COMING SOON: Midnight High: A Night At The Oxhead
Houston gets a Western-themed immersive theatre piece that just might have more than one genre trick up its sleeve
Houston is one of the underrated immersive centers in the United States, a slow burn of a scene that has produced some truly top-tier experiences (we’re looking at you Strange Bird) and is home to its own Meow Wolf. That said, the immersive theatre part of the equation has only ever had fits and starts, even though the ingredients are all there.
That may be about to change, if we’re all lucky, in the form of Midnight High: A Night At The Oxhead, a Western-themed immersive theatre experience that opens this October. The show even set the stage for the story with an ARG, which they’ve chronicled on their website. Sometimes the old ways work, you know?
We checked in with storyteller Beau York about the new show which runs Oct. 8th through the 25th.
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NO PROSCENIUM: Tell us a little bit about your experience! What’s it about? What makes it immersive?
Beau York: Midnight High transports audiences to the old west fictional town of Oxhead, complete with a saloon, boudoir, and graveyard. Unlike traditional theater, where the audience passively observes, Midnight High casts attendees as guests in the town ready to be welcomed by its inhabitants and their mysterious origins.
There is so much more than what is on the surface and by exploring the set, and having conversations with characters, audiences can unlock side quests, discover hidden story elements, and even experience exclusive one-on-one scenes. The environment itself is a key storyteller, with hidden details and subtle clues revealing a deeper narrative.
NP: What was the inspiration for your upcoming experience?
BY: I wanted audiences in the Southeast to have access to the level of immersive storytelling I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in places like LA, New York, London, and Pittsburgh. The Old West theme of Midnight High is a natural fit for Texas and appealing both for locals and those visiting Houston looking to tap into their inner cowboy.
When thinking about the story, it’s difficult to share the exact inspiration as doing so spoils the ending, however I can say that within the creative foundations for Midnight High is a deep appreciation for films like Once Upon a Time in the West, Westworld (both the film and the series), and especially Casablanca. That blend of Old West with sci-fi suspense, all while channeling elements of film noir in an immersive setting is a real challenge but an exciting one. We pay homage to all of these inspirations while subverting the archetypes and flipping the script in ways I hope the audience enjoys.
NP: What do you think fans of immersive will find most interesting about this latest experience?
BY: I have found that many fans of immersive theatre track their initial experience to Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More and this is certainly the case for me as well. Fans of that format will enjoy many of our approaches to immersive, however we have some key differences:
Midnight High is not a silent play. There are characters our audience can have conversations with for much of the experience. We walk a tight-rope however, balancing free conversation with scripted “cut scenes” in which the audience is silent for select pieces of the story to be highlighted. Because these moments are sometimes simultaneous and location-specific — with, for example, different scenes playing out in the Graveyard versus the Saloon — our audience gets to make choices about where they go. This ensures that while everyone gets the core, surface level, narrative, their individual plot insights and character journeys are unique.
Additionally, we’ve created a unique mechanism for audience engagement inspired by our Western theme. Each audience member receives a bandana. If they choose to wear it loosely around their neck, the actors know they’re open to interaction and conversation. If they wear it raised to cover their face, it signals that they would prefer to exist as a specter, unseen, free to explore the world without direct contact. This satisfies both the voyeur and the extrovert alike.
NP: Once you started designing and testing what did you discover about this experience that was unexpected?
BY: We knew it would be a challenge finding a location, but had no idea how big a challenge that would be. We’re so fortunate to have access to the Midtown Arts and Theatre Center of Houston and the wonderful folks there, but the space was very much what we could afford and the story had to be cut down and re-written to make sense in a smaller venue. We hope to find the right audience and investors who seek to see this experience grow into a larger and more permanent fixture in the future.
NP: What can fans who are coming to this, or thinking about coming to this, do to get into the mood of the experience?
BY: I would recommend soaking in some of our inspirations in the lead-up to the show. As previously mentioned Casablanca, Westworld, and Once Upon a Time in the West would be solid choices. Load up your pinterest with Old West, Noir, Gothic, and maybe a dash of Cosmic imagery. Music wise… I actually do have a playlist that I put together while writing the play and listening to it inspired some of the deeper lore, but I haven’t thought to make it public… maybe I will some day. OH! And of course I would recommend reading up on the Alternate Reality Game we ran earlier this year which teases out elements of the deeper lore of Midnight High. You can find that at MidnightHTX.com/arg
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