A weekly feature pointing you towards the current experiences that have people talking.
For people who think What We Do in the Shadows left a lot of money on the table by not pursuing a Jackie Daytona spinoff...
Boston Bar Bloodsuckers [LOS ANGELES]
Belly up to the latest from Janson Lalich and Cricklewood Immersive as they pour another bubbly, comforting mug of the intoxicating formula you can always be sure they’ll have on tap: awkward social gatherings, outlandish characters, highly specific nostalgia, and you. Unholy creatures of the night looking for a good time descend on the Roguelike Tavern, the closest thing the LA Immersive scene has to a certain fictional Boston-based rathskeller, to celebrate the 200th birthday of Lilith the Vampire Queen surrounded by her colorful coterie of bloodsucking regulars, many of whom may or may not resemble classic sitcom characters from a bygone decade as closely as parody laws allow. When tragedy strikes in the form of a second, and much more permanent, death of one of your own, you will be called upon to withstand the glamour sink your fangs into a bloody murder mystery complete with clues to document, suspects to interrogate, and theme song karaoke to perform. You may not discover who the murderer is by the end of the night, but you can be sure in this vampiric watering hole, everybody knows your name.
Why we think you’ll love it: Participants are encouraged to attend dressed in their vampire/sitcom referential best as they avail themselves of the many amenities including the aforementioned karaoke, bar trivia, card games, at least one complimentary cocktail, and plenty of good, undead company interspersed throughout the main plot. Upgrade to the VIP package for more of everything, including an extra drink, extra barroom banter, and a leg up on figuring out whodunnit.
For people who get anxiety whenever they try to remember what the rules are for recycling pizza boxes...
When the blossom passes, what remains? [NEW YORK CITY]
HOLDTIGHT Productions provides the audience with an intimate, sustainable space to ponder the essential truth that if we are to better commune with and care for the natural world around us, we must tend our own metaphorical, and perhaps metaphysical, gardens first. Audiences are drawn in through dance, original music composition, and personal storytelling by a small troupe of performers facilitating a participatory investigation into the kinds of connections with our own bodies we often overlook or take for granted, be they physical, spiritual, emotional, and how they have the power to inform and mirror our connection to, and care of, the larger natural world. Engaging in weighty topics like collective grief with conscientious grace, this movement-based deep dive into “eco-psychology” will have you completely rethinking your role in the dance of life.
Why we think you’ll love it: This is just the latest work by HOLDTIGHT to encourage audiences through gorgeous, evocative dance and sustainable stagecraft to give participants a space to reflect on how to remain present in the moment and embrace the connections between the different facets of yourself, society, and the world around you. This particular production made special effort to ensure that everything used was specially sourced from recycled materials that can then upon closing be returned to the life cycle.
For people who always cheer on the flowers they see growing in between the cracks in the concrete...
Varikko [FINLAND]
Multi-disciplinary and multi-sensory performance collective Flow Productions continues their over a decade of prolific, visually arresting output with a towering feat of immersive theatre that juxtaposes the dreamlike poetry of performance with the brutal reality of its location for a sumptuous buffet of avant garde visual storytelling like no other. Modern dance, acrobatics, circus arts, live music, and classic audience-facing immersive acting are all on display in the Oulu City Depot, a cavernous abandoned factory slowly being reclaimed by time, the elements, and now local artists. Audiences don yellow safety vests as they arrive for work in the factory and, after an initial tone-setting prelude in the entry halls, are given free reign to follow their interests and wander the space, gravitating towards whichever of the countless smaller, simultaneous performances in the twenty or so rooms available for exploration strikes their interest, the participants able to come and go as they please. Bear witness to a stunning multi-story feat of acrobatic prowess, clown around in a bathroom turned tropical getaway, or bear witness to a private moment of anguish and perhaps offer comfort in a moment of need, there is no telling what you’ll find in this varikko.
Why we think you’ll love it: While director Pirjo Yli-Maunula provides a unifying voice and vision, the dozens of performers occupying every corner of the depot were given freedom to develop their unique vignettes according to their specific skill sets and sensibilities, meaning that every room you wander into, from the set dressing to the performance style featured to the interactivity level and overall tone, will showcase something entirely new and singularly personal to every artist you meet.
Have an upcoming/ongoing immersive experience that has you buzzing? Point it out to us through pitches@noproscenium.com with the subject line "I Found A Trailhead" and we might include it in the next issue!