Alternate reality experiences have been very popular amongst the Southern California immersive set this year, for reasons that maybe don’t really need to be explained to anyone with a pulse. After The Tension Experience proved that there was still juice left in the form, a number of other creators took up the gauntlet.

That’s where Jeff Heimbuch comes in, with the Order of Bileth. Heimbuch is the creator of Return Home, a serialized audio drama with Lovecraftian overtones. This year he launched the Order of Bileth alternate reality experience, along with designer Josh Mikkelsen and writer Mike Lisenbery, which played on the mythology of the show’s wold.

Heimbuch is no stranger to the immersive scene in SoCal: he’s a prominent reviewer of theatrical experiences for the site HorrorBuzz and a fixture on the scene. We correspended via email about Bileth ahead of the ARX’s first ticket event Remembrance Day, which comes up on August 24th.

No Proscenium: This is your first ticketed event for Order of Bileth, for those who haven’t been following along what is Order of Bileth and how does it relate to the Return Home podcast?

Jeff Heimbuch: As their story goes, the Order of Bileth is an organization dedicated to bringing back Bileth, an all-powerful entity that once walked this Earth centuries ago, and supposedly granted this planet with an age of splendor. She was banished by people who didn’t understand. The Order has spent thousands of years dedicating their lives to searching for answers and how to bring her back. These days, under the guidance of Steven Lundy, First Leading Knight of the Order, they are the closest they have ever been to doing so. Whether or not what they are saying about Bileth is true is yet to be seen, but they have been able to recruit new Order members all over the world.

The Order, and Bileth herself, exist within the same world as Return Home. While the Order has not been a presence in the show yet, Bileth has indeed made herself know for those who have been listening carefully. So far, the stories have only intersected ever so slightly, such as when Buddy (one of the lead character’s of Return Home) actually went through the entire Midsummer Scream experience with select podcast listeners. But long-term story plans will have the two will crossover in a much bigger way…when the time is right.

That said, you don’t have to be following one to enjoy they other. Both are easily stand alone!

NP: What led you to go down the alternate reality route with this story?

JH: There were a few factors, honestly. We had done some very brief alternate reality stuff with the podcast during its first year (sending out packages to listeners all over the world, having them solve puzzles to solve a mystery, etc), and it was a lot of fun. Last year’s live performance at Midsummer Scream was interactive, and allowed the audience to change the course of the story by voting for the choices they wanted, allowing a sort of “choose your own adventure” element to the episode.

But, living in Southern California and enjoying as much immersive theater as I do, I definitely wanted to do more. My plan for Return Home was always to have some interactive elements, allowing people to not only listen to the story, but also be part of it. The live show was part of that, but it wasn’t enough for me.

When I started telling Mike Lisenbery (one of the Return Home writers) about making a much larger alternate reality thing, he introduced me to Josh Mikkelsen (who has a lot of ARG creation experience for big video game studios). The three of us joined forces, hashed out the story, and began to create the alternate reality elements as best we could, fulfilling that “interactive story” need I wanted.

Get Noah J Nelson’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

SubscribeSubscribe

The three of us work really well together, with each of one of fulfilling a certain area of expertise that is needed. I think our unique and diverse backgrounds have definitely helped the story out in the long run.

NP: You are fairly active covering the immersive horror scene in Souther California, how are you balancing that, your day job, and Bileth?

JH: …not well?

I’m joking, of course, but it is definitely a balancing act. The podcast already took up a lot of time, and adding the Bileth stuff, on top of family life, a job, and writing for HorrorBuzz, was difficult. There were times I definitely failed in one area or the other, but somehow, it seemed to work out to a sort of happy balance of all of them.

Norm, who runs HorrorBuzz, is gracious enough to allow me to pick and choose the assignments I want to write about, and if it is ever too much, I can always back off a little. Plus, not being in the thick of the Halloween season definitely helps.

There was a point, about a month and a half into Bileth, that I was laid off. They eliminated my position altogether, and came as a complete surprise. Actually, the day I was laid off was also the day we had planned one of our character interactions, so we had to re-schedule quickly. It basically threw us into a tailspin for a week before we got back into the groove of it. But not having a job for a month freed up a lot more time to be creative, especially for Bileth. The downside of that (aside from losing my job, of course) was that I also lost the amazing recording studio I used for Return Home.

At the moment, I am back up to full steam doing everything again (working full time, Bileth, writing for HorrorBuzz/Return Home, making time for family). The good thing is, we three consciously decided that we will take a break from Bileth during the haunt season, to make it a little easier on us all around.

NP: What’s your ideal immersive experience?

JH: I honestly think it differs, depending on my mood and personal experiences. At the end of the day, I am looking for a story that touches me in some way; having the story be more about the characters and your relationships with them rather than the big, fantastical overarching thing always stands out more to me than anything else.

For example, sure, our story is about trying to bring back an all powerful goddess / demon (depending on who you ask), but at its core, it’s really about our character’s journeys through this. While people will remember certain aspects of the back story we provide for the overall experience, it is their intimate interactions and experiences with the characters that they will remember the most.

NP: For those who are new to Bileth, what should they be expecting out of Remembrance Day?

JH: Without giving too much away, they can expect a celebration of sorts. The show has a pretty rigid structure on our end, despite how “open world” it may seem to those in attendance. Socializing, rituals, and some scary moments will be included as well. Of course, as people come to expect at these types of shows, there will be plenty of one-on-one interactions, times when they are altogether in a group, and times when they will be alone and subject to the Order’s darker purposes…

With almost every event we have done (pop-ups, Midsummer Scream, etc), Josh, Mike, and I try to make it as accessible as possible to everyone, so it is enjoyable regardless of how heavily involved in the story you are. The same goes for Remembrance Day. Sure, if you know the back story, you will understand the deeper context of certain story points a little more. However, if someone comes in blind, not even knowing what the Order of Bileth is, our aim is to make sure they enjoy Remembrance Day.

Order of Bileth: Remembrance Day has two seatings on August 24th in the 90015 zip code of Los Angeles. Tickets are $60.00.

Join the fastest growing immersive arts & entertainment community on the planet: EVERYTHING IMMERSIVE.