What happens when an audience lands on the wrong side of agency?
It seems, these days, that immersive entertainment has been divided into two schools of thought. Most often, works are led with the intention that the experience will “succeed” for the audience, regardless of each individual’s choices. Creators work together to prevent audience missteps and the overall goal revolves around the completion of a story via a mostly unbreakable process. However, with the current explosive popularity of escape rooms, a new method has arisen: one in which the audience can either “win” or “lose” during their experience. If audience members do not properly execute the “happy path,” they may not receive the full experience, and that, in itself, is part of the game. It’s rare that this model is seen outside of escape rooms; however, The People’s Revolt attempts to bring this style into the more classic immersive space, with varied results.
Created in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces, The People’s Revolt comes via UK-based interactive theatre company differencENGINE, known for their popular 2015 piece, HEIST. Like HEIST, The People’s Revolt revolves around the act of “breaking in,” bolstered by technology and audience interaction and communication. It is a modern take on the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, in which audience members are presented with the challenge of breaking into the Tower of London, and overthrowing the vile dictator who has taken over. The event takes place on the actual grounds surrounding the Tower of London — an exciting way to see one of the city’s most historic monuments. The attending group works as a team, allowed to talk, plan, and even take photos throughout the evening. From keying in codes to disrupting a radio broadcast, audience members are expected to participate in hands-on “play.”
Without a doubt, the most compelling part of The People’s Revolt is differencENGINE’s innovative technological enhancements. From live video streams to walkie-talkie communication, the technology serves to heighten the experience, making it more believable and creative. Audience participation is facilitated by phone calls and texts from characters. (Tip: if you are visiting from out of the country, pair up with another team member who isn’t.) The exciting pre- and post-show outreach via online chat room created an immersive world which extended past the evening’s events. These modifications are full of potential for future productions, enhanced by careful engineering and equipment.
Also compelling is the creation of a piece in tandem with a popular tourist attraction. The People’s Revolt deserves credit for presenting a viable artistic production that also attracts visitors to a mainstream monument of the city it represents. It’s a difficult intersection of commercial interests and integrity, which differencENGINE manages remarkably well; at no point does the piece feel like it is selling tourism to you.
However, it should be noted that this experience does not guarantee success. For instance, my team quickly managed to derail the experience, losing an important code that set forth the resolution of the show into action. After this happened, we weren’t shepherded towards an alternate route, but rather an alternate ending, in which we just did not finish the experience. I also felt a sense of under-preparedness from the company as we were herded into our ramshackle ending with confusion from all sides. The People’s Revolt is new; it’s possible that they had never encountered a team who disrupted the experience so severely. That being said, more could have been done to ensure a fulfilling resolution, even without granting the full success that perhaps we did not deserve.
All in all, The People’s Revolt makes a solid attempt towards a tourist-friendly, easy-mode “immersive” experience. It is fun and definitely led to imaginative moments and audience bonding among my group of attendees. And differencENGINE’s use of technology is clever, introducing a slew of ideas that will inspire future of immersive storytellers. However, the work has obvious holes regarding preparedness and managing the complexity of experience. This is not a show for audience members looking to maintain an unbroken illusion.
At the end of the night, it felt like my group had received only half an experience. But the question remains: how much of that was our own fault?
The People’s Revolt continues through October 21st at the Tower of London. Tickets are available for £25.50.
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