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Photo: Race Across The World: The Experience CityDays has announced plans to launch the first-ever playable experience based on the hit BBC series, Race Across the World with Race Across the World: The Experience, which is set to launch in London this Spring.   This high-stakes experience will offer players the chance to live out their Race Across the World dreams by navigating the streets of London, working as a team, outwitting their competitors, and unlocking hidden secrets of the city in a race to the finish line.   The experience will require strategy, teamwork, and quick thinking, as players are given a budget to manage as they race through the city. This budget can be spent on valuable clues to help navigate the next leg of the journey, giving players the freedom to decide how daring they want to be. A high-stakes race against the clock, where every decision counts, and influences the race. Players will be scored based on their time and how much budget they have left, with their final score ranked on a live leaderboard throughout the day and week. The team that completes the challenge in the fastest time with the most budget remaining will earn a shot at being crowned the daily or weekly champions. The race takes participants on a 4-5 km mission through the capital, typically spanning 2-3 hours. LikeRace Across The World , this experience highlights the treasures people miss when speeding beneath London on the tube. Passing through key partner venues, including renowned pubs, cultural hotspots, or famous landmarks, each serving as a 'checkpoint' where teams must solve escape room-style puzzles. These puzzles will guide them toward the next leg of the race, offering clues that unveil new parts of the city, all while providing a true taste of London’s hidden gems.   Tom Rymer, Founder of CityDays, said We are beyond excited to bring the Race Across The World experience to life in London. It’s a dream come true for fans of the show, offering them the chance to dive into the heart-pounding action and strategy that has made the show a hit. What makes this experience truly special is the unique combination of exploring London’s hidden spots while working together in a race against time. We can’t wait to see who comes out on top!   All3Media said : It’s thrilling to be able to bring this iconic TV show from Studio Lambert to life in one of the most vibrant and culturally rich cities in the world. We’re beyond excited to partner with CityDays, true pioneers in urban adventures, making them the perfect team to turn this unforgettable experience into a reality. Together, we’re giving fans the chance to immerse themselves in the heart-pounding action of Race Across The World, and it’s going to be nothing short of spectacular! Race Across The World: The Experience will launch in London this Spring. For more information, and to sign-up for the presale, visit raceacrosstheworldexperience.com

Leo Doulton's collection of highly improvisational, operatic shows gives audiences the chance to influence and shape their wyrd worlds in unique ways. Come Bargain With Uncanny Things (2025) Photo: Claire Shovelton The Uncanny Things Trilogy is a series of shows fusing immersive theatre with operatic performance. Set within a world very similar to ours, each show invites audiences to come face-to-face with an Uncanny Thing, a supernatural being that has the power to change and shape the world around it in both positive and negative ways. Through a series of rituals, bargains, and deals, audience members are given the freedom to decide how each show unfolds, with the consequences of those choices potentially impacting the other shows in the trilogy. With a cast of five performers, all of the cast's dialogue is delivered through improvised song, though the audience is under no obligation to also sing. Taking place across several tunnels beneath Southwark Bridge at COLAB Tower near London Bridge, the audience takes on the role of local residents who are there to help decide how best to manage the power and influence the Uncanny Things have over the borough and its residents. Over the course of three evenings, we attended all three shows in the trilogy, which includes Come Bargain With Uncanny Things (first performed at COLAB Tavern in 2022), Come Worship Our Uncanny King (first performed as part of Voidspace Live 2024 ), and Come Murder An Uncanny Thing (which debuted at COLAB Tower during this run). All three shows put the community in a different position of power against the Uncanny Things and offer unique ways of interacting with and shaping the world. Come Bargain With Uncanny Things (2025) Photo: Claire Shovelton While the trilogy can be approached in any order, Come Bargain With Uncanny Things acts as the logical introduction to this wyrd world. With deep lore, a whole host of mechanics and information to quickly get your head around, and a sense that the decisions made by audiences can have real consequences (both positive and negative), it may initially be an overwhelming experience for those who are unfamiliar with the kind of folklore that deals with fae, changelings and hellkins. At the start of the show, the community is presented with two requests from local residents that they need to investigate. During our visit, these included an elderly woman hoping to be granted more time to connect with her family before passing and a blossom tree whose glowing leaves were concerning those who lived nearby. In order to deal with these requests, the audience must get advice and guidance from Guildmaster McCall (CN Lester), The Wyrd Gazer (Amy Kearsly), and Carol (Sarah Griffin), the local council representative, as to how best to approach the unwieldy Uncanny Thing, who will seek out any loophole possible to push back against the community's demands. For the community to achieve what it wants, it needs to stay on top of what's happening in all corners of the space. Come Bargain With Uncanny Things (2025) Photo: Claire Shovelton Those working with The Wyrd Gazer must plan and enact small rituals to gain valuable information from the Uncanny Thing, as