from the title you’re probably guessing that my evening was full of something to do with smells. Ghost River Theatre presented the fourth instalment of a theatrical sensory experience featured at Beakerhead-Scent Bar.

Held in the now abandoned Chophouse Restaurant, guests were greeted in the temporary, pop-up Scent Bar. With no more than 30 guests, five performers and a couple other volunteers, the evening was bound to be intimate.

Black blind-folds in hand, the guests got to choose three experience from a menu of five: Bonne Fête, Cocktail Tarot, Recipe to Remember, Wanderlust and Unwined.  Almost like a “choose your own adventure”.

Without describing the individual experiences (because you must find out for yourself), each one is interpreted differently among each person. From the “recipe” of experiences they have chosen, to the stories they hear, to the thoughts and memories that are evoked throughout the evening, each guest’s sense of smell awakens different emotions and arouses long and forgotten memories.

For myself, I relived memories and recalled the forgotten elements that made them a memory in the first place. A cup of hot chocolate and the smell of campfire on an old blanket reminded me of the nights my mom would make a bonfire for me and my brothers and sisters. Vanilla cake and melted wax took me back to countless birthday parties held in our cozy kitchen. Wet earth and herbs found me back as a child making mud-pies and playing hide-and-seek in the rows of corn in our garden.

After the experiences were done, we got to chat with one another and how each of our recipes unfolded for us. My partner talked about travelling and how each place he has gone to has its own smell. Pleasant or not, when you catch a whiff of scent, you’re instantly transported through time to that country, city or pub.

Louise Casemore, co-creator of Scent Bar, and the performers of GRT-Devon Dubnyk, Morgan Yamada, Bobbi Goddard and Armin Karame-do a fantastic job of leading the five experiences. Each have their own theme, performance and purpose, but use the same focus of scent to reveal it.

Scent Bar runs September 13 through 17, 2017 in conjunction with Beakerhead 2017. Purchase your tickets ahead of time to guarantee your own experience at ghostrivertheatre.com/scentbar.

Editor’s note: This post was written by Nicole Brandt to promote Scent Bar at Beakerhead 2017. If you would like to promote your Downtown business or event, please email [email protected]