‘The Realm’ Conjures Up An Ambitious Start for Providence’s Immersive Scene (Review)

Immersive theater doesn’t normally find its way to Providence. As No Pro’s New England Editor, traveling two-plus hours for a show is my norm. So when I heard about The Realm, a theatrical event promising fantasy, puzzles, and enchantment less than 10 minutes from my house, I was thrilled.

Our night started at Justine’s, a speakeasy hidden behind a sleazy fake lingerie shop in Olneyville. My date and I showed up early, as requested, for cocktails. I was hoping to run into a few familiar characters at this point, but I was wrong. We were left to our own devices until a velvet-suited Puck found us nearly one hour later.

Puck led us to a small room and asked us to choose names for the night — I chose Beryl for myself and Shrub for my partner — before sending us to a new room to wait a while longer. Once everyone made it through the name-choosing process, Puck came back to give us all a talk about the evening’s rules. It was basic immersive stuff: don’t touch the actors, don’t mess with electrical outlets, etc. We took it all in and, finally, got ushered into Inspiria.

A vibrant DIY gallery with a punk rock aesthetic, Inspiria is a promising site for immersive art. We wandered through dark hallways filled with birdsong and twinkling lights. I felt myself starting to believe in this magical new world… when Puck broke character to give us another talk about consent. My sense of immersion evaporated.

Finding my way back to that headspace took a minute. The show’s interactive elements were, perhaps, more complicated than they needed to be. Periods of puzzle-solving, interaction, and good-natured chaos were interspersed with staged scenes that asked the audience to stop whatever they were engaged in and watch, breaking the evening’s natural flow.

The actors, though, were dazzling. Oberon, Beezle, and Quill stood out with strong performances and clear interaction cues, creating a sense of safety and immersion. Story-wise, The Realm mirrored A Midsummer Night’s Dream with twists. I could tell you about the undercover priest’s awkward but amusing faux-orgy or Puck’s diatribe on bravery and communication. But the literal show-stopper was my blood sacrifice.

There was a running theme through the night about how the fae were planning to crown a champion. I must have seemed game because they tagged me. As champion, I was given pride of place during a dance with Queen Titania before being whisked backstage and told that I was, in fact, going to be part of a plot twist. Surprise! I was going to be sacrificed!

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I was given a check-in and told what to expect during the show’s final scene. It was a clever idea, but the whole thing left me cold. The violent reveal didn’t shock me — our hosts had been too genuinely pleasant all evening, so their heel turn felt unearned. Plus, I didn’t love being yanked out of character for yet another mid-show briefing.

Still, I’m glad to have visited The Realm. I had a genuinely pleasant time bopping around a cool space, despite not feeling especially immersed.

This was an ambitious attempt to bring immersive theater to Providence, a city filled with incredible creators who are more than ready to blow the ceiling off of whatever slick, big-budget production companies think immersive should be.

Mary Widow & Third House Events Production’s decision to be first out of the gate is commendable, and their production of The Realm contained moments of genuine engagement and connection. Any flaws I’ve noted surely come from a place of abundant care and caution. As our little city’s immersive literacy grows, I expect wrinkles like this will iron themselves out.

For now, The Realm offered us a glimpse of what could become a vibrant immersive scene in Providence (fingers crossed!). With more experience and attention to in-world interactions, we have the potential to build something truly magical.

I look forward to seeing how the dream develops.

The Realm was produced by Mary Widow & Third House Events in Providence, RI this past June. Tickets were $100 — $300.

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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Leah Davis is a writer & editor at No Proscenium.