well as solve puzzles to craft potions that temporarily change the Uncanny Thing's form. This informs how those working alongside Guildmaster McCall approach the Uncanny Thing for the larger invocations to solve the community requests, as that valuable information on its true nature informs how best to approach it. Those creating small, handmade offerings for the Uncanny Thing need to also be aware of any new information gained from the others groups so its likes and dislikes can be taken into account when trying to win its favour. Audience members who have experience playing games like Dungeons & Dragons or regularly do roleplaying games will likely find it easier to get their heads around all of this information, but those who haven't dabbled in those worlds may at first be overwhelmed and confused about how to best approach these tasks. Given the improvised nature of each performance's narrative, which again is based entirely on what the audience decides to do, missteps can have fairly costly ramifications. This cycle of receiving requests, planning offerings, potions, and rituals repeats three times across the course of Come Bargain, giving the audience time to get their head around the show's intricacies. By the third and final request of the evening, our audience had seemingly mastered their respective roles, which allowed us to temporarily communicate with the recently deceased Angela, the elderly woman whose initial request we had not chosen at the beginning of the evening. Helping her children get some much-needed closure was a fittingly poignant ending to the show, and it showed that helping the individuals within a community can be just as meaningful as helping the collective. Overall, the tone of Come Bargain balances being both ominous and haunting, yet inviting. CN Lester and Amy Kearsly's operatic, improvised performances throughout the show, which take the form of both individual pieces to smaller groups and as a duo during the invocations, go a long way to creating this atmosphere. Often, the pair's ethereal hums will echo throughout the space, acting as a backing for the snarls and growls coming from the Uncanny Thing (Leo Doulton), which remains bound within a circle at the far end of the space for the show's duration. Come Worship Our Uncanny King (2025) Photo: Claire Shovelton The second show in the Uncanny Things Trilogy, Come Worship Our Uncanny King, is much lighter fare. With the Uncanny King sitting atop a throne in the centre of the space, the community is there to give praise and thanks to the supernatural ruler. There's no justice being sought, no scheming and underhand tricks to be wary of, and no duty to do right by anyone other than the King. We have found ourselves in their court, and we are there to entertain them. Structurally, the show shares a lot of similarities with Come Bargain, though the stakes are a lot lower and the mechanics are simpler. The audience once again splits off into smaller groups to work on various activities against the clock, which are later presented to the Uncanny King. Those into arts and crafts will naturally be drawn to creating offerings with Adorer (CN Lester), while elsewhere in the space, the community will also work on creating short processionals such as toasts, hymns, and performances with The Master of Processionals (Hester Dart) that highlight the best qualities of the Uncanny King. Additionally, debates on a selection of topics decided by the King give the community further chances to pander to the King's ego, with them making the final ruling on whose argument was the strongest. Come Worship Our Uncanny King (2025) Photo: Claire Shovelton Come Worship Our Uncanny King is billed as a comedic farce, which is fitting. With much less of a focus on trying to help the wider community of Southwark, the cast has much more room to play with the audience's suggestions and build upon their light-hearted creations. During our visit, an offhand comment about us having a pair of cats at home quickly spiralled into an extended dialogue throughout the court about their virtues, which culminated in an improvised choir of operatic meows from CN Lester and Hester Dart. Given so much of the show's content is decided by the audience's choices, cats became a running theme throughout the rest of the performance, with both audiences and cast harking back to these moments throughout the evening. Later in the show, following a suggestion from the King that they'd like to see us create a competition in their honour, a wordplay-based game was presented to the court, with all of the participants, including a wordless Silent (Sarah Griffin), who took part with gestures instead of words, slowly bowing out to let the King win. It was a sycophantic decision from the audience to throw the game in the King's favour, but it was rewarded handsomely with boons, which allowed the King's court to have their wishes and desires granted. Come Worship Our Uncanny King (2025) Photo: Claire Shovelton Rounding off the trilogy, Come Murder An Uncanny Thing sees the community return to seeking justice for the people of Southwark. With The Vigilante (Amy Kearsley) having bound an injured Uncanny Thing, the group must decide what to do with the dangerous being now in their control. From the outset, it's made clear that the Uncanny Thing has caused great pain to the people of the borough, with direct mention of the events that unfolded in Come Bargain, and the show's central tension is formed around the question of whether we should be kind or cruel to it. In this show, the audience holds the greatest amount of power over the Uncanny Thing, and without the oversight of council officials, have much more freedom to decide how best to use its powers without any of the red tape present in Come Bargain. Come Murder An Uncanny Thing (2025) Photo: Claire Shovelton For those looking to enact vigilante justice, crafting remedies will punish the Uncanny Thing. Bound to enact what we as an audience wish it to, there is again total freedom for visitors to shape the narrative of the show. Suggestions that it should remove its own teeth or feel the pain it's inflicted on