Hirsh, a 21-year-old Toronto native who is studying Lighting Design at the University of California, is in charge of creative production and design for the company. Seeley, who has served as head of the drama department at the Metropolitan Preparatory Academy,  directs both plays and stars in House, a one-man show.

I had the opportunity to see House, which alternates with Waiting for Godot at the Paper Mill Theatre in Todmorden Mills from Aug.11 until Sept. 6.

House, which was written by Canadian playwright and Chalmers award winner, Daniel MacIvor in 1991, was considered an innovative piece of theatre at the time has not lost its relevance 17 years later. I was mesmerized by the material as well as Seeley’s performance, which was both humorous and touching – often at the same time.

The use of light and sound added to wonderful characterizations during this intense one-man show that elaborates on the life of Victor, a frustrated “every man” who is trying to make sense of his life and relationships though group therapy.

Seeley manages to bring all of the people in Victor’s world to life through his intense descriptions and hilarious imitations. Although he is the only actor in the play, I felt as if I had seen a whole company of actors put on a complex tragic comedy by the end.

Further interest is added by the fact that Victor acknowledges the presence of the audience and even steps right into the seating area at one point – trying to get a reaction out of those who are watching him. Indeed, House is a metaphor for life, relationships, the theatre and coexistence of art with “the real world.” Seeley’s performance was seemingly effortless as he stepped into Victor’s various relationships and problems without ever missing a beat.

According to Hirsh, they choose Waiting for Godot because they see Beckett’s work as significant and thought provoking and are concerned that it isn’t being given enough attention. Their controversial take sets this comic tragedy in WWII and has the lead characters in the roles of Nazi Soldier and his Jewish slave.

Hirsh had a strong personal connection to this rendition of the play, as his grandfather is an Auschwitz survivor. The Jewish slave, Lucky, is played by Marc Richler who “uses sense memory to attach emotions to key phrases. The emotions are derived from personal family history with the holocaust.”

Seeley hopes that audiences will understand the symbolism of the Nazi theme as it applies to today’s moral dilemmas. The world said that after the Holocaust, this situation would never happen again, but now we have Darfur, among others, and the rest of the world does often look away from genocide, he explains.

Hirsh and Seeley originally met when Hirsh was a student at Metropolitan Prep and they have worked together on numerous high-school productions before making the leap to start their own theatrical production company. They hope to expand their slate of plays next season and to continue to bring relevant theatre to Toronto audiences.

For more information and tickets go to: www.remaininlight.ca.