Immersive Review Rundown: The One With Cake, Radiation, and Chekhov

Creativity is alive and well in our neck of the woods this summer, as evidenced by the four reports we’ve fielded this time out.

We’ve got some VR, some adaptation out of the theatrical canon, and some radical experimentation in two flavors. We’ve even got a little something we don’t usually do, but made an exception for because sometimes, when the Crew is out just being part of the Scene, they come across something exceptional and have to get on the old apple box.

And that’s what this here apple box is for.

Well that and apples.

(Can you tell I haven’t had breakfast yet?)

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The Phoenix Gene — HEROmation
$24.99; VR (Meta Exclusive); Available Now

From multimedia studio HEROmation, The Phoenix Gene (TPG) is a VR narrative on-rails shooter experience for Meta Quest. In a future plutocracy society, the rich live forever by harvesting “The Phoenix Gene” found within the general population. During a lab accident while manipulating the gene, young nobody Jackie finds a guardian protector in Firestorm, a time-traveling phoenix. Together they travel back in time, attempting to prevent key events while fighting AI drones and monsters along with rescuing mutants and people.

My feelings on TPG constantly oscillate, from being completely enamored with it one moment to infuriatingly frustrated the next. This game’s “issue” is that it’s boldly ambitious where other VR games are divertive variations. This ambition is truly appreciated, yet HEROmation overreaches, applying ambition to every aspect, thus diluting the overall experience.

Take TPG’s narrative: The early levels drop the player into intense action with no context. A classic approach, yet the characters expound dense techno- and lore-babble while discussing as yet seen ancillary characters. It’s an information overload that ultimately throttles down but remains constant. Yet, if the player perseveres, narrative clarity emerges through a Rashomon Effect supported by a clever repetitive usage of levels. Compared to other on-rail shooters, replaying levels is meaningful beyond simply mastering gameplay.

Yet the inverse occurs with the gameplay. Initially, the player controls Firestorm with Jackie mounted on its back, shooting fireballs at enemies and weaving to avoid stationary objects. But each level adds another element, like different fireball types or using the joystick to move Firestorm further away. So, when flying automatically speeds up during later levels, managing the controls feels arduous, being a complication for complication’s sake while shooting enemies and avoiding environmental objects. Furthermore, there’s no HUD, so collecting mini-requirements and supplies requires simply remembering those details.

But it’s TPG’s environmental design that perfectly encapsulates its crushing ambition. Each level is massive and dynamic, with lively elements and fantastic texture present in every direction. When in slower, dramatic moments, the worldbuilding and visual scope is awe-inspiring such as flying with a flock of phoenixes or disparate objects colliding as timelines merge. Yet a sensory overload occurs when resuming gameplay, with too much flying around too quickly to keep track of, let alone appreciate. Relatedly, in TPG’s second half, in addition to flying left and right Firestorm starts flying up and down as well, forcing the player to quickly whip their head around 360 degrees. Rather than focusing on playing the game, I constantly fought off motion sickness which I haven’t experienced since my introduction to VR with the Quest 1.

With much to love yet weighed down by those same elements, The Phoenix Gene is truly a mixed bag. HEROmation shoots for the moon, which such gumption should vigorously be applauded, but attempts too much, diluting their highly original, intriguing game.

– Patrick B. McLean, Chicago Curator & Remote Experiences Editor

Playground: Immersive Works in Progress —
What May Come Immersive & Culture Lab LIC
$39; Queens, NYC; Run Complete

Culture Lab LIC, an arts space that has avidly supported immersive work of various kinds, and What May Come Immersive hosted a workshopping event called Playground. Three different groups showed excerpts of works-in-progress there, giving the creators a chance to experiment with ideas in front of a live, raw audience. This was an excellent event that I hope Culture Lab repeats; it was wonderful to see a few different immersive pieces in one evening and I think this provides creators with invaluable advice for building shows.

This Playground featured three interesting prototypes of pieces all designed and performed by excellent creatives, but I don’t feel comfortable reviewing work still in development..I came to this event as a paid ticketholder, not a formal reviewer; indeed I typically don’t review works-in-progress as they don’t reflect the final pieces accurately. Creators with What May Come Immersive put on two experiments: an interactive sitcom and a historic interactive murder mystery that both were well-performed, interesting experiments and while I won’t critique those pieces, I will tell you those performers are great interactive actors and you should go see their real stuff if you can.

However, I’m making an exception for Lena Wolfe’s immersive dance piece, Radium Girls. Basing her work on the historical women who painted radium on watch faces and whose plight led to the creation of many modern workplace protection laws, Wolfe is creating a large-scale dance meditation on radiation, medicine, corporate greed, and the labor struggle. Experienced as a set of vignettes, the audience witnesses scenes of women working in radium-laden factories, doctors examining sick laborers, and corporate representatives bribing people to ignore the harms.

The execution of the piece showed interesting potential. Even in this prototype, Wolfe used an effective combination of choreography and creative technology to depict some of the wonder that early users of radium must have experienced. At the same time, Radium Girls is experimenting with significant audience agency in what would be new ground for a show of this size. It was certainly an early draft of the work, but Wolfe has a concept and a vision of interactivity that is something to look forward to.

