At the Overlook Film Festival 2018, the “Saw 2” director and Tension Experience creator talked exclusively with No Proscenium about his new film “St. Agatha,” the state of his new partnership with the Russo brothers to expand the Tension universe — and an entirely new immersive theatre project.
Just hours before St. Agatha made its world premiere in New Orleans, filmmaking was the farthest thing on the mind of director Darren Lynn Bousman. Though Bousman’s most mainstream claim to fame is still his involvement in the popular Saw franchise, it’s immersive theatre that has consumed his attention in recent years.
He was presented with the script for St. Agatha just as the Tension Experience was wrapping up in Los Angeles, still very much ‘immersed’ in that world. So he only took on the opportunity to return to filmmaking as director of the new movie under the condition that it starred many of the very same cast members from Tension itself. That includes Sabrina Kern, whose leading role as Addison Barrow (among other titles) put her at the forefront of attention throughout the many months that Tension ran, not only as a standalone immersive theatre piece but also an augmented reality experience (ARX) that spanned LA and roped in rabid fans eager to pounce on every live stream, Instagram post, and occasional pop-up happenings.
For four months immediately following Tension, Bousman shot this new film, ultimately spending a year to complete it.
Video: Cara Mandel
Kern took on the titular role of St. Agatha in her feature film debut, alongside numerous fellow Tension cast members. But despite the familiarity of its director and cast, St. Agatha as a whole came up short for many Tension fans in the audience at the premiere. Largely a drama about females and their power (or lack thereof) over their own bodies, the film’s shock moments did successfully induce more than a few viewers to shriek and cringe at its horrors. But none of the on-screen entertainment came close to rivaling the intimately emotional connection fans felt to Tension, achieved by the personal attention each attendee received.
And therein lies the problem Bousman has been facing as he eagerly moves past filmmaking into crafting immersive theatre works.
“After a few films, I got really disenfranchised. It just became monotonous to me,” explained Bousman. “There was nothing exciting about it. I love films. I love movies. And I love directing movies. But it’s a very laborious process. You show up for 12 or 14 hours and you might shoot a couple pages. And when you finish the movie after fighting numerous battles, you might have 60% of your vision left in the film. Then it might, if you’re lucky, come out in a year, most of the time two or three years after the fact. And by that time why you made that movie to begin with is now long gone.”
He was speaking specifically about St. Agatha which was written and filmed when issues surrounding Planned Parenthood were hot political topics, relevant to the movie’s script. But while those issues are still important today, they are less prominent, leaving the film to feel a little behind on the times. Bousman says those problems of timeliness aren’t problems at all for his live experiences.
“With immersive theatre, there is an immediate reaction. Clint [Sears], our writer, will write something on Monday and we’ll do it on Wednesday and the review is up on Thursday. However I’m feeling in that moment as an artist is vocalized immediately and it’s out there immediately.”
It’s that desire for immediacy and relevance that Bousman believes in today’s society is increasingly unachievable for films, despite more movies than ever being just a click away.
“I think audiences are disenfranchised. They’re oversaturated with the same thing. You go on Netflix now. There are 9,000 titles to choose from and I usually give up after the fourth page. And I forget about movies the minute I see them. I see a movie and I forget about it two days later. And that’s sad because going to a movie used to be a religious experience.”
Taking the same level of cinematic storytelling off the screen and into a live performance has allowed deeper levels of interaction and connection to audiences that Hollywood has never before seen.
“I think with immersive [theatre], it forces you not only to be present but to have an interaction. To have a moment that will never be the same with anyone else. No matter how similar the scene is, you have a unique experience. No one else will have a similar one-on-one. It forces you to put your thumb down. It forces you to put your Twitter and your Instagram and your fucking Facebook away. And it forces you to interact.”
As Bousman is making the move away from filmmaking and increasingly focusing on immersive theatre not only as a reaction to the slow process of making movies but also an even stronger reaction to the state of interaction between people — or an increasing lack thereof.
“I went to a bar last night. Beautiful people. Guys and girls sitting there. They’re all on their fucking phones. They’re looking at Tinder. And I’m like, there’s a beautiful girl on the right and left of you and you’re looking at your fucking phone. Talk to people. Interact with people. But we’re not. We bury our noses down because I think we are a disconnected people now.”
