Austin, TX

Flood of Spirits (2024)

An immersive theatre experience

Flood of Spirits (2024) Immersive Event - Main Image

In the deadly flood caused by a dam failure on April 7, 1900, more than fifty Austin residents drowned. Days later, the streets are drying out, but the town is still awash in grief. Some seek solace in mourning, while others search for someone to blame. During this turbulent time, you have been invited to attend a séance in the Drake mansion featuring the traveling medium, Madame Gardot. Amid the pointing of fingers and the calling of spirits, will you and the other séance guests find communion and peace, or vengeance and ire? Whether skeptic or believer, the forces of Spiritualism are brought to the fore in this immersive theatre experience. Upon arrival, guests will be assigned a short family history featuring a deceased loved one, and will then be invited to participate in the séance alongside the small cast. To foster an intimate experience, admission is limited to 18 guests per showtime. The event lasts approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, with a break after the first half-hour. For all guests, Victorian costumes are not required but are certainly celebrated!

Audience Role

Upon arrival, guests will be assigned a short family history featuring a deceased loved one, and will then be invited to participate in the séance alongside the small cast.

Ages: 18 +

Content Advisories

Themes around death
Themes around Spiritualism

Interaction Advisories

No physical contact with performers

Mobility Advisories

Event is wheelchair accessible
No mobility advisories

Tags

Austin
History
seance

About Cheerful Secrets

Throughout his various writings, Ralph Waldo Emerson celebrated conversation. He valued individuals who were “interested in thoughts”—their own and other people’s—and he applauded those who shared with others “the grand and cheerful secrets” that the human mind can compose. We adopted the name “Cheerful Secrets” because we also delight in conversation. And we hope that by creating conversation among people, everyone’s life becomes a bit more grand and full of cheer. We aim to foster conversation. We want to tell stories and create interactions so full of life that, according to Emerson, we “dispose all others irresistibly to good humor and discourse.” Whether through immersive theatre, speaker engagements, visual arts, social events, or facilitated discussion—there are many ways to create conversation, and we’re ready to explore them all.