Finding Yourself ‘Out There’ (The NoPro Review)

When you strip away all the bells and whistles, all the cutting edge technology and elaborate lore building, what makes an immersive work or not is the fidelity of the connection. The connection between the participant and the world that is being offered up for them to embrace.

In immersive theatre — whether that takes place in physical space or in a video chat (or some other technological terror) — that connection almost always comes down to the performer holding the other end of the line.

I don’t want to say too much about Secret Thing Presents: Out There, because what story there is to the experience hinges on reveals which — whether you see them coming or not — are deployed in such a way as to become a delicately reflective moment. The immersive world’s equivalent of the emotional high wire act. And there one the tightrope, high above the silent arena with you, is actor/creator Shayne Eastin. So let’s talk about Shayne Eastin.

If you’re from the LA immersive scene you might know Eastin from her roles in Delusion and other horror themed work, including tours of duty at Zombie Joe’s in North Hollywood before she spun off her own project Secret Thing. Or you might know her from her roles in streaming RPGs, where she plays various characters in the real play casts of Vampire: the Masquerade shows. Along either path, Eastin’s gestalt persona is one of the spooky kids who may or may not have just stepped sideways from a Victorian spirit realm by way of 1980’s NYC.

That is not who we meet in Out There. And as someone who is used to Eastin’s character sets and public persona I found myself completely disarmed by the unassuming Federal agent character I conversed with over Zoom. It was a quick reminder that the best weapon in immersive’s arsenal is a skilled actor with a heart open for making empathetic connections with their scene partner.

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Of course the scene partner here is you, as you are the protagonist of this story. One that… okay. Okay. I’m not going to spoil it.

Instead I’m going to offer up this: Out There doesn’t have intense production values. It’s just Shayne in front of a black sheet. It doesn’t have an elaborate lore that you will spend hours digging through before and after the twenty minutes of the call. What it has is that magical center of gravity feeling: that a moment is somehow shared in a fictional space between two real people.

And that is by design. Eastin has aimed Out There at those who are first timers to one-on-one immersive, and she offers up the experience for free. So: if you read a lot of NoPro and you’ve wondered how one of these one-on-ones can go I encourage you to check it out. Approach it with your curiosity, and you might just get a glimpse of the secret we’re always chasing.

Secret Thing Presents: Out There is by reservation, and has extended to the end of September. Additional slots may be made available. Tickets are free, and recommended for first time immersive explorers.

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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