Getting people’s noses out of their phones and focusing on what’s happening around them is a goal common to many immersive theatre creators. It’s an opportunity to give people an unforgettable real-life moments that offers audiences fresh experiences that everyday life doesn’t.
“The thing with immersive theatre is that it shocks you. It’s a jolt of electricity that you don’t feel everyday.” Bousman emphasized that jolt doesn’t come without effort on the audience’s part. “I think that entertainment is going to be more about you. You’re going to have to interact with it. You’re going to have to uncover it. You’re going to have to work for it. It’s not just going to be handed to you.”
For those willing to engage and participate, the rewards are great. And Bousman is planning to continue to rewarding audiences by greatly expanding what his Tension Experience has begun.
“We started off to make an impact in immersive theatre. We always wanted to start the Cirque du Soleil of immersive theatre. The Tension Experience was the brand but then there are different shows. There’s Lust, there’s Adrenaline, there’s Nefarious. And these are like Zumanity, O, Mystère. So we partnered with the Russo brothers to help make that a reality.”
The recently-announced partnership with the directors of Avengers: Infinity War is meant to allow Bousman’s brewing entertainment company to grow outside the confines of its hardcore fans around Los Angeles, reaching more mainstream audiences.
“We’re starting right now with Las Vegas. Vegas will be its own show. It will be part of the Tension universe but it will be a standalone experience.”
The Russo brothers partnership is among the first for major Hollywood players to get involved in pushing the world of immersive theatre forward, beyond the niche audiences in markets like LA, New York, and London.
“The [partnership] is awesome because they are a huge megaphone for our little voices,” explained Bousman. “Right now I have a voice from the Saw franchise which allows me to do certain things. But the Russo brothers have an amp system of such — I mean, The Avengers is going to be a billion-dollar thing. They’re amazing filmmakers. And they were able because of their love of immersive theatre to say ‘Hey, let’s put a spotlight on this. Let’s put a spotlight on immersive theatre and what they’re doing.’ And giving us a much bigger platform. By doing so it’s opened a lot of doors that before were closed.”
But fans of Bousman’s work thus far should not be worried about Hollywood’s influence somehow tarnishing the entertainment by making it more mainstream. This particular partnership comes out of mutual admiration.
“We’re very lucky to have met the Russo Brothers, who are legitimately fans. They’ve done Heretic and Delusion and Blackout — they’ve done them all and they’re fans.”
While the focus of Las Vegas will be to shine that spotlight on immersive theatre for the masses, Bousman assures that his presence in Los Angeles will only grow as a result. “LA will continue and we’re already planning our next LA show, which is much bigger than Tension. And happening a lot sooner than any of us thought.”
In addition to the ongoing Tension story, Bousman revealed that he has a new and entirely separate immersive experience in the works, designed to ‘wow’ attendees in new ways.
“When you’re doing something like a Saw movie, you can’t choose what Saw is midway through. Saw is Saw. It lives in its own universe with its own rules. For us, I can’t really change the rules of Tension and Lust. It’s got to stay in its universe. […] For me as an artist, I want to do other things. I don’t want to do just one thing. So in the meantime we’re doing a workshop and incubating a new idea which I am as excited about doing as I was the first time doing Tension. It’s so weird and unique and fucked up and crazy — but has nothing to do with that world. It’s its own unique thing.”
Surprises await audiences for this new experience, which Bousman could not reveal too many specifics of just yet.
“This one is fucked up in a different way. It’s not a shocking fucked up. It’s fucked up in how are we going to pull this off. When you hear what it is you’re going to be like ‘There’s no way they can pull that off.’ That to me is what’s cool. It hurts my head thinking about it so I can’t wait to see an audience that doesn’t know the magic trick, what they’re going to think about how we were able to do it.”
Bousman is producing such a large number of experiences at a rapid pace in the name of trying to showcase the still up-and-coming entertainment form of immersive theatre to as much of the world as possible.
“I think we’re in an exciting time right now. Someone recently said to me we’re in the ‘grunge’ era like Seattle was. I feel like that is kind of right. We’re in the center of this amazing movement.”
BONUS VIDEO: ‘St. Agatha’ Q+A at The Overlook Film Fest
Video: Cara Mandel
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