Creating fictional realities, entering alternate realities, and a wee bit of time travel
It’s another jam-packed week here in immersive-land. There’s tons of VR stuff coming out of Sundance including a few pieces influenced by immersive theatre. Meanwhile across the pond, VAULT Festival in London just got underway with their feast of immersive riches and there’s some interesting looking big shows on the horizon there as well.
Here at NoPro, this week we updated our immersive glossary, had a behind-the-scenes look from NoPro contributor Leah Ableson’s immersive theatre show, published a review of an online-only pseudo-therapy performance art piece, and found a bunch of new productions hitting the newswire. And you should follow @noproscenium on Twitter for the latest and greatest immersive news every day!
Plus, this week on the podcast, we interviewed Alison S.M. Kobayashi, the creator of the marvelous Say Something Bunny! in NYC. Speaking of the podcast, we also unlocked a bunch of older episodes of the NoPro podcast so now you can go all the way back to episode one. If you dare.
And if you’re in Los Angeles, the LEIA Town Hall is Monday night!
There’s so much more to come, so come play with us on the NoPro Slack, where we’ve having some great conversations lately. Get your Slack on right here.
ON THE PODCAST THIS WEEK
Alison S. M. Kobayashi joins Kathryn Yu to talk about Say Something Bunny!, a feat of theatrical documentary that draws audiences into the lives of a New York Jewish family in the 1950s. It is quite unlike anything else on stage in NYC, and it drew the attention of our New York team.
Plus: Noah without his coffee.
SHOWS, EVENTS, & EXPERIENCES (NEWSWIRE)
Auburn, New York: 1918: A Fundraiser
Austin: Stickwork; The Mountain
Bentonville, Arkansas: At The Illusionist’s Table
Chicago: The Unknown Islands
Cleveland: American Dreams
Denver: The Funkhouse
LA: Wild Vessel; The Stronger; The Museum of Selfies; 49 Boxes
London: Somnai
Minneapolis: The Misunderstanding
NYC: NYC Room Escape Fan Shindig; Project Ascension; Hotel New York: The Female Role Model Project; How Do You Hug a Tiger?; The Rogues’ Gallery; Whiteout
Tel Aviv: Seven
Seattle: Alice in Wonderland—The Adventure
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Sturbridge, MA: Midwinter Mischief
REVIEWS
Both our own, and from around the web!
When The English Language Isn't Enough, Turn to 'Wrixling' (Review)When the world gets confusing, 'Wrixling' gets confusinginger What exactly is Wrixling? The creators call it "a new…bit.lyThe Silhouette in the Smoke, London Museum of Water and Steam - ReviewCons: It does get rather cold in there - wear warm clothing and sensible shoes. A thrilling immersive theatre…everything-theatre.co.ukThen She Fell: An Immersive Maze Down a Rabbit's Hole into an Asylum.Then She Fell: An Immersive Maze Down a Rabbit's Hole into an Asylum. By Ross Wandering out to Williamsburg in order to…frontmezzjunkies.comZombie Joe's Camp Whitsit is a Surprisingly Charming RiteIf you know the North Hollywood Theatre scene you know Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre. This avant garde nest of…horrorbuzz.comMaking Widgets Not Revolution - Artillery MagazineThe rendezvous point was a small coffee shop and bar. Along with about 30 other recruits (participants) I was given a…artillerymag.comCreep LA: The Willows are Expecting You - Media GeeksThe Willows family is ready to receive you... I've been invited to dinner at the Willows' mansion in L.A. to…media-geeks.comThe best virtual and augmented reality from the Sundance Film Festival 2018The Sundance Film Festival's New Frontier experimental section featured its first virtual reality experience in 2012…www.theverge.comPuzzalarium - The Floor is Lava [Review] - Room Escape Artist"Oh my." Location: San Diego, CA Date played: December 3, 2017 Team size: 7-25; we recommend as many players as you can…roomescapeartist.comReview: The Eve of St. George (Transcendance Project)You may have heard of Sleep No More, the genre-defining immersive theatre adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth by UK…www.mooneyontheatre.comQUEST ROOM - Bloody Elbow [Review] - Room Escape Artist"It's the Inquisition, what a show!" Location: Los Angeles, CA Date played: December 1, 2017 Team size: 2-6; we…roomescapeartist.comFreakily immersive New York theatre experience comes to TorontoTranscendance Project, a Toronto-based contemporary dance company, is putting on five performances of Eve of St…www.blogto.com
STORIES