others as retribution were offered up by the audience during our visit. Those instead looking to instead create positive outcomes from the Uncanny Things bounding can craft uses for the Uncanny Thing to enact with The Lawful (Hester Dart), such as reducing the pain of those in the local hospital or providing shelter to the area's homeless population. All of these remedies and uses come at a price, however. The Uncanny Thing will assign a value to each request based on how much of its finite power it will take to enact. As an audience, we don't know exactly how much power it has to give before destroying itself, so all of our choices remain hypothetical in the first half of the show, with a final decision needed after the show's interval. Come Murder An Uncanny Thing (2025) Photo: Claire Shovelton That central tension of Come Murder - whether to use the Uncanny Thing's power to better the world around us or use it to punish itself - comes to a head in the second half of the show. All of our propositions must be debated and weighed up against one another. The Uncanny Thing will decide the order in which it enacts the remedies and uses, so not everything we demand of it may be possible before it dies. Conflicts of opinion between the audience are a given, with them trying to balance helping the community with punishing the Uncanny Thing for what it's done. There are conflicting ideas from the cast also, with The Vigilante and The Lawful clashing on what the best course of action is, acting like an angel and demon on the shoulder of each audience member. We'd wager most audiences will ultimately want to mine the Uncanny Thing for as much as they can, be it positive or negative, without showing the supernatural being mercy, so the question becomes how much can be achieved before its death. Come Murder An Uncanny Thing (2025) Photo: Claire Shovelton Having now spent roughly 7 hours inside the wyrd world of The Uncanny Things Trilogy, the thing that's really stuck with us is how much freedom each show affords its audience. When we interviewed Virtually Opera's Leo Doulton last month, he referenced Parabolic Theatre's 2019/2022 show Crisis, What Crisis? as a key influence that informed the creation of this work, and that is certainly present throughout each part of the trilogy. It's rare that a creator is willing to hand over total control of a show to the audience, let alone three shows. By offering the audience that freedom, it allows them to forge their own path and take real ownership of what unfolds. It's a testament to the show's cast and crew that each show doesn't spin off into chaos, unless, of course, that's what the audience decides they want to do... ★★★★ The Uncanny Things Trilogy runs until 30th March 2025 at COLAB Tower near London Bridge. Standard tickets for each show are priced at £45, with tickets for all three shows available as a bundle for £105. For more info and to book tickets, visit designmynight.com Read more reviews of immersive experiences like The Uncanny Things Trilogy here .

Four and a half years in the making, wunderkind producers Sleepwalk Immersive debut an outstanding adaptation of The Bacchae that shows off only a fraction of their full potential. This review is from the 2023 run of Bacchanalia at Crypt in Bethnal Green. Click here to read our 2025 review of the show at Hoxton Hall. Photo: Sleepwalk Immersive Initially conceived as a one-man show designed for a single audience member, the development of Bacchanalia has spanned a period of four and a half years. Expanding and growing with each new iteration, it took form last year in a series of R&D performances in Central London. Off the back of those shows, Bacchanalia has now taken over Crypt in Bethnal Green for a two-week, sold-out run. Based on The Bacchae by Euripides, Bacchanalia tells the story of the Greek god Dionysus as they seek revenge on the family members who have denied their divinity. It's an intense and intimate immersive production, welcoming just 40 audience members per performance. Photos: Ivy Corbin ( @ivy_corbs ) Set in 1960's Thebes, Bacchanalia ties the Greek tragedies' themes of rebellion and societal resistance to change to the moral panic and hysteria that surrounded hippie counter-culture that came to define the era. Bridging the gap between these ancient narratives and more contemporary events, it's a thoughtful and innovative approach to storytelling that pays off in spades. With a cast made up of Jordan Ajadi, Ruth Howard, Christian Loveless, Fionn Cox-Davies, Peter Broughton, Fania Grigoriou and Maya McQueen , it's a show full of exceptionally talented performers. The quality of this cast is a testament to the ambition of Sleepwalk Immersive, who have produced a show that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the best immersive stagings London has seen in recent memory. Photo: Ivy Corbin ( @ivy_corbs ) Peter Broughton's portrayal of Dionysus - the God of wine and pleasure - is equal parts cult leader and dazzling showman, carrying themselves with all the bravado and self-assuredness of a God returning to claim what is theirs. While their push and pull with Christian Loveless' buttoned-up Mayor Pentheus is the driving force for the story as the two vie for control of Thebes, ultimately it's a futile effort for Pentheus - who all but lost the war the moment their cousin Dionysus arrived. Photos: Ivy Corbin ( @ivy_corbs ) Broughton spends much of the show flanked by Jordan Ajadi and Ruth Howard - the chorus of Bacchae who hang on Dionysus' every word. With their pedigree as performers well established, it's no surprise that Ruth Howard's work as Movement Director is excellent, with their choreography and movement on display throughout the show a great reflection of the uninhibited, free-spirited feel of 1960's counter-culture. Rounding off the cast are Fania Grigoriou as Agave and Fionn Cox-Davies as Tiresias, who both portray their roles with a weight worthy of the source material. Notably, Grigoriou's portrayal of Agave undergoes a poignant transformation throughout the show, reaching a powerful climax as she descends into madness, convinced that Pentheus is a lion