Everything Immersive > No Proscenium > Trailheads (6/15/22)
Trailheads (6/15/22)
by Chris Wollman
A weekly feature pointing you towards the current experiences that have people talking.
For people who still stay on top of their Zoom updates...
Siobán O’Loughlin: 100th Episode PD-Tea Party (Please Don’t Touch the Artist) [REMOTE]
Incandescent performance artist and activist Siobhán O’Loughlin celebrates the milestone 100th edition of her ongoing Zoom series Please Don’t Touch the Artist. What began as a Covid-era necessity quickly evolved into an essential platform for her singular flavor of charmingly confessional, introspective storytelling and an online community holding space for genuine connection and expression in an increasingly fractured world. Siobán holds court, treating her "friends and lovers” to a unique experience with every broadcast that can either be listened to passively or perhaps enriched by guided participation depending on each Zoom square’s comfort level.
Why we think you’ll love it: Whether it’s a captivating autobiographical rumination on human connection in the modern age, an evocative character piece aided by one of her many formidable wigs, or a free-wheeling discussion of love, politics, and the hope and frustrations that come with each where audience members are invited to tell stories of their own, you are never quite sure what kind of show it’s going to be, but it is always, always singularly Siobán.
For people who have binged The Office so much you feel like you work at Dunder Mifflin...
From On High: An Immersive Office Satire [DENVER]
Oddknock Productions transforms a 9,000 square foot warehouse in the RiNo Arts District into the picture of office mundanity in this fully interactive experience exploring the satirical and sinister side of corporate drone-ism. You are the newest hire at BANR, a company where work culture is your new religion and your fellow cubicle dwellers worship at the synergy-powered alter of their enigmatic CEO. As you get to work exploring the office space, fraternizing with your zealous co-workers, and committing to every tenet of the employee handbook, see if you have what it takes to be a real team player as you hurtle towards a Friday that promises to be anything but casual.
Why we think you’ll love it: Billed as a retro office satire, this 80’s infused experience is made even more intriguing by its stacked cast of trained professional dancers limbering up for something more surreal than anything you saw at your last office Christmas party.
For people who already have a Spotify playlist for their funeral...
Garden of Memory [OAKLAND, CA]**
For one day only, celebrate the Summer Solstice with New Music Bay Area as literally dozens of musicians spread throughout the Chapel of the Chimes. Music lovers will be able to wander freely through this maze-like mausoleum illuminated by the soft glow of natural light beaming through the stained glass windows as countless small and large scale performances play simultaneously at scheduled times. The sounds of acoustic and electronic music, installations, and interactive events will be reverberating off the acoustically attuned vaulted ceilings that stretch over the gardens, cloisters, fountains, alcoves, and stairwells that make up this three story architectural marvel and California Historic Landmark.
Why we think you’ll love it: Back for the first time since 2019 with attendance now capped at half the event’s pre-Covid maximum, concert goers should feel safe to rove or linger, curating their own unique aural experience wherever the music takes you.
For people who think good VR should get under your skin...
Evolver [NEW YORK CITY]
Celebrating its world premier as part of the Tribeca Film Festival (as a separately ticketed event), this transportive VR mood piece takes you on a awe-inspiring journey inward along the turbulent, life-powering rivers coursing inside all of us just below the surface. Preceded by an aural meditation narrated by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett before being swept away by the flow of blood vessels throughout the human body as they transport oxygen to breathing cells, this visually arresting exploration of the “landscape of the body" featuring a rapturous musical score by the likes of Jonny Greenwood and others charts the network of powerful, fragile connections that make up our own bodies, our relation to each other, and all of life itself.
Why we think you’ll love it: Created by studio Marshmallow Laser Feast and boasting an impressive list of collaborators and producers including legendary filmmaker Terrance Malick, this transcendent VR experience is your chance to see through the eyes of artists known for their unique view of the world.
**This listing was suggested by community member Corinna Green. Thanks, Corinna!
Have an upcoming/ongoing immersive experience that has you buzzing? Point it out to us through pitches@noproscenium.com with the subject line "Trailheads" and we might include it in the next issue!