COMING SOON: Jane Austen’s EMMA

Fresh off their smash hit musical parody SCREAM’D, which illustrated what happens when your musical comedy goes viral via TikTok, the fine folks at Las Vegas’ Majestic Repertory Theatre are parlaying their newfound notoriety into their other great passion: immersive theatre.

Known for innovative Halloween & horror concepts, as well as work on some of Vegas’ noteworthy immersive experiments, Majestic Rep Artistic Director Troy Heard turned his hand to crafting an immersive take on Jane Austen’s classic romantic comedy.

We got all the latest gossip from Mr. Heard about what is sure to be the social event of the season when the run kicks off on July 11th.

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This is No Proscenium’s COMING SOON, a look at ongoing immersive experiences & events. To learn more about how your event could be considered for the feature check out How To Get Covered By NoPro.

NO PROSCENIUM: Tell us a little bit about your experience! What’s it about? What makes it immersive?

Tory Heard: Jane Austen’s EMMA is a brand new adaptation of the beloved novel that has kept readers enthralled for over two centuries. This experience unfolds over a course of four seasons — or parties — hosted by the “handsome, clever and rich” Emma Woodhouse and her father — and you’re the guest of honor.

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It’s 1815 England, and everybody is simply falling in love or avoiding love, or just shoveling their mouths full of petit fours and macarons. There’s a live string trio, singing and dancing, and a total Regency vibe.

NP: What was the inspiration for your upcoming experience?

TH: I got married at Disneyland — specifically at a gazebo at the Disneyland Hotel — so during each visit we stop by the scene of the crime. The last time we were there a fairytale wedding was in progress, horse drawn carriage and all. Instead of crashing the ceremony, we peered through a hedge — very voyeuristic.

We were soon joined by a whole crowd of people ranging from little girls straight from the pool to this tough looking guy in cut- offs, all enthralled at the romance of the moment. That was the light bulb: doesn’t matter who we are or where we’re from, everybody loves a love story. So I gave myself the challenge to create an experience based solely in joy.

NP: What do you think fans of immersive will find most interesting about this latest experience?

TH: I’ve designed Jane Austen’s EMMA to have multiple levels of accessibility complementing our guests’ varying comfort levels with immersive. I wanted to build a world where anybody can feel welcome, regardless whether they’re a baby beginner or an experienced veteran. If you want to sidle up and become besties with Emma, go for it. If you’re more comfortable observing from the sidelines, the opportunity is there as well. By setting the experience over the course of Emma’s parties — a situation that diegetically includes introverts and extroverts — we’ve created an experience that can provide enough emotional beats to convey the narrative wherever you may be.

NP: Once you started designing and testing what did you discover about this experience that was unexpected?

TH: Up to this point, my own immersive work was based in either horror or crime — Measure for Measure in 1970s mob Vegas, an original adaptation of The Wild Party, etc. High stakes, high drama. When I started breaking apart Austen’s novel to find moments that would translate as “immersive/interactive,” I wasn’t sure if there was enough conflict to sustain a full-length experience. After getting into the room with the cast, though, we’ve really found Austen created compelling characters who find conflict is then most mundane moments.

NP: What can fans who are coming to this, or thinking about coming to this, do to get into the mood of the experience?

TH: Jane Austen and Bridgerton share a timeline, so definitely pull out your Regency cosplay when you come.