Way back in the summer of 2017 or as it became affectionately known, the summer of Too Many Cults, The Society appeared on the scene. Members of the group started hanging around Fringe Central during the festival and teaching and testing people for their, well, cult. Then The Boanthropic showed up. They were trying to let everyone know that the Society was bad news by way of a scavenger hunt for symbols to decode their symbols. There were multiple events for both sides, frequently involving both hikes around the Los Angeles area and a transmedia element. There was more story on The Boanthropic side during those events. The Society’s first ticketed event went in another direction and featured a series of what were basically guided meditations and strange questions (along with a hike). It was a little odd, but also an enjoyable and interesting experience.
And then it all got super convoluted. The Bobo, a spin-off of The Boanthropic with a name based on an in-joke by players at the time popped up. Then another one or two accounts that didn’t seem to be connected, but actually were, started posting. The events became longer and further away. And if I’ve got the history correct, it all culminated in an extended event where a bunch of stuff happened, including a plot twist about a former Society member who had turned towards the resistance movement. Even for dedicated players and attendees, it was a lot.
Two years later though, The Society is back, but now they’re The Society Now. And to welcome and re-welcome people back into their fold, they’re offering up The Society Now: Babalon at the Devil’s Gate Dam (a location very familiar to those who participated in 2017) in Pasadena.
Get Kevin Gossett’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
SubscribeSubscribe
Babalon begins as most Society events do: with a chat with their Prudent Necessary, someone who isn’t a member, but does work with them. Except their Prudent Necessary isn’t Tad Shafer anymore; it’s a woman named Liz Eldridge. She’s got a background in communications and is ready to help The Society with their rebrand after the “vicious rumors” spread about them in late 2017. So they’ve come down from their mountain to be more open and let people see who they are and what they’re about.
The rest of the event plays out like a greatest hits version of what happened two years ago, but this time the instruments have been tuned properly. There’s a light hike/walk through an interesting place in LA, there’s some guided meditation, and there’s a transmedia element. The pieces that made The Society worthwhile are all there in the right amounts without having to lean too heavily on any one thing.
It goes a step further than that though. It feels like they were able to get the elements of The Society and The Boanthropic to harmonize. Where the story had been mostly lived with The Boanthropic before, The Society Now: Babalon incorporates it right into the beat of the show. It’s just enough to tease future possibilities and excite people who are more familiar with the story while also being accessible to those without any knowledge about The Society Now before their recent appearances.
By the end of the show, I was excited about what The Society Now has in store again. It was something that held so much possibility a couple of years ago that it never quite lived up to, and I realize it’s just one show, but it seems like there’s a new confidence and direction in the storytelling of this particular world. But, whether you followed The Society before or have only taken an interest in them in the last few weeks, The Society Now: Babalon is a great way to dive back into this specific brand of cultiness.
The Society Now: Babalon runs Saturdays and Sundays through September 15 in Pasadena. Tickets are $45 and available now.
NoPro is a labor of love made possible by our generous Patreon backers. Join them today!
In addition to the No Proscenium web site, our podcast, and our newsletters, you can find NoPro on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, in the Facebook community Everything Immersive, and on our Slack forum.
Office facilities provided by Thymele Arts, in Los Angeles, CA.
Discussion