Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Remote immersive theater, a roundup: X (Part One: The Insidious), A THOUSAND WAYS (Part One: A Phone Call), and ESCHATON

• By drediman
• November 17, 2020
• No Comments

Immersive theater need not involve physical contact with fellow human beings. Since the pandemic severely restricted in-person theater, proprietors of interactive entertainment have ingeniously adapted to the new normal, as evidenced by some recent remote but immersive experiences I engaged in.

X PART ONE: THE INSIDIOUS
Poseidon Theatre Company

One of last year’s most unexpectedly satisfying immersive theater productions was Poseidon Theatre Company’s The Cooping Theory 1969: Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe? Although the premise (which revolved around a secret Edgar Allan Poe society) was bizarre, it worked brilliantly due to the unwavering commitment of the cast and creative team to conjure a convincing world for audiences to immerse themselves in. This year, the same creative team has re-assembled to embark on a similarly elaborate and outlandish immersive experiment entitled X Part One: The Insidious (RECOMMENDED). The virtual sci-fi thriller, which was conceived and directed by Aaron Salazar and written by Jason Veasey, is set in a future in which the prevailing “utopian society” has insidiously stamped out individuality, including any sense of racial identity. In the piece, you play a trainee watchman who monitors the suspicious behavior of citizens. X has been dubbed an interactive installation, which is an accurate description, as much of its immersion is dependent on the thick mood established by its visual and sound design. Unfortunately, the production’s interactive components (via WhatsApp) seem almost secondary to the stylish presentation.

A THOUSAND WAYS
600 Highwaymen

Leave it to the folks at 600 Highwaymen to dissect the meaning of theater. Unconventional theatrical happenings like the company’s The Fever, Employee of the Year, and The Record left me buzzed and alive from their out-of-the-box invention. Their latest endeavor, A Thousand Ways: A Phone Call (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), continues to test the possibilities of theater via a simple telephone call. Prompted by a robotic host, you and an anonymous audience member take center stage by engaging in an intimate, hand-held conversation. As you ping pong seemingly unassuming questions off of each other, your “co-star” slowly comes into focus in the mind’s eye. By the end of the hourlong dialogue, you’ll likely find that you’ve genuinely connected, through this unique shared experience, with the voice on the other side of the line. This installment of A Thousand Ways is the first of three envisioned by the folks at 600 Highwaymen. An Encounter, the upcoming second installment (already “staged” in Germany), involves a one-on-one physical meeting with another anonymous audience member. As you probably already guessed, the project culminates in a communal theatrical experience (An Assembly).

ESCHATON
Chorus Productions

With New York’s nightclubs indefinitely shuttered, urban thrill seekers may find themselves itching for some approximation of the clubbing experience. Luckily, there’s Eschaton (RECOMMENDED) (which translates to “the end of the world”), which attempts to recreate the intoxicating experience of immersing oneself in a nightclub. For an hour, you’ll have access to virtual rooms of alluring entertainment. Depending on the night, you’ll be treated to a host of alternative acts (my session included boisterous RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12 contestant Brita Filter). The experience is structured like an open-ended adventure; you and your party are free to “enter” and “exit” rooms at will, beverages in hand. And like your typical immersive theatrical event, there’s always the chance – if you’re lucky enough – that you’ll be singled out to engage in a more interactive manner. Mostly, the whole thing works better than I thought it would, which I suspect is partly a reflection of my starved state of mind, as well as the high level of quality of the performances. Eschaton opens its doors most Saturday nights at 10pm EST and represents a welcome option for those looking to indulge in a little bit of flirtatious weekend decadence. One of my only gripes is that the hour literally flies by. Indeed, before I knew it, I was kicked back to the reality of my decidedly unsexy apartment.