The Speakeasy Society has made a reputation for itself in Los Angeles by taking on parts of the American literary canon and bringing them to life in dynamic, verbally lush adaptations. Their Kansas Collection spun an all-new tale from L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories over the course of three years and ten chapters, while The Johnny Cycle wove together the text of Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun with elements of the author’s own life across three full-length shows.
With Kansas in the rear view mirror, the team is looking to condense the three Johnny Cycle pieces into a single show, and is pursuing smaller scale projects as well. With a crowdfunding effort for the new Johnny live, it seemed like as good a time as any to hit the team with with our own classic: The Immersive 5.
Answers are co-written by the Society’s Artistic Directors Matthew Bamberg-Johnson, Genevieve Gearhart, and Julianne Just.
No Proscenium (NP): What does “immersive” mean to you?
The Speakeasy Society (TSS): To us, Immersive means that you are essential to the story. The action that you are seeing/engaging/participating in could not happen without your presence. As our work has evolved, we have become increasingly attentive to making sure that you understand your role in the world. Even in more observational pieces that we create, like “The Stronger,” you are given a specific role and anything you say or do — or anything that happens in the space at large —— is absorbed by the performer and shapes how they view you and treat you in that moment.
NP: Why, or why don’t, do you think of your work as immersive?
TSS: In every work that we create, the narrative and the audience are given equal weight in the creative process. We want the role our audience plays in the experience to be vital to the story being told — regardless of the degree of interaction. As to the interactions themselves, we tend to prefer asking our audience to perform technically simple actions, but at meaningful moments, completing an essential function of the scene. We want them to feel like they were able to not only play a part, but to have an emotional journey.
NP: What was the moment where you knew that this kind of work was for you?
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TSS: We all had our separate introductions to site specific, multi-tracked, sensory engaged, and immersive work, but it was during a class that Julianne was teaching at CalArts (Institute Directing) that Genevieve and Julianne really began to zero in on Immersive as the genre that they wanted to create for in a dedicated way. Genevieve staged a scene Macbeth that was Witch-Centric in a women’s restroom. It felt special right from the jump, and after we presented it as part of the New Works festival (illegally, sorry facilities) we knew it needed to have a future life, so it grew and evolved into the first official Speakeasy Society project, The Weird Sisters. That was about 7 years ago now! Since then we’ve produced 23 original works, and 34 productions including remounts.
NP: When designing — regarding your approach to presence, agency, safety, and consent — how do you cue the audience as to what’s expected of them and the nature of the content they might encounter?
TSS: The older our company gets — the more we have started to say upfront. We remind audiences that this is a show and that while we never force them to do anything they are uncomfortable with — the actor is leading the experience and that, unless told otherwise, it is best to follow the rules set out by the production. Whether that means going where you are told, doing what you are asked, and speaking when you are spoken to — — Or exploring freely and engage actors when and if desired. We also ask our audiences to be aware and courteous of the other audience members — you are sharing this experience with one another. Lastly, one of the hallmarks of our work (so far) is in specifically cueing the audience verbally to allow them to play an active role in more emotional and rewarding situations. We don’t typically ask for too much improv, so you don’t need to feel like you have to be a performer to enjoy our work!
NP: What works — be they creative works, books, or other inspirations — have shaped your current work?
- Video Games: Firewatch, What Remains of Edith Finch, Telltale Games, Bioshock, Fallout
- Books: The Wizard of Oz, Johnny Got His Gun, A Christmas Carol, the short stories of Washington Irving
- Plays: “The Stronger” by August Strindberg, “Fefu and her Friends” by Maria Irene Fornes
Learn more about the crowdfunding campaign for The Johnny Cycle.
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