whom she then fiercely attacks. Photo: Ivy Corbin ( @ivy_corbs ) Inevitably, Bacchanalia is going to be compared to Punchdrunk's work. With a cast made up largely of the immersive juggernauts alumni, and with a Greek tragedy as the source material it's an easy leap to make. The show wears its influence on its sleeves - anyone who experienced The Burnt City will be able to draw numerous parallels between the style of Punchdrunk's work and Bacchanalia. From the choreographed dance sequences to the strategic lighting cues and use of music, Sleepwalk's show feels like a concentrated embodiment of everything people have come to love about Punchdrunk's work. Photo: Ivy Corbin ( @ivy_corbs ) It'd be dismissive to say that this is little more than imitation though - Bacchanalia builds upon the inspiration taken from Punchdrunk and combines it with a lot of the most compelling elements of the immersive medium. Upon entering guests are offered outfits, as well as food and drink. Scattered throughout the space are dozens of documents and photos - including references to other immersive shows and mementos from audience members who backed the show on Kickstarter. All of this not only builds out the world further, helping the walls of the venue fade away, but demonstrates Sleepwalk Immersive's commitment to prioritising the audience's experience in every aspect of the show's creation. There are also moments of real humour throughout - including the use of a puppet bearing a striking resemblance to Grigoriou that was one of the funniest and most unexpected moments we can recall having seen in an immersive production. Photo: Ivy Corbin ( @ivy_corbs ) Artistic Director Sebastian Huang commented during our recent interview that this version of the show is only around 1/4 of what Sleepwalk has already envisioned and written for Bacchanalia. Given the success and response to this short run, it will no doubt return in the future at a grander scale. In its current form, this is one of the best new immersive shows of the year, so those yet to visit Thebes can rest assured that when the show does return, it'll be a sight to behold. Sleepwalk Immersive has captured lightning in a bottle with Bacchanalia. The fact that this version of the show is only a fraction of their overall ambition for the story is a marvel, and we can't wait to see where it goes from here. ★★★★ ½ Bacchanalia runs at Crypt in Bethnal Green until Saturday 25th November 2023. You can stay up to date with Sleepwalk Immersive via their mailing list or Instagram .

Photo: Ivy Corbin Sleepwalk Immersive have confirmed that Bacchanalia, their immersive production of The Bacchae by Euripides, will return to London in March 2025, taking over Hoxton Hall. Set in a psychedelic 1960s rendition of the city of Thebes, Bacchanalia is a free-roam performance that sees audience members able to follow a range of characters, including the captivating and horrifying Greek god of wine and pleasure, as Thebes falls from order into madness and debauchery. According to Sleepwalk Immersive, the new staging of the show will expand upon previous performances, with new content. Past performances saw a cast replete with performers renowned in the immersive world, as well as exciting newcomers. This upcoming run at Hoxton Hall promises to build on the well-received core of the show’s past runs, while further expanding the company’s vision for Bacchanalia. Photo: Ivy Corbin Speaking on the announcement via the Sleepwalk Immersive blog , Artistic Director Sebastian Huang said: When Hoxton approached us with the rare opportunity to take over not just their iconic auditorium, but also the rest of the building, we knew Bacchanalia had found its new home. The ready-made atmosphere that such a space provides, will allow us to further expand the vision that we have for Thebes and Bacchanalia as a whole. Stuart Cox, CEO of Hoxton Hall also said the following: We saw Bacchanalia at The Crypt and were so impressed. We so wanted to meet the Sleepwalk team and we are delighted it has led to this collaboration. We can’t wait for all Hoxton Hall’s spaces to be filled with the full vision of Sebastian Huang’s thrilling production and the exquisite choreography of Ruth Howard. Audiences are in for a real treat. Photo: Ivy Corbin Bacchanalia was previously staged at Crypt in Bethnal Green in November 2023, and enjoyed a sold-out run. The show later returned to the same venue in February and March 2024 after receiving overwhelmingly positive word-of-mouth from audiences. Critical praise for the show was equally strong, with The Stage highlighting it as one of the Top 50 Shows of 2023, and Broadway World describing Bacchanalia as a '"fascinating piece of immersive theatre". In our review of the show, we called it "one of the best new immersive shows of the year”. The show will run from 11th March to 6th April 2025, with tickets on sale 2nd November 2024. Those who sign up to become Friends of Sleepwalk can get early access to tickets , exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and a physical memento. Sleepwalk Immersive has also confirmed the return of enhanced tickets that grant access to unique experiences prior to entering Thebes in full. These experiences have been specially devised for the show's new venue, and are limited to just two tickets per performance. Photos: Ivy Corbin Talk of the show’s return and expansion had long been a possibility, with Sleepwalk Immersive’s Artistic Director Sebastian Huang and Associate Director Maya McQueen hinting at future versions of the show in an interview with Immersive Rumours  prior to the show's initial 2023 opening.  Sleepwalk Immersive is Sebastian Huang (Artistic Director), Ruth Howard (Movement Director), Maya McQueen (Associate Director/Producer), Peter Broughton (Co-Creator, Bacchanalia 23/24) and Madeleine Houghton (Producer/General Manager). Bacchanalia will run at Hoxton Hall from 11th March to 6th April 2025. Tickets are priced from £54.00 and can be purchased here . For more information about the show, visit sleepwalkimmersive.com

