The Study advertises itself as an evening of learning about the fight or flight response and how it affects the human body and mind in different ways. Upon entry, each participant is given two glowsticks- red and blue- which are used throughout the production to vote on character actions. I’ll admit some immersive theater goers may find this show does not meet their expectations. That is because they expect to be the subject of this study. Immersive theater goers be advised: you are not.

While this production has some minor immersive elements, I would not technically call it an immersive production, per-say. After the brief introduction, a fourth wall goes up, and you are mostly an observer. At no point does any character address you, communicate with you directly, and there is no physical contact. MB Productions calls this part of their “Nerd Theatre” series, and their focus is interaction.

Good. Now we’ve gotten that disclaimer-of-sorts out of the way. Although I’ve heard wonderful things about this company’s previous production The Video Games, I have not seen it, so I am unable to make a comparison. This discussion is purely about The Study.

When you first meet the characters of The Study, you may feel a dissatisfaction at how the characters seem to be shallow, one-dimensional teen horror movie tropes. But as the show continues you realize this was intentional. This show does offer up some character development, but the point of this piece isn’t for you to connect with the characters, it’s for you to determine their fate by initiating their fight of flight responses. In my opinion, it is this reason that the show plays upon these horror movie stereotypes- the party girl, the ringleader jock, the outcast, the tomboy, the closet case, the princess, the boyfriend, and the flirt (they’re even listed as such in program). The less we know about them, the less likely we are to over-think their fate or how our votes will affect them.

As the show progresses and you learn more about these characters, and eventually find yourself connecting with them for various reasons; but by then, it may already be too late.

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Logistically, I think this show is fresh and interesting! Using glow sticks to vote on a scenario that will affect the outcome of the characters in real-time is an original touch that keeps the audience engaged. It wasn’t even until after the show ended that we learned that we, as an audience, were really, truly determining the outcome of these characters. The performers learned multiple scenarios and situations that they were to perform at a moment’s notice based on what the audience voted for. And that scenario was a thread that played a part in the outcome of the rest of the show. That’s pretty incredible when you think about it.

With so many different endings and scenarios, the show could be different every night. I would guess at least 3 shows have already been performed since I wrote this, and I am dying to know how they ended! In case you’re interested, my audience only had one survivor. But I won’t tell you who. I have it on good authority that in some shows, everyone lives, and in others, everyone dies: it’s all in the hands of the audience.

Overall, I was very delighted by this show. The acting was strong: Courtney (Katy Wicker), Mona (Mia Cotton), Jesse (Or was it Justin? Ha! played by Brenden Haley) and Josh (Graham Weldin) were bright spots on my show night, however, others may have stood out on other nights. The fight choreography was engaging and as someone who obsesses over continuity (it’s my job), I appreciated the care the performers took in blood placement.

If asked, I would say this production is a combination of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a “host” breaking the fourth wall regularly, practically every 80s slasher film, and my all-time favorite Broadway musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. (It has 12 different endings, that the audience votes on.) For me, they all came together to create an experience unlike anything I’ve witnesses and I encourage you to see the show and tell me how it ended for you. I hope you have more survivors than we did.

The Study plays through June 22nd as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Tickets are $20. See all of our Hollywood Fringe Festival 2018 coverage here.

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