8Players: A Masterclass in Antici — (A NoPro Adventure)

by Edward Mylechreest
Edward Mylechreest
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October 26, 2017
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5 min read

In which our author LARPs for the first time, in a wig and skirt

It’s 7:52pm on Saturday night and I find myself waiting anxiously on a street corner in Brooklyn. I primp my “hair” and try not to fiddle with the string of pearls around my neck. I realize this is the first time in my life I’ve ever needed restrain myself from doing such a thing. I stare at my reflection in one of the parked cars and I do not recognize the middle-aged woman staring back at me.

A few weeks prior to this life choice-questioning-moment, I received an inconspicuous email with a questionnaire. Then: an invitation with a street corner, the very specific time of 7:52pm, an era in time, and, most importantly, the character I would be playing tonight.

Live Action Role Playing (LARP) has had something of a resurgence in the last few years, and 8Players borrows heavily from this world. LARP’s ambitious mix of game-play, theatrical sensibilities, and unadulterated geekiness, has created passionate fans across the globe. However, this is a new world to me. It might be a logical next step from the other immersive works I’ve been enjoying, but LARPs are not something I had pursued until now. As a musician, when it comes to theatre, I have always found myself working in the orchestra pit or in the audience, never on the stage itself.

For my first LARP experience, I would be playing “M.B.,” a librarian in her mid-forties. I am given a description of her “look” and personality. Immediately I start to plan out my outfit. Raiding the girlfriend’s wardrobe, as well as the drama department supplies (one of the perks of being a music teacher), I fashion together an outfit Mrs. McGonagall would be proud of.

As I head towards the rendezvous location, costume placed in a bag, my heart races a little at the realization that I will need to find somewhere to change and re-emerge as “M.B.” I find a restaurant around the corner and try to enjoy a light meal. I do not have any idea what to expect tonight. Details have been kept sparse.

I am surprised to find myself a bit nervous.

I head into the cramped toilets to change and (as I struggle to pull on my girlfriend’s tights) I am brought down to Earth by the thoughts flying through my head. What have I got myself into?

Having finally untangled my string of pearls, I affix the long brown wig onto my head and wrap a cardigan around my shoulders, before placing a pair of thin-rimmed glasses onto my face. Costume complete, I step out into the brisk evening air, having transformed into M.B. I find my place on the specified street corner and wait.

And wait.

My nerves get the better of me. What if I’m the only one doing this? What if no one is doing this at all, and this was all an elaborate prank?

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I look around, hoping to see the other seven players who would be taking part tonight. The funny thing about Brooklyn is that it’s not particularly easy to tell who is dressed up for an evening of LARPing and who is just going about their usual business.

Trying my hardest to look casual, I look for conspicuous-looking people around me.

After what feels like an eternity (only five minutes in reality), a masked figure emerges from the shadows. Without saying a word, our guide takes me and my seven other compatriots to our starting destination. A silhouetted figure takes us into the space one by one.

As the others enter, I see a jock. A stoner. A geek.

The room where it all happens can be best described as improv class meets boardroom meeting. Next, the mechanics of the game are explained. (I don’t want to give too much away, but think wonderfully campy late night 90’s horror flick.) The game will play out in three acts. At the top of each act we will each be given new information. Firstly: public information, “gossip,” giving us insight and ammunition to use against the other characters. Secondly: private information, dark secrets about your own character which will help assist you in your interactions with others. Based upon this information, you will make the choices about who to go “after,” what to say, and how much to reveal. The characters come to life based on how much you as an actor-player decide to put into the discussion.

Our two guides for the evening (Cassidy Dermott and show director/creator Ross Tipograph) take on the role of a Greek chorus, acting as the conscience of the group, playing both angel and demon on your proverbial shoulders. They help to direct conversation and keep the storyline moving, but without getting in the way of the unfolding drama, gently coaxing out performances from each of the “players.”

Coming into 8Players, it’s hard to predict the level of acting skill each player will bring to the experience. With the help of our guides, we start to really ham up the drama of the evening. The story that we played (one of 24 possible stories) takes all the twists and turns you would expect, with shocking revelations and accusations running wild. It’s marvelously fun and entertaining.

The greatest strength of 8Players comes from the joy of not knowing what was going to happen next. In the lead up to the experience, I found myself desperate to find out more details. The authoritative, unforgiving tone of my communications with the creators helped to develop a feeling of dread. During the evening, the sense of anticipation continued to build, as I found myself waiting to see who else would be joining me in the game. By the time our guides arrived, my group had been nervously waiting in place for some time. I felt a real sense of urgency and energy in the air. Every interaction during the story continues to build even more anticipation: waiting for the right time to ask a pointed question of another character, to reveal the secrets you know to the collective group, or when a shocking revelation might fall upon you — all leading up to the big reveal.

8Players takes the best aspects of an improv class, an immersive story, and a midnight screening of that bad movie that’s so bad it’s good. You know the story, you’ve met these characters before, and it feels like you can predict each line of dialogue before it is even spoken. The elements are so familiar, you create this dialogue yourself and color in the world with the collective imaginations of the group. This experience of 8Players will not be for everyone, as it demands that each person place themselves into the world completely, to help to tell the story. Fans of LARP and those with acting experience will be sure to enjoy it, as well as those open to trying something new.

If this sounds like you, do attend, and enjoy this masterclass in —