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But let’s give it up to Culture Lab and all three groups for pulling off an event that showcased upcoming immersive work so skillfully. It was amazing to see the ideas creators were experimenting with and I hope our community can continue this kind of support.

— Nicholas Fortugno, New York Correspondent

Three Sisters: An Immersive Production — Sandbox Theatre Collective
$25-$35; Chicago, IL; Run Complete

Adapted from the classic Russian play by Anton Chekhov, Three Sisters is a live dark ride, site-adaptive hybrid experience from Sandbox Theatre Collective. Set in the late 19th century, the titular sisters struggle with their dreary existence in the Russian countryside with little money, being overeducated, and a lack of worthy suitors. But upon the arrival of an army battalion, the sister’s fortunes begin to turn, though unclear if for good or ill as themes of reality and dreams along with acceptance and despair are explored.

Firstly, veteran proscenium theatre goers know a Chekhov play lives or dies by its performers. Handled poorly, Chekhov’s work becomes a bleak, joyless affair, with his play’s tragic themes fueling melodramatic performances.

Fortunately, Sandbox’s cast utilizes a grounded, realistic approach, mining out rich subtleties and the multifaceted nature of these characters, transforming them into fully actualized, complex people. This lively take made the brief, quiet improvised asides with the performers believably palpable. Quietly gabbing or sharing a knowing look with performers instantly drew me in, easily propelling me to these characters’ interest and struggles.

Further heightening this experience is a fantastic execution of site-adaptive elements. Staged at the United Church of Rogers Park, Three Sisters utilizes the entirety of the three-story building and its community garden. United Church is a vibrant backdrop, as rooms simply required key set dressing or clever, intentional lighting to recreate a vivid 19th century household. Traversing the hallways at night is a foreboding, haunting affair where everyone’s footsteps echo, underscoring a theme of the character’s emptiness. And when outside in the garden, characters shout from open windows as Chicago’s nightlife beats on, adding validity to this being an active estate in a Russian countryside town.

But it’s through clever manipulation of where the audience is located that successfully completes the magic circle. In longer scenes, each audience member has a place to sit but requires several to sit at the dinner table or on the couch next to the performers. And while sitting in these key areas doesn’t guarantee performance interaction, it provides a dynamic, grounded perspective on events. The audience transcends their role, becoming neighbors over for a party or taking shelter during an emergency.

Yet this was not the smoothest production I’ve encountered. When to follow performers wasn’t easy to discern, forcing the production staff to bluntly herd the audience along. And as most interactions were quick and subtle, faltering occurred between a performer and audience when more active interaction was required. Finally, with an intermission Three Sisters is a whopping 2 hours and 45 minutes. In the brutal August heat with United Church being without central air, I did briefly succumb to thinking I too was trapped in this estate for eternity. Cuts to the text are needed.

While there are minor grievances, Three Sisters is a grounded, compelling adaptation of the Chekhov classic heightened by expertly executed site-adaptive techniques. The performers masterfully carry the audience through impressively sweaty working conditions. I eagerly await Sandbox Theatre Collective’s next experience, as they’re a fantastic addition to Chicago’s immersive artists collective.

– Patrick B. McLean, Chicago Curator & Remote Experiences Editor

Uncle Barry’s Birthday Party — UNCLE BARRY
£14, Edinburgh Fringe; Run concluded

One has to know what role to adopt when attending immersive shows and how much acting is required. Are you a space captain, visitor to a Western town or, as in the case of this show, just yourself?

We are escorted to a small room off a side road in Edinburgh’s New Town, one of the many interesting Fringe Festival venues. “How do you know Barry?” I am asked. “I rented his house when I was performing in Miami,” I state. “He didn’t let me use his Jacuzzi.”

It is a surprise party. We get party hats and chat to each other about how we know Barry.

This is the first show for company Uncle Barry. Previous showings were part of the first SideStep festival in London and I originally encountered the company at Voidspace earlier this year, with party goers dancing the conga in the halls wearing their shiny party hats.

The seven performers are MA students from Royal Central’s Advanced Theatre Practice course, that helped create some of the most exciting immersive and interactive companies including ‘Shunt’, ‘Deadweight’ and ‘Dante or Die’. (I was also an ATP student). As we discuss in the ‘Post Show Cake Eating and Chat’ (working title) what this company has made is what I hoped to achieve from my Masters. That urge of many creatives to find their tribe and their support network to make art together.

I found delight in this show for having a realness, despite the more surreal stories we hear about the mythical Barry. We all have attended birthday parties and we don’t need onboarding to say “don’t drop kick the cake.” Instead we scream at the cake and dance wildly. Barry loves passion. We love Barry.

The audience’s inputs and stories, as well as responses to tasks (we built a tree covered with torn out faces- typical birthday gift), ensures no party experience will be the same. My shareable present was well received. Discussing connections with Barry provides a good ice breaker and some stories are revealed in a speech for the birthday boy. It is an hour of fun, and cake.

Post-show discussions about alternative contributions on a return to the show bode well for its future.

I am excited to see where ‘Uncle Barry’ — the show, the company and the man go next.

— Thomas Jancis, London Correspondent

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