Coming in from a long day in the city, I hang my keys up, and look at my watch. I take a seat at my kitchen table as Skype slowly loads into view. Having family back in the UK, the call noise is a regular occurrence in the apartment. The familiar beep-boops play, the screen pops to life, and I am greeted by a bright and talking light.

I am invited to close my eyes, as a calm female voice welcomes me to the play. We quietly and purposefully breathe together. As I open my eyes to look at my iPad screen, the bright light slowly moves away from the camera. I feel like a patient waking from anesthesia at the dentists as the light source comes into focus as it shifts backwards, revealing the source of the calming voice.

An attractive young lady now sits across from me on my kitchen table, although she seems to be absent mindedly laying on her bedroom floor as she stares into the camera at me. With her streak dyed pixie cut, and alternative punk inspired wardrobe, she reminds me of Scott Pilgrim’s’ enigma of a girlfriend Ramona Flowers. She is delightful and instantly charming as we make acquaintances. With her kind smile and inviting voice, it feels like catching up with an old friend through Skype.

And this is the extent of the production. There are no bells or whistles, no fancy gadgets or distracting gimmicks. It is simply two people on either end of a Skype call. And it is wonderful.

Over the course of our one-hour play together, we play with the very concept of what it is to ‘play’ and in fact what a ‘play’ is. We practice deep breathing, using yoga inspired techniques to achieve optimum relaxation and focus. We discuss Jewish mysticism, with the concept of Merkabah, the focus on the mind, the body and the spirit as individual parts part of the greater whole.

At one point I am assigned two sacred geometry tarot cards, and we discuss what implication the cards may have on my life. We discuss the afterlife, what our hopes and fears are for our futures, and what we hope to get out of this experience that we are living in right now. This play that we are in right now.

Perhaps having recently experienced Netflix’s Bandersnatch, my senses were primed to this added level meta narrative, which admittedly took me off guard to begin with. For this cynical New Yorker, I found myself unable to immediately let go and relax into the experience, forever wary of a sudden ‘jump scare’ or dark twist that gratefully never appeared. Instead the conversations took their turn, and we began to create and curate our evening of discussion.

Get Edward Mylechreest’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

SubscribeSubscribe

Every audience member experience will of course be different, as every experience is tailor made, on the fly, as the conversation meanders and creates its own grooves in the riverbed of story making. With Keight, you create a deeply personal experience, and which is as much about connecting with your co-creator as it is with connecting with yourself. Through a Zen-like meditation, we take time to focus on each aspect of ourselves, from our inner thoughts and workings, to our place in the greater scheme of the world.

Having open and frank conversations, and delving into deep and personal questions, it is fascinating to just look at the person I am having a conversation with. The person that I am choosing to connect with at this moment. The warm smile, the gleaming eyes and listening ear. Is this a character? Is this a creator? Or perhaps, just perhaps, this is simply another participant in this whole experience?

The show in many ways is about nothing but the show itself, an exploration into what LiVEPLAY is and what it could be. It is a deliberate attempt at creating a connection with another human being, something so often overlooked in today’s society. Rather than looking at technology as an obstacle to connection, which I’m sure we can all agree has been the case for much of our day to day lives, instead here the technology is used to purposefully create connection. The technology is used as a tool, to help reconnect to the basis of our humanity, so much so that the technology seems to disappear in the proceedings.

As we conclude the evening, and as the disconnect tone sounds, I smile warmly.

LiVEPLAY achieves so much in its short and simple premise. I have found myself thinking back to my experience with Keight many times since our short time together, reflecting on what was a beautiful emotional experience for me.

The best immersive shows are able to instill deeply routed memories, and often now locations here in the city will forever be connected to immersive experiences that I have shared in. Washington Square Park will always be where I chased a couple falling out of love in Like Real People Do. The South of Central Park was where I explored the story of Her Long Black Hair. The High Line will forever be a stage for a Mile Long Opera. I’ve served as an Accomplice in downtown Manhattan multiple times. Walking past unorthodox venues of the past, or unintentionally retracing the steps to a location, bring back these fantastic theatrical memories. These memories last far longer than the shows, and for me at least, always bring back a sense of wonder.

Now I have one for my kitchen table.

LiVEPLAY is an online experience with an open-ended run. Sessions are $35.

NoPro is a labor of love made possible by our generous Patreon backers: join them today!

In addition to the No Proscenium web site, our podcast, and our newsletters, you can find NoPro on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, in the Facebook community Everything Immersive, and on our Slack forum.

Office facilities provided by Thymele Arts, in Los Angeles, CA.