Immersive knows that the only way out, is through
Well, what a week it has been! The company P announced a crowdfunding effort to rescue the College of Wizardry after Dziobak Larp Studios shut down. We got our first sneak peek at ‘Harry Potter: Wizards Unite,’ the next game from the makers of ‘Pokemon Go.’ Google also announced it was shutting down its Spotlight Stories Studio. And Facebook showed off their stunningly realistic VR avatar technology. Plus: arts publication Hyperallergic asked the question if Meow Wolf coming to a town near you was necessarily a good thing, followed by Meow Wolf’s rebuttal on social media.
And this week in reviews, NoPro went aboard a spaceship through a web browser, stepped into the world of Terminator in VR, took a car-sharing service, danced through the 17th century aristocracy, ate some dessert, and joined a rehab clinic. Plus, we took a look behind the scenes of what makes immersive VR theatre like Chained: A Victorian Nightmare work, into what inspired the creation of immersive theatre-escape room hybrid Escape From Godot, and had a peek into the new large-scale show in Denver, Aggregate Immateriality.
But wait, there’s more! We also sat down with Broken Ghost Immersives about their interactive theatre experiences The Bunker and Rogues Gallery.
Plus, tons of food for thought and discussion on Everything Immersive, the Facebook group.
All this, and more, below!
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ON THE PODCAST THIS WEEK
What happens when two Shakespeare nerds decide to ditch the proscenium and start incorporating their love of Dungeons and Dragons, board games, and video games into interactive and improvisational theatre projects?
That’s the story of Ian McNeely and Austen Anderson of Broken Ghost Immersives who are the co-creators of experiences like The Wake, The Bunker, and Rogues’ Gallery.
NoPro’s Managing Editor and NYC Curator Kathryn chats with Ian and Austen about procedural narrative, putting the audiences into the heart of a story, what happens when you give participants a lot of agency, controlling multiple characters remotely, how Henry V relates to The Bunker, writing your own comic book origin stories, and more.
FROM THE WIRE: SHOWS, EVENTS, & EXPERIENCES
Atlanta: Kikimora Collective’s Persephone Rising: Tales from a Pomegranate; Shenandoah
Boulder Creek, CA: The Wilds
DC: In Peak Bloom
East Hampton, NY: VOYEUR
LA: To Live and Di(n)e in LA (Remount); I Want To Live In Your Mouth; RE-LEASE
Minneapolis: The Beldenville Troll: A New England Gothic
NYC: Painted Alice; The Fever (Remount); The UVX; Little Shop of Horrors; Impression (Workshop); Oasis; Ex Caelo — Ostara; Romeo and Juliet: A Party; Romeo and Juliet: An Immersive Experience;
Oklahoma City: MIX-TAPE
Pittsburgh: Fantastic Adventure #3: The Lost Crate of H.P. Witherspoon
SF: Audio Garden; F.E.A.S.T.
West Palm Beach, FL: Whisperlodge: Day Dream
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REVIEWS
From No Proscenium:
A Remote Adventure Aboard the ‘Aluminum Cat’ (Review)A browser based experience which enterprisingly explores the future of storytellingnoproscenium.comFight for the Future with ‘Spaces: Terminator Salvation’ (The NoPro Review)Spaces partners with Cinemark for the Bay Area’s first location-based virtual reality experiencenoproscenium.comThe ‘F’ is For Farce: ‘F(ord Focus)’ Marks The Return of The ABC Project (The NoPro Review)LA-based writer/director Annie Lesser’s location-inspired series gets sketchynoproscenium.com‘Confection’ is Bitter and Sweet, But Too Fleeting (The NoPro Review)Third Rail Projects takes on dessert and aristocracy in a new commissioned worknoproscenium.comWishing That ‘Better’ Would Do Better (Review)A new play about a substance abuse clinic straddles traditional and interactive theatre but lacks energynoproscenium.com
From David & Lisa Spira of Room Escape Artist:
“Escape the Room was one of the first escape room companies in the US, now with locations across the country. We recently reviewed Western Bank Heist, which is only available at some of their locations. The set looked gorgeous, but the gameplay felt hollow.”
“Escapology is a US escape room franchise known for their impressive lobbies. We recently reviewed Assassination Express, a game unique to their Austin location, but a take on their popular game Budapest Express, available at locations around the country. We especially liked the opening set.”
STORIES
From NoProscenium.com and our Twitter feed:
The company P to Try to Save the ‘College of Wizardry’ LARP with Crowdfunding Effort (Q&A)We interview Christopher Sandberg about their new funding campaignnoproscenium.comDirector Meredith Treinen On Her New Work ‘RE-LEASE’ (Q&A)The Los Angeles-based creator gives us insight into her new devised, site-responsive projectnoproscenium.com‘Escape from Godot’ All Started With a Joke (Q&A)Mister and Mischief chat about the remount of their Fringe hit.noproscenium.comHow Immersive Virtual Reality Theatre Pushes the Limits of StorytellingNotes from creators at the bleeding edge of immersivenoproscenium.comDancing in the Dark in a Former Slaughterhouse with ‘Aggregate Immateriality’ (Q&A)A peek into Control Group Productions’ newest immersive experience in Denvernoproscenium.comBeaconThinking through practice, (really) extreme immersion, Shakespeare re-imagined, VR podcasting, and challenging biased…immerse.newsFirst Look at 'Harry Potter: Wizards Unite,' the Next Game From the Makers of 'Pokemon Go'There is magic all around you - and you'll have join your fellow wizards in a global quest to make sure that it stays…variety.com'Chained' Is A Groundbreaking Exploration Of Immersive Intimacy -- And Now It's ExpandingNew York City dates announced for immersive take on A Christmas Carol: Feb. 23 - Mar. 24, 2019 at Future of…www.forbes.comVirtual Futures: A ManifestoHow can immersive media create shared experiences that imagine pathways towards a preferred future?immerse.newsColumbia DSL’s Sandbox: episode 004 — Exploring Curation, Funding & Exhibition Models for…Getting an immersive project that mixes story and code up and running is challenging. Often the work represents…medium.comGoogle Shuts Down Its Spotlight Stories VR Film StudioGoogle is shutting down its Spotlight Stories immersive entertainment unit, according to an email sent out by Spotlight…variety.comMeet the Women of the Future: Grant Winners of the 2019 Magic Leap Creator Program!Discover the women-led projects selected by Magic Leap for the first Independant Creator program.medium.comWhy Meow Wolf Coming to Phoenix Is WorrisomeWhile it is admirable that a group of artists has been able to be so monetarily successful, we have to ask: What is…hyperallergic.comFacebook Can Make VR Avatars Look-and Move-Exactly Like You"There's this big, ugly sucker at the door," the young woman says, her eyes twinkling, "and he said, 'Who do you think…www.wired.comNonny de la Peña, the Godmother of VR, Wants to Bring Virtual Reality to the MassesNonny de la Peña, a longtime innovator in the world of virtual reality, has pushed the boundaries of digital…remezcla.com6 Immersive Things Crowdfunding at this very momentMarch edition of our monthly round-up of immersive thingsmedium.comMagic Leap goes to the theater"The Seven Ages of Man" first appeared at Sundance Film Festival last year. The three-minute experience shows a…www.engadget.com
From Michael Andersen of ARGN.com:
“Last month, a team of 13 puzzlers cracked Mike Selinker’s ‘Maze of Games’ puzzle novel, four years after the book’s release. There’s a Kickstarter campaign to celebrate that win with radio plays, answer books, escape room discounts and more! Even better, the Kickstarter campaign doubles as a puzzle trail.”
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