Making A Show About Everybody’s Old High School Classmates (A NoPro Dev Diary)Behind the scenes of ‘Byerley High School Holiday Reunion’ with one of its creatorsnoproscenium.comREA Weekly Roundup - January 21, 2018 - Room Escape ArtistWe love travel, but it's good to be home for a little bit. Announcements We're hosting a NYC Room Escape Fan Shindig…roomescapeartist.comIn Pictures: Glimpses of Goa's Serendipity Arts FestivalWalking down the promenade by the sea from one venue to the next, you are suddenly showered with the melody of a…yourstory.comMontreal's Felix & Paul Studios hailed as 'VR royalty' at SundancePARK CITY, Utah - Felix Lajeunesse, co-founder and co-director of Montreal's Emmy-winning Felix & Paul Studios, says…nationalpost.comOculus shows how much VR has evolved at Sundance"When VR started, everyone started these lists of things you can't do," Oculus creative producer Yelena Rachitsky told…www.engadget.comVoices of VR PodcastJohn Bucher wrote a book titled "Storytelling for Virtual Reality: Methods and Principles for Crafting Immersive…voicesofvr.comSony Teams Up With Survios to Bring 'Jumanji: The VR Adventure' to Virtual Reality Arcades…Sony Pictures Virtual Reality has struck a partnership with Los Angeles-based virtual reality (VR) startup Survios to…variety.comFelix & Paul Studios Debut 'Space Explorers' VR Documentary at SundanceMontreal-based virtual reality (VR) studio Felix & Paul debuted the first episode of its new "Space Explorers"…variety.comVR Visionaries: Fable StudioYesterday, we kicked off five days of VR Visionaries posts dedicated to the Oculus-supported projects debuting at…www.oculus.comVR Visionaries: Felix & Paul StudiosOur Sundance 2018 coverage kicked off on September 19 with will.i.am's thoughts on Masters of the Sun, followed by a…www.oculus.comVR Visionaries: Fire PandaWelcome back for the fourth out of five Sundance 2018 installments in our VR Visionaries series! So far, we've taken…www.oculus.comThe No Proscenium GlossaryRevised and Expanded (2018)noproscenium.comFacebook's Newsfeed Changes & Escape Rooms - Room Escape ArtistI'm not the guy who complains about every little change that every tech platform makes. I've been designing complex…bit.lyExclusive: Summoning & Superpowers - Designing VR Interactions at a DistanceManipulating objects with bare hands lets us leverage a lifetime of physical experience, minimizing the learning curve…bit.lyHow This Agency Made Netflix's Eerie Booth for Altered Carbon the Breakout Star at CESNetflix's bizarre campaign at the Consumer Electronics Show for its upcoming sci-fi show Altered Carbon may have seemed…www.adweek.comFinsbury neighbours not impressed by plans for immersive theatre show in their streetArchant Plans to hold an immersive theatre show in Finsbury have led to dozens of protest letters from neighbours who…www.islingtongazette.co.uk10 Things I hate about Escape RoomsOk so I could have written this in a vey industry friendly, positive and constructive way but instead I chose to follow…escaperoomtourism.comVoices of VR PodcastTommy Honton is an experiential designer in the immersive theater space, and he's helped to design interactive…voicesofvr.comDarren Aronofsky Virtual Reality Series 'Spheres' Acquired in Seven-Figure DealDarren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures has inked a "low- to mid-seven-figure deal" with virtual reality financing and…www.hollywoodreporter.comThe Word Defiant! New immersive art experience at Blickling EstateYou'll see a very different story from May to October this year, as we shine a light on the significant book collection…www.nationaltrust.org.ukVR pioneer Edward Saatchi: VR films aren't the future of storytelling"From the very beginning, I think what set us apart in the studio was that the people leading it all loved video games…www.engadget.comA rascalish return for OSV's 'Midwinter Mischief'Old Sturbridge Village has not been shy in their embrace of immersive theatre. Following the success of their "Sleepy…worcestermag.comInside The Massive VR Intersection At Sundance Film FestivalTweet This We're about mid-way into the power-packed Sundance Film Festival currently taking place in Park City, Utah…www.forbes.comThis immersive theatre show lets you explore your dreamsHave you ever had a dream come true? Thanks to a new immersive theatre experience, your dreams (and your nightmares)…www.standard.co.ukImmersive Theatre Piece THE FEMALE ROLE MODEL PROJECT Comes to TheaterlabThe Female Role Model Project is a scientifically enhanced multimedia devised theatre piece built by an ensemble of…www.broadwayworld.comVoices of VR PodcastLive Action Role Playing ( LARPing) is something that emerged out of table top games like Dungeons & Dragons in the…voicesofvr.com
THE BIZ
March/AprilWith an open atmosphere for exploration and discourse, our small class sizes create intimate environments where artists…www.thirdrailprojects.comWorkshopsPlease contact us for pricing for intensives, custom workshops, and options for groups larger than 25. We work…www.odysseyworks.org
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