Bacchanalia (2023/2024) Photo: Ivy Corbin Later this month, Sleepwalk Immersive’s Bacchanalia returns to London after two sold-out runs in 2023 and 2024. Set in a psychedelic 1960s reimagining of Thebes, the free-roam immersive experience invites audiences to follow a diverse cast of characters - including Dionysus, the mesmerising yet terrifying Greek god of wine and pleasure - as Thebes descends from order into chaos. The show's upcoming run, which will take over multiple floors of Hoxton Hall, expands on previous iterations of Bacchanalia with a longer run time, additional content, and more experiences for individual audience members. As rehearsals for the show got underway, we spoke with Sleepwalk Immersive’s Artistic Director, Sebastian Huang, about previously staging the show at CRYPT in Bethnal Green, how they came to secure Hoxton Hall for its return, and what audiences can expect from this expanded version of their 1960s-inspired Greek tragedy. Bacchanalia (2023/2024) Photo: Ivy Corbin Immersive Rumours: Hi Sebastian. Thanks for speaking to us today! Can you tell us a bit about Sleepwalk Immersive and your role within the company? Sebastian Huang: I'm Sebastian Huang, and I'm the Artistic Director at Sleepwalk Immersive. It's basically my job to oversee the creative output of the company and to keep it all to a certain standard. Sleepwalk Immersive launched in 2023 specifically to grow Bacchanalia, which I had devised as a one-man show for an Extended Project Qualification when I was 16. The company mission has been to focus on storytelling and audience experience. We feel that we're part of the first generation making immersive theatre who have grown up with the form, and we're now on our third version of Bacchanalia but have also previously made some bespoke experiences for events. Pete Broughton and Maya McQueen, who were co-creatives for the earlier versions, are concentrating on performance this time around. Ruth Howard, our Movement Director, is my right hand and has been a real force for this 2025 iteration. The same goes for Joel Moffett, who has always run lighting and sound and has been a behind-the-scenes hero in every respect. For this run, we are also joined by Amy Warren as Company Stage Manager. She’s incredibly experienced and has worked for some of the biggest names in the sector. IR: Bacchanalia previously ran at CRYPT in 2023 and 2024, but for those who didn't attend those shows, do you mind giving us an overview of what it's all about? Sebastian:  Bacchanalia is an adaptation of The Bacchae by Euripides, and we’ve set it in this 60s America-inspired world. We focus mainly on narrative and storytelling, but we try to use lots of different theatrical mediums such as dance, spoken word, puppetry, physical theatre, all of that. It's a fully free-roam immersive experience, and this time, we're going to be spanning multiple floors at Hoxton Hall. As an audience member, you can freely move as you wish throughout the space. You can follow a character, or follow a prop, or follow the music, and it's really all about giving the audience agency within the space to experience the story of the Greek god Dionysus coming to Thebes to avenge his mother and mess up the Theban family. Bacchanalia (2023/2024) Photo: Ivy Corbin I don't think I could think so intensely about one project for so long if I didn't just love every second of it. IR: You first had the idea to adapt The Bacchae into an immersive show when you were in college, and all these years later, it's still something you've continued to work on. What is it about The Bacchae that’s kept you coming back to it for so long? Sebastian:  I think from quite an early age, I loved the classical pantheons, the idea of multiple gods and their interactions with mortals. I think that always really intrigued me as a kid. When I studied The Bacchae as an A-Level text, it just clicked. I've always loved the Greek tragedies in theatre, and I was lucky enough to be exposed to some really phenomenal immersive theatre from quite an early age. It felt like a natural merge of two of my favourite passions. The reason I've been able to do it for seven years or so now is because I really love it. I love the story. I love the context of the myths, and I love immersive theatre. Luckily, I've been given the opportunity to create my own work, and I think that out of everything, what I've loved the most is being able to creatively voice my passions and what inspires me. I don't think I could think so intensely about one project for so long if I didn't just love every second of it. I just find it the most fun thing ever.  IR: Bacchanalia is back next month at Hoxton Hall, but I’d love to chat about the show’s previous outing at CRYPT in Bethnal Green. What was it like getting the show mounted previously? Sebastian: I mean, obviously, it's not necessarily an easy endeavour. It took a lot of people working very hard and really putting themselves into the project. It was very stressful, and it's the hardest thing I've ever done. No matter how stressful it was though, we're very, very proud of what we created.  With hindsight, if it wasn't for those two runs [at CRYPT] and the R&D's before, we wouldn't be doing what we're doing now. It's really nice to think about where it came from. To know that our hard work and all the blood, sweat, and tears we put into those first two runs hopefully have paid off now and have got us to where we are now is amazing. Bacchanalia (2023/2024) Photo: Ivy Corbin IR: Looking back to 2023/2024, the critical response was really positive, and there was a lot of love for the show from audiences. How was it being on the receiving end of that as a new company mounting a new project? Sebastian: It was a bit of a whirlwind. I think the first run sold out in 16 days, which was obviously really cool, but at the time, we didn’t have much of a perception of that. We were a young team wanting to put on a show, and the stars kind of aligned. When you say it's a new project, it was a new project and a new team, but you know, I was the director, and I'm by far the least experienced on the team. If you look at the cast we got and the creative team we had, there was a lot of experience and a lot of combined years