NOW PLAYING: The Wylding Woods

Even if you’re from the SF Bay Area you might only know of Mill Valley as a kind of mythical place: a sleepy village tucked away in the most forested part of Marin County, ringed by coast redwoods and oaks. A kind of world unto itself, the town has long fostered a relationship to the arts through institutions like the Throckmorton Theatre and the Mill Valley Film Festival, which is a sometimes overlooked stop on the Oscar Circuit.

I worked for the Mill Valley Film Festival for a few years, and was always bowled over by who stopped through. I still think about getting to meet Ang Lee or see Slumdog Millionaire before most people did from time to time.

In short, Mill Valley sometimes feels impossible, and so it makes sense that it would become home to a cavalcade of magical creatures in puppet form, enchanting both downtown Mill Valley and the woods beyond in the form of The Wylding Woods.

The new show made for kids by Odyssey Works co-founder Matthew Purdon and brought to life by members of the Bay Area Puppeteers Guild and others made its debut this month.

We checked in with director & writer Matthew Purdon, about the origins of the new show which runs through October. 26th and kicks off the Wylding Woods.

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

Matthew Purdon: The Wylding Woods is more than a show, it’s the beginning of a living story world. In this first episode, children are recruited by Lexivandrielle, the Storybook Fairy and librarian for the Story Stump to help restore the disrupted flow of imagination. Along the way, they uncover clues that hint at a much larger world waiting to unfold in future chapters.

The experience begins inside our hand-crafted retail space, an immersive environment designed by Jackie Scott, featuring a climb-inside tree by Haley Who and a Magic Mirror built by Double Take Labs. From there, the story spills out into downtown Mill Valley, where participants embark on a mission much like an alternate reality game. Finally, the world opens into the redwoods, where the forest itself becomes the stage. That gradual expansion, from the familiar to the fantastical, physically and imaginatively, is what makes the experience truly immersive.

NP: What was the inspiration for your upcoming experience?

MP: The Wylding Woods began as stories I told my daughters on our walks through the redwoods. What was a short trail for me was a long adventure for them, so we’d stop at the stump of a fallen tree we called “the story stump.” With snacks in hand, they’d beg, “One more story, Daddy.” Those moments became a ritual and the stump became the heart of the Wylding Woods.

I’ve been exploring the intersection of player participation and storytelling my whole life through a wide variety of mediums and forms. My early work as co-founder of Odyssey Works gave me a deep understanding of how to meet participants and how to deepen psychological immersion. When I had kids, I began to apply those skills to bespoke immersive birthday parties and Halloween adventures.

But I wasn’t content to just let the Wylding Woods stories live in my head or on the page. I wanted to enter and live inside them. So I brought my immersive perspective to the stories, ran a few play labs with my kids and their friends, and eventually led a devised theatre class to develop an early script. The script was later workshopped with our puppeteer ensemble and playtested last spring.

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

MP: Most immersive work today is made for adults or general audience family groups. This one centers on children. While adults will enjoy the performances and story, it’s the children who move the story forward. Through crafts, riddles, scavenger hunts and spell-casting, their imagination literally awakens the world. Our performers are trained to follow their lead, honoring each child’s creative choices in real time.

The use of puppetry adds another layer of magic. By shifting scale, from tiny woodland elves to towering forest creatures — we give children a tangible sense of growth and wonder. Our puppets, created by masters like Hobey Ford, Eric Wright of Puppet Kitchen and Charlie Orchard in the UK, are works of playful art. In the hands of our puppeteers, many of them members of the Bay Area Puppeteers guild, they become incredibly expressive characters.

All of this takes place outdoors in the redwoods, where the real and imagined coexist. We like to think we’re not inventing a fantasy world but revealing one that’s already there, waiting to be seen.

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

MP: The biggest surprise has been how much the story changes through collaboration, both with artists and the audience. Chuck Whelon’s early illustrations of Neebling the Dream Thief featured an overcoat filled with bottles. At first we didn’t even have them in the story. Later, we we added them as a prop to solve a logistical problem. But during the playtests, a participant interacted with them in an unexpected way, and suddenly became central to the story’s plot.

That’s the beauty of co-creation: the world keeps revealing itself through others’ imaginations. Every collaborator, every child who steps in the woods, reshapes it a little more. My goal is for The Wylding Woods to keep growing like a living forest.

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

MP: The Wylding Woods is home to fairies, elves, trolls, and all manner of storybook beings. So wings, cloaks or elf ears are always welcome! You could even bring your favorite puppet or handmade talisman to share on your journey. You could also write a wish, letter, story or drawing to drop in Lexivandrielle’s fairy mailbox inside the store.

For inspiration, revisit Labyrinth or The Dark Crystal to see Jim Henson’s amazing puppetry work in a fantasy environment.

Oh, and learn some riddles, those will come in handy.

Discover the latest immersive events, festivals, workshops, and more at our new site EVERYTHING IMMERSIVE, home of NoPro’s show listings.

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