When NoPro last spoke with Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Charlie Miller, the Off-Center program was in the midst of launching The Wild Party in 2017.
Now, almost two years later, Denver’s immersive scene has grown by leaps and bounds and Off-Center is tackling a new, ambitious series called Between Us, inspired by the one-on-one moments in shows like Sweet and Lucky and Red Flags. Plus, these new intimate immersive performances in Between Us are being created by some of the country’s leading immersive artists like Jenny Koons, Amanda Berg Wilson, and Capital W.
We spoke with Charlie Miller over the magic of email to learn more about Between Us.
No Proscenium (NP): Can you tell us a little about yourself and your role at the Denver Center for Performing Arts (DCPA)?
Charlie Miller (CM): My background is in theatre (directing and producing) and film and video production. In college, during the birth of social media, I became interested in how technology can extend and enhance the theatrical experience, creating new ways for audiences to experience and interact with storytelling. This led me to become a video designer for theatre (a role I played at the DCPA for 7 years) and simultaneously inspired Off-Center, which I co-founded with Emily Tarquin in 2010.
My title is now Associate Artistic Director and Off-Center Curator, and I spend most of my time developing and producing immersive and experiential theatre in Denver. My Colorado roots run deep (I’m a sixth generation Denverite), so it’s amazing to have the opportunity to contribute to the cultural landscape of my city and be a part of the growing immersive arts community here.
NP: What is the mission of Off-Center at the DCPA?
CM: Off-Center was created as a response to the challenging trends many performing arts organizations began facing a decade ago: aging audiences, changing customer behavior, and increased competition for entertainment. We decided that we had to create new programming if we wanted to disrupt these trends and reach a new audience.
Off-Center was established as a theatrical testing center dedicated to experimenting with new ideas, experiences, and practices to build a younger and more adventurous audience for the DCPA. Over the past four years, Off-Center’s primary focus (and greatest success) has been immersive and experiential work, and its mission now is to develop and produce adventurous theatrical experiences that put the audience at the center.
NP: What is Between Us and what inspired this project?
CM: Between Us is a trio of original, intimate theatrical experiences between one actor and one or two audience members. It was inspired by the award-winning one-on-one production Red Flags created by Los Angeles-based Capital W, and from the Denver audience’s response to the one-on-one moment in Sweet & Lucky, Off-Center’s 2016 collaboration with Third Rail Projects.
In both of these productions, I saw how powerful a one-on-one can be, and I wanted to explore how much real agency we can give the audience in the experience while still delivering a cohesive narrative with a satisfying ending. What happens when the audience can influence the outcome of the story? How do we engage them as a participant and honor what they bring? How do we make it intimate and perfectly tailored to each audience member?
So, I commissioned some of the top immersive directors from across the country to create a new one-on-one experience for Denver. Each experience is about an hour, takes place in a Downtown Denver public space, and is a combination of scripted dialogue and improvisation based on what the audience does. Most importantly, all of the experiences involve a familiar situation where two strangers have a reason for talking to each other and all three ask the audience to show up as themselves, not play a part. The three experiences are: The Deck of Cards (where your shuffle of a deck determines your unique show), The Blind Date, and The Whiskey Tasting.
NP: Why do a series of such intimate works?
CM: My mission as a producer is always to try new things, experiment with new forms, and provide new experiences for Denver. My hope is that these pieces deliver a unique, deep and meaningful experience for each participant.
I’m also excited to find out who comes to Between Us — only the most adventurous audiences will sign up for something like this, and I’m eager to learn who those people are and how we can continue to engage with them.
The economics of producing a show like this are complicated, especially because we want to keep ticket prices affordable despite the extremely limited capacity. We wouldn’t be able to do Between Us without the generous support of The Wallace Foundation, which has been funding Off-Center’s experimentation with immersive and experiential work for the past three years.
NP: How is the audience incorporated into each piece? What kinds of choices can the participants make?
CM: Each piece incorporates audiences differently and gives them meaningful agency inside of the story. I don’t want to give too much away, as the surprise is part of what makes this work so special, but here’s what I can say:
The Deck of Cards puts the audience in control of the deck, with each card they choose influencing the next part of the show; with a 52-card deck and near-infinite possible combinations, no two experiences will be the same.
The Blind Date (similar to Capital W’s production Red Flags) puts the audience member on a date with a character. This one takes place in the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and the audience member, while not necessarily in the driver’s seat, has a lot of freedom to shape where the conversation goes and what they get out of it.
The Whiskey Tasting is for two audience members and with a bartender character. Audience members don’t get to choose the four whiskeys they will taste — those are pre-selected to drive the story and introduce you to a range of different whiskeys. This piece explores the relationship between the two audience members, which leads to different and interesting conversations and choices.
NP: How are you designing around audience agency, consent, and safety?
CM: The wonderful thing about the amazing team of collaborators on this project is their collective wisdom and experience, especially with intimate and one-on-one situations in immersive theatre. Jenny Koons (The Deck of Cards) directed all the one-on-ones for Queen of the Night and has been deeply involved with Theatre for One for a number of years. Lauren Ludwig and Monica Miklas (The Blind Date) have a ton of experience from all their intimate work and especially with Red Flags. And Amanda Berg Wilson (The Whiskey Tasting) performed over 100 one-on-ones in Sweet & Lucky and directed Off-Center’s production of The Wild Party.
Each show is approaching audience agency and consent slightly differently based on the narrative and audience experience, and each has different scenarios to plan for. But all will have clear instructions and onboarding for the audience to establish the rules of engagement, trained actors with tools for how to deal with the unexpected, and protocols for the actors and crew to ensure everyone’s safety.
NP: How has the Denver immersive scene changed and grown over the last few years?
CM: The immersive scene in Denver has exploded over the past couple years. When Off-Center first started producing immersive/experiential work, very few audience members had experienced anything like it before, and the artists that were doing it didn’t have a name for it. Now there is a hungry and growing audience for the work, and the artistic community is organizing itself to cross-pollinate and amplify our collective efforts. A catalyzing event was the Denver Immersive Summit in November 2018, which brought together over 200 local immersive creators and aficionados. That was the first time everyone could see our vibrant community together in one room.
More and more exciting immersive art is happening around town, and of course everyone is eagerly awaiting the opening of Meow Wolf Denver, which will only shine an even brighter spotlight on our city as a major immersive hub.
NP: Who is the ideal audience member for Between Us?
CM: The ideal audience member is anyone brave enough to buy a ticket! No joke — if you self-select into one of these shows, it means you are open to the experience. Between Us relies so heavily on the audience member, those who show up fully present and engage authentically will get the most out of it.
NP: What do you hope participants take away from attending the experience?
CM: My hope is that these experiences are an exercise in empathy. They provide the unusual opportunity to create a deep connection with a stranger and help you see the world from a different point of view. Ideally, this can wake us up from the monotony of our everyday routine and give us a new perspective on our own lives.
Between Us runs March 23 — May 26 in Downtown Denver. Tickets start at $40.
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