DJ Me Time brings her immersive theatre show R.A.V.E. to Luminato

When someone mentions rave culture, you might think of party drugs, strobe lights, and bodies crammed together against a soundscape of bass-heavy electronic music. But what if a rave were a place for everyone — regardless of their relationship to drugs, their age, or their level of physical ability — to let loose?

This summer, DJ Me Time is in Toronto to investigate raves as a radically inclusive space to dance the night away. Known by some as Sarah Barrable-Tishauer (whose name you might recognize from Degrassi: The Next Generation), Me Time plans to share her immersive storytelling show, R.A.V.E., at the Downsview Airport Lands as part of Luminato Festival. The show offers a little bit of everything — it's a dance party, a play, and an immersive experience all at once — and Me Time can't wait to use the work to share her love of clubbing with Toronto audiences.

"I've always had a love for dance music," says Me Time at a coffee shop in midtown Toronto. "When I moved to Montreal for university, I really discovered the power of the dance floor there. I really felt like I found myself. DJing was just a hobby at first, but I had a clear sense that there wasn't representation in that space; there wasn't an emphasis on safety. So while I started DJing for fun, I also developed this mission to create spaces where people could feel safe to dance, and make the most of that experience."

For Me Time, inclusivity is paramount to creating a once-in-a-lifetime rave. There's a lot of care that goes into creating an experience that's open to all — "I'm thoughtful about the venue, and who's working the door, and who's coming in to DJ," she says — and it's increasingly important to prioritize marginalized communities who are usually cast to the side in nightlife environments.

"There's a focus on sober spaces, or spaces that don't push substances," she says. "We're not focused on bar sales; we're making sure we have an amazing mocktail menu. We're working with what we call 'vibe patrol,' which is a group of volunteers on the dance floor who are trained in harm reduction…. there's a lot of intention, from the way we talk about these events to the way we document them, that makes sure we return to our values of inclusivity and openness."

Substance use — or lack thereof — is one of the pillars of rave culture, and Me Time has put a lot of thought into curating a substance-safe experience for everyone, regardless of whether or not they partake themselves.

"Raving is sort of bent towards hedonism, and this idea that we're escaping," she says. "I think a lot of raves push substances as a way to create that escape…. but I'm approaching this with a harm reduction lens. We are here to educate and support; we're not pushing drugs, but we're also not telling people they can't do them. If they're safely consumed, drugs can enhance the experience, but again, there's a safety component to that: if people do need help, we're making sure the support is there for them. At its core, a rave is a community space — we have to take care of each other."

Beyond creating a substance-neutral space, Me Time and her team are working with Luminato Festival to ensure audiences with wildly different lived experiences can enjoy R.A.V.E.

"The festival has created a venue guide and an access guide so people can get a deeper dive of what this experience will feel like before they arrive," says Me Time. "It''s intended to be fun. Audiences can expect the opportunity to dance, but they also have the opportunity to gauge the level of participation that feels right for them. We have rolling office chairs for anyone who needs a break.

"Anyone with an open mind can enjoy the show," she elaborates. "We were thoughtful about that. A whole part of the show is around people who can't dance, and inviting them into the joy of just wiggling and letting go. There's not a prescribed movement to it. It's for sure an immersive experience."

As far as the storytelling component of R.A.V.E., which is produced by award-winning theatre company Outside the March and The R.A.V.E. Institute, audiences can expect an odyssey through the life of DJ "The Founder," played by Me Time. While the play's not quite a memoir, it's also intentional that The Founder and Me Time share some common personality traits.

"It's parody meets autobiography," she says. "There's always been an autobiographical element to you. As an actor, it's interesting to play that line … this is a DJ who has really good intentions, and by deciding to scale and formalize a corporation around rave culture, they end up inadvertently destroying it. 

"Any counterculture that makes its way to the mainstream can be challenging," she continues. "And I think it can become problematic when we don't recognize the origins. That's consistent against any counterculture — much of which comes from Black culture, by the way — and I think it's important to keep the ties to the history of the music and continue to centre those cultures and histories on the dance floor."