in the industry. For a lot of people, that 2023 run was the birth of Bacchanalia, but for me, I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager. It didn't necessarily feel like a new project to me at all. It just felt like the next steps of the project that I'd been working on for a while. IR: Following the second run of Bacchanalia, Sleepwalk Immersive was part of the book launch for Anne Corlett's The Theatre of Glass and Shadows , which has an immersive theatre production at the core of its story. How did that collaboration come out? Sebastian:  Anne - who’s an amazing, talented, lovely individual - came to see the first run of Bacchanalia and then later introduced herself during the second run. My first memories of that project were meeting Anne in a café in Putney  and talking about the book, talking about the launch, and just being really, really excited by it. It was quite nice personally as well to do something like that because my brain has just been stuck in the Sixties for the last seven years. It was really cool to be inspired by such a great piece of new writing. It felt really fresh. We'd be keen to do more of that if anyone has any books coming out soon... Bacchanalia (2023/2024) Photo: Ivy Corbin There's brand new content for fans of the last two runs to experience, a longer runtime, and more experiences for individual audience members, but we're keeping the core of what people saw at CRYPT. IR: Let's discuss the upcoming run of Bacchanalia at Hoxton Hall. How did you settle on that venue being the right space for the show’s return? Sebastian: When it came to the March 2024 run at CRYPT, one of our main objectives was to try and get a bigger venue out of it. We were brainstorming different venues and concluded that because of some of the themes present throughout Bacchanalia, and with Dionysus also being the god of theatre, a conventional theatre space would actually work. I don't know if you remember, but quite a while ago, there was an immersive show at Hoxton Hall based around Hammer Horror. I was too young to go at the time, but my parents went and really enjoyed it. My parents reminded us of that show, so we invited Sam and Stu, who are the Head of Programming and the CEO of Hoxton Hall, down to the second run of the show. They later reached out and said, ‘Hey, come and look at our space.’ I think even upon first impressions, we knew that Bacchanalia would fit very well into the venue. The kind of expansion we were looking to do also fit pretty perfectly with the number of rooms available at Hoxton Hall, and the team has been absolutely amazing. They were so keen to get this kind of work in their building and also came on to co-produce it, which is amazing. They’ve been lovely to work with, and they've been really great at guiding us through lots of stuff that we're less familiar with. It's felt like a very natural fit. IR: Given the expanded space you've got to work with this time, that's going to have an impact on basically every part of how the 2023/2024 show was structured and timed. When planning and rehearsing for this Hoxton Hall run, does it feel like an expansion of the previous versions of the show or a complete do-over? Sebastian: I think, to me, it's an expansion. There's brand new content for fans of the last two runs to experience, a longer runtime, and more experiences for individual audience members, but we're keeping the core of what people saw at CRYPT. It's still those themes; it’s still those characters. What we’re finding really exciting and almost freeing is that because of the nature of the space being bigger with separate rooms, we're going to have multiple soundtracks and different things playing in different rooms. It means we don't have to compromise as much on the overall vision. A space like CRYPT, where you're limited by the sound capabilities, meant we only have one soundtrack. If one character had a sad scene, but these three other characters had a happy scene, we had to prioritise the happy scene, and you’d get happy music in this sad scene. It's been really great to be able to compromise less on the individual characters' arcs too. Hopefully, people will feel like these characters have more time to develop their own story as well as the overall narrative. In particular, the Maenads  have been fleshed out more, and it's really given us the freedom and space to dive a bit deeper into these characters. Bacchanalia (2023/2024) Photo: Ivy Corbin This show has to be created from the audience's point of view. How do we want the audience to feel? How can we treat the audience with love and respect? IR: Something that came up last time we spoke was that the CRYPT version of the show was a scaled-back version of what you’d originally written years prior. Is staging the show at Hoxton Hall going to allow you to realise the full scope of the script? Sebastian:   I think the thing to bear in mind is when I first wrote the show, I was just a teenager who had no perception of what it takes to put on a show or how much money, hard work, and time it actually takes to create. The 100% full Bacchanalia would require so many resources; it’s probably not particularly doable at this stage. I'd say the show has definitely expanded, though. It's closer to that vision. We'd love to keep expanding the show forever and ever, but the way we've done it for this venue feels appropriate and achievable, given the time and resources we have. IR: One element of the previous staging of Bacchanalia that I think people loved was the intimacy and smaller moments with audiences. Is that still the case with the 2025 version? Sebastian:  We’re doing our very best to maintain that sense of intimacy, but I personally believe that sometimes it's easy to mistake intimacy for proximity. It really helps to build that into a setting if you are very close physically to the performance, but it needs to be embedded in the writing and the creation of the show. Our aims are definitely to maintain that sense of intimacy, but with a bigger space and bigger rooms, we can explore how we carry that intimacy through to a larger space. Can we have epic moments as well as these