The (Two Bit) Circus Is Back In Town (Q&A)

Since before they opened their doors to the public, Los Angeles’ Two Bit Circus has been a pivotal player in the local immersive scene — from early experimentation with Story Rooms to hosting meetups of the creative community at their former R&D offices in the Brewery Art Colony.

With the arrival of Two Bit’s micro-amusement park in DTLA’s Arts District, immersive creators had a new venue to test out concepts in a high traffic spot where pub games, virtual reality, escape-style games, and immersive theatre could all be found side-by-side on a weeknight.

Now, as California’s state Coronavirus restrictions lift amidst rising vaccination rates and plummeting case numbers, the park has been stirring back to life after a year of remote play. We caught up with Two Bit Circus founders Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman by way of the modern miracle that is email.

No Proscenium: Here’s something everyone is desperate to know — now that you’re getting things rolling again, what’s the demand like?

Brent Bushnell: People are excited to be out and having social experiences again. We’re so happy to have our doors open and our new patio space has been popular. We’ve seen the traffic in the park building every week and have sold out our weekend reservations. We aren’t quite back to normal operations yet, but we anticipate a full return in June.

Eric Gradman: The funny thing is, the plates never really stopped spinning for us. Last year, when we had to shut down the park, we used our existing technology to create REMOTE — a virtual game show with live hosts — and it really took off. The demand for human interaction and fun doesn’t go away. Now, we’re able to combine REMOTE with an in-person experience on our new patio, and it’s really amazing bringing so many people together.

NP: 2020 threw us all for a loop, and it’s easy to focus on the downsides. But did this time teach you something about your business — and the business of fun — that you maybe didn’t focus on before?

Get Noah J Nelson’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

SubscribeSubscribe

Eric: Absolutely. Like I said, people don’t stop craving entertainment and meaningful interaction just because it doesn’t come in a form they’re used to. When we couldn’t bring people together in our park, it allowed us to see the potential of bringing them together virtually. Now, we’re right on track for world domination! Seriously though, for us, it was all about the ability to pivot and find a different way to do what we do best.

Brent: The entertainment industry has a huge opportunity right now. The demand for new experiences is growing and there is a lot of prime, affordable real estate available. And people want to get out and be together. The business of fun is booming.

NP: On a personal note, as guys who love immersive stuff, what are you most looking forward to getting back to as LA opens back up?

Brent: I was thrilled to experience Madcap Motel. That crew opened literally days before the pandemic and are heroes for surviving. I also have so missed big group dinners and board games. I’ve been actively making up for lost time!

Eric: I miss live theater — of both the immersive and butt-in-seat variety. I want to drive to a drafty warehouse in a questionable neighborhood and sit in a folding chair, or stand elbow-to-elbow with people I don’t know. I want to look the actors in the eye, and see the droplets of spit as they speak. I want to hear lines they memorized over a year ago, and now finally get to perform.

NP: I know you two as dreamers and schemers — is there anything you can tease us with for the near future?

Brent: We didn’t stop building through the pandemic. We have a series of our Remote game show launching with IMDb this summer and a new Story Room in the works that I’m pretty sure will be our best yet! Can’t wait to share it with you all.

Eric: We figured out how to bring the spirit of Two Bit Circus into peoples’ homes. As everyone cautiously creeps back to public spaces, we’re not abandoning what we learned during the pandemic. We’re blending the public and private, and creating entertainment that connects guests who visit the park with their friends at home or in another city.

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

NoPro is a labor of love made possible by our generous Patreon backers. Join them today!

In addition to the No Proscenium website, our podcast, and our newsletters, you can find NoPro on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, in the Facebook community Everything Immersive, and on our Discord.