Everything Immersive > No Proscenium > Trailheads (7/20/22)
Trailheads (7/20/22)
by Chris Wollman
A weekly feature pointing you towards the current experiences that have people talking.
For people who are always happy to buy a service member a drink...
Hidden Figures: WWII [LONDON]
Partygeek revives their celebrated pre-Pandemic hit for another series of nights flowing with booze, banter, and biographical intrigue. Deliver the password and enter the armed force’s most exclusive speakeasy, as you assume the role of one of several real life (but perhaps lesser known) World War II historical figures provided as you fully integrate into this covert world of spycraft and spirits. Learn the true story of your adopted persona as you wind your way through a “storytelling maze” of puzzles and interactions facilitated by a garrison of engaging performers armed with facts and puns in equal measure designed to both entertain and educate you on your way to helping the Allies win the war.
Why we think you’ll love it: Partygeek mixes their commitment to “diversity focused history” with a deep abiding passion for showing their participants a good time in a way that feels even more vital than the show’s first run in 2017-2018.
For people who think Westworld has gotten too complicated...
The West [LONDON]
COLAB Theatre returns with another sprawling, fully immersive deep dive into the lives of historical rogues, this time with a decidedly American flair. Don your stetson and make sure those boots are nice and tight as you mosey into a world of outlaws and lawmen, where the narrative possibilities are as open as the range. Explore both floors of the COLAB building decked out in its Western finery for a night of “thrilling gameplay and pulsing narrative.” Will you throw in with the Snakebite Bandit, rally around the new Sheriff, or stay on the sidelines with a drink in your hand and an ace up your sleeve? In The West, you can be anybody you want to be.
Why we think you’ll love it: COLAB Theatre has been described as the “peak of immersive” in London for putting a premium on audience autonomy and complex narratives, and this new production comes on the heels of their last hit experience, Crooks 1926.
For people who replay video games to get the "bad" ending...
Heresy: 1897 [BROOKLYN]**
A new and exciting force in the narrative escape room space, "Doors of Divergence” serves as both the name of the company and the MacGuffin for an overarching narrative promising to span multiple experiences featuring live performers, branching pathways based on participant choices, and a complex lore that can be explored long after the experience concludes. In this first chapter, the secret society known as the Order of the Three Keys recruits you to investigate the time twisting transgressions of a rogue Alchemist who has jeopardized reality itself for selfish ends. Agency and choice become powerful tools as you explore his sanctum, but they may lead you to unexpected places... in more ways than one.
Why we think you’ll love it: Promised to be the first of three rooms connected by an increasingly complex shared narrative progressing with each new chapter, the company’s website invites visitors to create an account that will keep track of the choices they made and ending they came to during Heresy, allowing them to unlock extra in-world content unique to their path and save their place in preparation for the next installment.
**This listing was suggested by community member Kathryn Yu. Thanks, Kathryn! 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!