intimate moments and explore the relationship between the two? It sounds really cheesy, but it comes from an audience's point of view. This has only been my job for a couple of years, and before that, I was an audience member. That's something I'm really keen for our creatives to hold on to. This show has to be created from the audience's point of view. How do we want the audience to feel? How can we treat the audience with love and respect? When we say ‘the audience’, we don't mean the 90 people; we mean this one person. We like to think of them very much as individuals. Photo: Ivy Corbin IR: The pedigree of the people involved in 2023/2024’s Bacchanalia was incredibly high, and it’s only gotten better this time around with an expanded cast. What’s it been like welcoming these new faces into the Sleepwalk family? Sebastian:  For us, casting is such an important thing. Getting the right people in the room is one of the most important parts of doing this. We're just really lucky to get these people. It’s insane. All the new cast members have come in with a really great attitude. With the wealth of experience that we've gotten, especially with the new cast coming in, there are years and years of immersive work behind them. It's invaluable to get those creative minds in the room, working on a show like this. I've been watching Rob [McNeill] and Oli [Towse] work since I was little, and I wanted to work with them all that time. Luckily, because of the connections we made and through some of our team, we have some ins with that world and those kinds of cast members. This show wouldn't be nearly what it is if it weren't for the brilliant cast attached to it. It's also been really good to have the gang back together. It's lovely to see Pete doing Dionysus again. Over the last two days [of rehearsals], it's been great to see them do their thing. I'm really looking forward to diving into these characters more in rehearsals and seeing where that takes us. IR: Finally, with just a couple of weeks to go until the Hoxton Hall run begins, what are your feelings towards getting audiences back in to experience the show? Sebastian:   We can't wait to welcome everyone back to the new Thebes! This run, out of all of them, is really audience-led. Hopefully, if we’ve done our job right, there will be some really interesting stuff for people who've seen the show before to enjoy, and we'll be taking care of and respecting the people who are new to the show as well. Rehearsals for Bacchanalia (2025) Photos: James Lawson Bacchanalia will run at Hoxton Hall from 11th March to 6th April 2025. Tickets are priced from £54.00 and can be purchased here . For more information about the show, visit sleepwalkimmersive.com

2023's best immersive show returns in an expanded form, bigger and better than ever before. Bacchanalia is an unmissable piece of immersive theatre. Photo: Akil Wilson When Bacchanalia was first staged at Crypt in Bethnal Green back in 2023, it was a sensation. Off the back of a cast made up of some of the immersive scenes most recognisable faces and the promise of a fresh take on the Greek tragedy, the show's initial run sold out in just over two weeks - long before the doors to Thebes opened. It was an intense, intimate, and unforgettable immersive experience that proved the next generation of immersive creators could deliver shows as impactful and memorable as Punchdrunk has been doing for so long, with a fraction of the budget and resources. When we reviewed the initial run of Bacchanalia, we called it the best immersive show of 2023 and said Sleepwalk Immersive had 'captured lightning in a bottle'. With this 2025 version of Bacchanalia, which is playing at Hoxton Hall until 6th April, Sleepwalk Immersive has outdone themselves. Expanding the show with additional storylines, characters, more one-on-ones, and a hell of a lot more space, their adaptation of Euripidies' The Bacchae has improved on the version presented at Crypt in every possible way, and they've delivered one of this year's must-see immersive shows. Photo: James Lawson Bacchanalia tells the story of Dionysus - the god of wine, pleasure, and theatre - returning to their birthplace of Thebes. Angered by the city's refusal to acknowledge their divinity and seeking to punish those who wronged their mother, the arrival of Dionysus throws the House of Thebes, made up of the recently inaugurated Mayor Pentheus and their mother Agave, into chaos as they struggle to keep the god's influence over the city and themselves at bay. The audience, who all wear black hooded cloaks for the duration of the 90-minute show, has the freedom to explore the venue and follow whichever characters they wish. Sleepwalk's adaptation of The Bacchae has a distinct 1960s influence. There's a direct comparison being drawn between the rapidly growing chorus of Bacchae that Dionysus has under their spell, full of those happy to cast aside societal expectations in favour of ecstasy and radical freedom, and the Nixon-era counterculture movement that rejected mainstream culture, embraced free love, and came to define a generation. Further reinforcing this aesthetic, posters scattered around the venue for Pentheus' mayoral run that bear a striking resemblance to those Richard Nixon had during his campaign, a soundtrack made up of songs from the era, and several costume designs that have seemingly been ripped straight from '69 Woodstock all help tie together the image of '60s Americana. Photo: James Lawson In comparison to the show's previous outing at Crypt, the move to Hoxton Hall has afforded the show some much-needed breathing room. Within the tight confines of Crypt, there was a sense that Bacchanalia's story was far bigger than the space available - it was an epic story, forced into being told at a small scale. With their upgrade to the much more spacious Hoxton Hall, the story now has a venue far better equipped to contain it. Thematically, it's a wonderful match for a narrative about Dionysus - the god of theatre - and being able to explore the seldom-seen backstage areas of such a venue is exciting enough in its own right, but it's made all the more exciting when