Everything Immersive This Week (10/18/20)
All the news and then some…
Hello there.
Next week both EITW and the newsletter will take a break while our publisher goes on his annual pilgrimage to a galaxy far, far, away.
That doesn’t mean that the Everything Immersive site or group is going anywhere. Or that NoPro won’t have content — there’s actually a bunch in the queue. But these two labor intensive pieces of service journalism will hit the pause button while we find our will to live…um, we mean while he finds his will to … okay. Look. It’s 2020 and I need a break from writing in the third person.
Luckily there is a LOT for you, and since it’s my birthday week/anniversary of my first seeing Sleep No More, there are some “presents” if you will upcoming in the feed. And some mission critical stuff on deck when I get back. Which will be just in time for Halloween, a blue moon, and the election.
So, you know, totally normal stuff.
Do try to have fun while I’m gone. And be good to each other: we’re all we’ve got!
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ON THE PODCAST THIS WEEK
Dragon Productions Theatre Company’s Max Koknar, Ariel Aronica, and Jacob Vorperian join us to talk about All We Have To Fear: Party at the End of the World, their new theatre/game hybrid that uses Gather to recreate the experience of an immersive theatre space like the former Speakeasyin San Francisco, along with some tweaks to the system created by the Dragon to add a game layer to the proceedings.
We dive in on the eve of the show’s opening. For the curious amongst you: there’s a handful of free tickets using the code NOPROFREE that are usable through the end of the month, and a $10 discount NOPRO once those free tickets are gone.
PLUS: early impressions of the Oculus Quest 2. (Check out our unboxing and first impressionvideos.)
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(And yes, this is episode 269, I think I say 268 at the top because I was using the wrong document for the intro!)
FROM EI: SHOWS, EVENTS, & EXPERIENCES
Never miss a beat: search for the latest immersive events and experiences at the all-new Everything Immersive site.
Immersive Theatre
PARIS
- Sleepy Hollow BarA spectral nightlife experience taking you into the Sleepy Hollow forest — 3 cocktails included!
DENVER
- Death’s UnravelingIn a time of high unemployment, Death considers quitting…
PORTLAND
- The StationsDrive or bike through The Stations, a history of Halloween!
LOS ANGELES
- Tortured Souls ThresholdOur Exciting-New LIVE, Contactless, COVID-Safe, Outdoor Horror Experience!
Physical Games & Experiences (At-Home)
- This Great PlaguePurge your demons!
- Tales By Candlelight: Session Zerø (remote module & kit)Limited Edition: The award-winning storytelling experience delivered to your door
- Camp ChristmasA magical interactive experience for the holidays
Virtual Reality (VR At-Home)
- PARA — VR Horror ExperienceIndulge in Halloween this year in VR with Live Immersive actors and a chilling Sci-Fi storyline.
Experiential Museum
- The CarouselDreamscapes immersive art gallery, Salt Lake City
Telephone
- The Other Side Of The Line“Can you convince my cousin Karen that vaccines don’t cause autism?”
- Main MenuMeet “Annie”, a new phone system designed to solve all of life’s problems.
Alternate Reality Game/Experience
- Conspiracy PlayThere is a liar among us. Work together to discover the truth.
Podplay (At-Home)
- Dracula: Live Immersive Audio Experience
Featuring Norm Lewis - Project HarkerOriginal immersive audio experience inspired by Dracula
- Swimming HomeAre you ready to dive in? 35 minutes immersive experience in your bathroom
Interactive Livestream
- Viper SquadAn Immersive, Online 80s Action Movie from award-winning online theatre pioneers CtrlAlt_Repeat
- Curio Shoppeean interactive nightmare experienced from the discomfort of your own home
- All About Evil: A Seize the Show ExperienceThere’s been a murder on Broadway, and it’s up to YOU to find the killer!
- Camp Stabbawei: A Seize the Show ExperienceCan YOU survive the night at summer camp?
- Readymade Cabaret 2.0Roll the Dice to Explore Chance, Choice, Fate, and Free Will in Readymade Cabaret 2.0
Have a show or event you’d like to see here? Submit at EverythingImmersive.com
REVIEWS
We kick things off with what’s been an absolute favorite experience here — The Sleepover — this one recreates the best Saturday Night possible in the hitsory of America. It’s the mid-90’s. You’re 11. You’re at your friend Mikey’s for a sleepover with friends. SNICK is on, the shelf is loaded with Goosebumps, there’s pop rocks and soda on hand. And his parents are AWAY.
Snapping back to 2020: either you’ve been doing some phone banking or you’ve been on the receiving end of some phone banking. A Call From the Resistance taps into that experience, but adds a totally different dimension to it. Geared towards those with more progressive politics, this latest remote experience from Capital W continues their current season of programming with a political point up front and center after the exploration of the impact of climate change in Fire Season.
And now back to a different kind of 90’s nostalgia, with Hunt A Killer’s Blair Witch. It’s hard to believe that The Blair Witch Project is old enough to legally drink here in the States, but it’s true. This is just the first part of a subscription based serial mystery, but the writing is already capturing that dark Blair Witch magic… maybe better than anything in 20 years has managed to do.
Finally, New York correspondent Michaela Ternasky-Holland has a strong negative reaction to the status of safety precautions in the Garden of Eden.
News From around the Immersiverse
Zoom, which has become the center of the videochat universe thanks to Our Pandemic Year has now opened up a marketplace for programming that takes place on Zoom. This could end up a great solution for those looking for an all in one vendor… or it could lead to the kind of platform capture that separates creators from audiences thanks to an intermediary that doesn’t really care about user experience at all.
So, ah, the Color Factory has reopened its ball pit, but the Museum of Ice Cream has closed the sprinkle pool as they reopen. Does anyone really know what they are doing anymore?
Our own Brian Ressler talks with one of the folks behind the Orlando area drive-in haunt ‘Scream n Stream,’ which has popped up to give a home to the haunters left out in the cold by COVID-19.
To mark the launch of the Oculus Quest 2, we’ve updated our guide to experiences on the Oculus Quest.
Speaking of the Quest 2, we’re watching Upload’s Ian Hamilton on this:
Theme Park Insider’s Robert Niles wrote a sobering piece entitled ‘How 2020 Exposed Everything People Wanted to Ignore’ that does exactly what it says on the tin with regard to the theme park industry. One can hear echoes of this in all the parts that make up the immersive and experiential field. Consider this required reading:
And last but not least, don’t forget: Indiecade Anywhere and Everywhere is LIVE right NOW.
THAT’S IT FOR THIS TIME.
EITW WILL BE BACK ON NOV. 1.
Discover the latest immersive events, festivals, workshops, and more at our new site EVERYTHING IMMERSIVE, new home of NoPro’s show listings.
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