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Poster including text and image against a green background, with faint text repeated: It's only a doll. It Sees You When You're Sleeping! A horror play for the holiday season. It's only a doll. At the right: A bald man with a moustache wearing a red and black plaid flannel shirt, his right hand up at his chin, mouth slightly open and eyes wide in a 1,000-yard stare of horror as an elf doll peeks out from behind his right shoulder.
Poster including text and image against a green background, with faint text repeated: It's only a doll. It Sees You When You're Sleeping! A horror play for the holiday season. It's only a doll. Written and performed by Phil Rickaby. Directed by joey o'dael. Eldritch Theatre (green) & Red Sandcastle Theatre (red) logos. At the right: A bald man with a moustache wearing a red and black plaid flannel shirt, his right hand up at his chin, mouth slightly open and eyes wide in a 1,000-yard stare of horror as an elf doll peeks out from behind his right shoulder.
Photo: Phil Rickaby.

Holiday horror Holiday horror

in a solo show that unveils the hidden terrors of that other elf.

Photo: Phil Rickaby.

Home Events Performance It Sees You When You’re Sleeping!

It Sees You When You’re Sleeping!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Every holiday season, theatres across the world pull out all the stops to present heart-warming, child-friendly, slightly sweet offerings. A Christmas Carol. A fun pantomime. Elf: The Musical. Good wholesome stuff, good for the whole family.

And then there’s It Sees You When You’re Sleeping!, which is none of those things.

For five performances only – Thursday, December 19 to Sunday, December 22, 2024: Phil Rickaby, in association with Eldritch Theatre, presents the solo holiday horror play It Sees You When You’re Sleeping!, written and performed by Phil Rickaby, directed by joey o’dael and stage managed by Robin Haggerty. Witness the terrors that lie just beneath the surface of the season, embodied by the elf doll tradition that so many parents both embrace and dread.

This is not a play for children…

… though it appeals to the scary story-loving child in all of us.

Chris is a Christmas-loving, recently widowed single father. Answering his daughter Susan’s pleas, he reluctantly gives her an Elf on the Shelf-style doll. Little does he know that this seemingly innocent act will unleash a terrible force that will change their lives forever. What horror lurks behind this seemingly innocent Christmas tradition?

Poster including text and image against a green background, with faint text repeated: It's only a doll. It Sees You When You're Sleeping! A horror play for the holiday season. It's only a doll. Written and performed by Phil Rickaby. Directed by joey o'dael. Eldritch Theatre (green) & Red Sandcastle Theatre (red) logos. At the right: A bald man with a moustache wearing a red and black plaid flannel shirt, his right hand up at his chin, mouth slightly open and eyes wide in a 1,000-yard stare of horror as an elf doll peeks out from behind his right shoulder.

(Photo credits: Phil Rickaby | Eldritch Theatre.)

 

Event details

Hosted by: Phil Rickaby, in association with Eldritch Theatre 

Type of event: solo theatre performance

Written & performed by: Phil Rickaby 

Directed by: joey o’dael

Dates: Thursday, December 19 – Sunday, December 22, 2024

Start times: Thursday – Saturday nights at 7:30 PM ET (doors open at 7:00 PM); Saturday & Sunday matinées at 2:00 PM ET (doors open at 1:30 PM)

Duration: Approximately 90 minutes (no intermission)

Cost: Join Eldritch Theatre’s Inner Sanctum to get deep discounts on tickets & receive alerts on Members-only perks!

  • Inner Sanctum Members: C$25.00 + HST
  • General Admission: C$35.00 + HST

Location: Red Sandcastle Theatre, 922 Queen St. East, Toronto, ON, M4M 2J5

Trailer: Watch the trailer

Booking link: Book your tickets here

Contact details: Eldritch Theatre c/o Red Sandcastle Theatre, 922 Queen St. East, Toronto, ON, M4M 2J5, Canada; emma@eldritchtheatre.ca, eldritchtheatre.ca

 

Content warning: Not a play for children.

Accessibility: Red Sandcastle Theatre has a ramp at the Queen Street entrance with a manual door. They’re able to remove chairs to make space for wheelchair seating in the audience. Their first-floor unisex washroom is also wheelchair-accessible.

Refund policy: Tickets will not be refunded once the show has begun. Refunds prior to the start of the show are at the discretion of the company.