DRIVE THRU by Blink Dance Theatre is an immersive, multi-sensory dance theatre show, onboard a minibus. What’s not to like? Written, co-directed and performed by artists with learning disabilities, it is aimed at neurodiverse adults. The minibus is not incidental to the story, nor to the staging. The performers remain outside, conjuring up the world beyond the windows, as we travel past ambiguous scenes of a car wash, (really quite cute) monsters, into a tornado, space, through the ocean … [Read more...]

I had no idea what to expect from Dagny Wants to Dance by MAGNA before I went. And having been, I still struggle to explain what I experienced. It was a party, a chance to meet strangers in an oddly intimate way, and to dance with other people for the first time since lockdown. There are two things I can tell you about Dagny: he's a bird, and he likes to dance. Then there's Grey: she's a human, and she speaks English and British Sign Language. They're the only characters in the show … [Read more...]

Doctor Who: Time Fracture by Immersive Everywhere has plenty to exhilarate both avid and casual Doctor Who fans, delivering on its promise to let audience members step inside the show. As you can learn from the brisk, fifty-second trailer, a World War 2 bomb left a crack in spacetime, which is increasingly causing weird stuff to happen in London and around the globe. The Doctor has enlisted us to save the universe. All in a day’s work. Entering the site, I’m immediately struck by the … [Read more...]

Sovereign Song by CrushRoom is an immersive theatre show in partnership with established venue COLAB, which leans heavily on an inspired premise for momentum and humour, and at moments delivers a real punch. South London neighbourhood Elephant and Castle has made the only sensible response to Brexit and daily life on ‘Normal Island’ and declared itself an independent state. Heavy emphasis is made of ‘recreational rights’ (read: drug decriminalisation) being strongly defended. We, the … [Read more...]

This is Reality 2000 is an online immersive game that transports its players back to the first live-streamed house social experiment. A murder mystery box without a script, or an escape room with no locked door, whether the experience is a success depends entirely upon the players themselves. A Canadian Big Brother series was underway in early 2000. Three weeks in, the producers took the decision that they would have to inform the housemates that the planet was being overrun by a pandemic. … [Read more...]

In 2020, for obvious reasons, theatre has been even more about escapism than usual. Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience gives you a chance to have a break from the modern world and the routine of polite-waitered restaurants, and enjoy a hilarious night out and a good meal. I was always criminally naive when it came to watching cartoons and kids shows. I never realised at the time that Inspector Gadget was useless and that Penny always saves the day (not that her uncle ever notices). I … [Read more...]

Agent Venture bills itself as an online escape room. It’s the first game / online immersive theatre / interactive thing I’ve played that truly delivers on this claim. The CEO of B.A.D. Corporation (yes, the show leans heavily on light comedy, rather than horror or thrills as some similar experiences) has been up to something bad. I’m never quite clear what exactly. Should have read my mission briefing better! Regardless, it necessitates breaking into B.A.D. Headquarters and finding the vault … [Read more...]