Terminus
Terminus production
A pandemic-born experiment in sci-fi horror and theatrical innovation, Terminus was written, directed, and performed by Dylan Stav during one of the most challenging moments for live performance. Developed through virtual and outdoor rehearsals, the show embraced its constraints and transformed them into creative fuel—featuring a moving, modular set and choreographed transitions designed to flow seamlessly with the narrative.
On stage, Terminus delivered a tech-driven, immersive experience: original music, atmospheric projections, and a stark visual language brought the story’s dystopian world to life. At its core, it was a bold investigation into isolation, survival, and the fragile line between machine and memory—told with urgency, style, and ambition.
Production photos
Opening Credits
Terminus trailer
Beyond James Terminus review
“Coming into this season of Hamilton Fringe, it was a real question how artists would adapt to a digital platform while maintaining the unique character that makes up the festival. Terminus manages to do both and in turn brings one of this year’s best performances.
Shot mostly through a single camera – with the sparing use of close-up – the set truly works well on a video format with the back of stage film screen blending seamlessly into the performance. Written and directed by Dylan Stav, Terminus is the theatre we’ve truly been missing during the pandemic.
Although the main focus of the play is on the turbulent relationship of a couple on a deep space journey, the themes uncovered throughout leave the audience pondering throughout. Love, communication manipulation and mental health are all central to the play but a deeper question is the role (and control) technology plays in our lives. Asimov’s Laws of Robotics are pushed to the limits and makes us wonder do we really need our iPhones – and if so, what does the future hold for these devices we spend so much of our lives with?
The stage chemistry between Magdalena Barys (Vanessa) and Stav (Peter) draws the viewer into their relationship, at times hoping for its success and yet also realizing the inevitable failure coming. The two actors – along with supporting performances by Claudia Carino, Anton Wasowicz and John Bory – deliver a brilliant performance that makes for an hour that passes by quickly leaving you wanting more.
While the unique love triangle central to the plot can be seen coming a mile away, the journey there takes quite a few surprising twists and Terminus is definitely one show not to miss this Fringe season.”
Steel City Terminus review
“Science fiction dramas are not easy to write and are even more difficult to stage effectively. What a relief to see that The 9th theatre company understands how to succeed at both in this gripping, mind-trip of a psychological space nightmare.
A radio broadcast a la The Twilight Zone opens the show, as we watch a cosmic dance between a couple of astronauts against a classical piano piece and starry backdrop. Their mission is explained, their A.I. N.E.L. introduced and the cracks start to appear in both our human duo’s mental state. The actors here have intense chemistry between them. Both are edgy, reactive and make uncomfortable confrontations about their relationship and work aboard the ship feel incredibly authentic. The disembodied voice of N.E.L. provides a bit of a familiar sci-fi trope as well: a relaxed, logical persona….that we cannot help think untrustworthy and start questioning their motives immediately. How I wish I could have seen this performance live to truly appreciate the actors and their powerful presence on stage.
I do not want to spoil this one. It becomes a fascinating nightmare onboard and the use of puppetry and the stage was unexpected and impressive. The script is likewise, very strong with a Black Mirror episode-esque ending that was quite satisfying.
While Terminus is worthy of all this praise, it does have one major hindrance that should be addressed. The stage crew was slow-moving and often fully lit while performing transitions which completely removes the audience from the tension of the scene. Some blue-outs or having the actors themselves move set pieces may have helped with this, increasing the sense of isolation and madness our protagonists were experiencing.
Terminus is a must-see for anyone who loves eerie psychological space dramas. I believe I will be re-watching it while it’s still digitally available. Don’t miss it.”