it's packed full of world-class performers and an audience eager to chase after them. Of course, with that increased space comes a change to how audiences will experience the show. Spread across all four floors of the Grade II listed building, there's a lot more navigation of tight hallways and corners needed to keep up with everything going on in Thebes. It's impossible to catch everything in one visit, but for fans of Punchdrunk's work, it's no doubt a welcome return to the familiar feeling of being lost in a labyrinth of stairwells and corridors with intense FOMO. Exploration of every corner of Hoxton Hall is highly encouraged, even if it's just to avoid finding out later there were entire areas of the venue you missed out on (something we realised had happened to us after the show...). Photo: Akil Wilson For half the audience, their introduction to Bacchanalia begins on the top floor with Agave (Fania Grigoriou), who's awoken from a nightmare and slowly begins to get ready for her son to be sworn in as Mayor of Thebes. At the same time, several floors below, Pentheus (Christian Loveless) is sitting with an old friend, Tiresias (Fionn Cox-Davis), who's recently returned to the city and brings with him news about the 'divine crusade' he had been tracking on his journey home. Pentheus, who's on the verge of being officially made mayor, is dismissive, believing that Dionysus (Peter Broughton) is neither a god nor a threat to the citizens of Thebes. It'll come as little surprise that Dionysus is in fact both, and the city will soon be succumbing to his wishes. Photo: Akil Wilson Nearly all of Bacchanalia's biggest moments, including Pentheus' inauguration as mayor and the show's climactic final moments, now take place both on the raised stage and in the centre of Hoxton Hall's Main Hall. With a two-tiered balcony overlooking the space, audience members can view these scenes from up in the gods or experience them up close on the ground floor as if they were citizens of Thebes. Having the space to let these key scenes spread out over a much larger area than at Crypt makes it far easier for audiences to get a clear vantage of what's happening, and the space's verticality allows moments like the arrival of Dionysus (Peter Broughton), who first appears under a spotlight on the first floor before sprinting through the balcony seating and down the stairs onto the ground floor, to shine. There's also a whole host of moments that happen in the small confines of Hoxton Hall's backstage area that weren't present in the show's previous outing. Tiresias, who makes use of every surface and ledge throughout Hoxton Hall's stairwells as they traverse the venue's multiple floors, is a wonderful expansion on the similar scenes in Bacchanalia's Crypt run, which were limited to a small staircase at the rear of the main space. As for the power struggle between Dionysus and Pentheus, the wonderfully tense interrogation scene between the pair, which now takes place behind a closed door for a select few, is a highlight. With Pentheus believing he has the upper hand over a disguised Dionysus, his confidence and self-righteousness are felt with every line, right up until Dionysus' voice settles back into its usual cadence and the mask drops. Photo: James Lawson Nymph (Ruth Howard) and Xanthias (Jordan Ajadi), who make up the chorus of Bacchae and are never far from Dionysus' side, both move around the venue with abandon and grace thanks to Howard's excellent movement direction. The pair twist and throw their bodies in symmetry, perfectly encapsulating their devotion to Dionysus, who will often command them with the flick of a wrist or pointed finger. For Agave, their slow descent into becoming one of Dionysus' followers is portrayed brilliantly by Fania Grigoriou, who sells the enchantment Agave finds themselves under in the latter half of the show with zero inhibition and plays the family matriarch with warmth and love in the first half - something that makes their actions in the show's final moments all the more impactful. The biggest additions to the show's story come in the form of Semele (Maya McQueen) and their former lover, Zeus (played by Rob McNeill), who is the only new character added for the Hoxton Hall run. While Semele was present in the Crypt version of Bacchanalia, their story has been expanded considerably, with numerous scenes in which Zeus and Semele tenderly push and pull against each other, as well as moments where Semele can silently observe the citizens of Thebes. Photo: James Lawson Bacchanalia has been a project seven years in the making for Sleepwalk's Artistic Director Sebastian Huang. From humble beginnings as a show for one audience member first conceived during his studies, through to the two sold-out runs at Crypt and now, taking over Hoxton Hall, it's clear that his passion for adapting The Bacchae into an immersive form has borne fruit. Bacchanalia is an unmissable immersive show that's up there with the best work London has to offer, and with this latest iteration of the show, the Sleepwalk team have firmly established themselves as some of the city's best new creators. ★★★★★ Bacchanalia runs at Hoxton Hall until 6th April 2025. Tickets are priced from £54.00 and can be purchased here . For more information about the show, visit sleepwalkimmersive.com

Further details have been announced for Secret Cinema's return to London with Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical. Tickets are currently on sale for those signed up for the Secret Cinema pre-sale and go on general public sale on Tuesday 18th March 2025, at 9am via greasetheimmersivemoviemusical.com Each performance of Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical will be a 'two-and-a-half-hour spectacular which blurs the line between screen and reality', and for the very first time, the entire film will be brought to life all around you with actors and immersive elements seamlessly blending with the on-screen action. A 30-strong cast and live band will bring to life all of the songs from the film’s hit soundtrack including ‘You’re The One That I Want’, ‘Beauty School Dropout’, ‘Greased Lightnin’, ‘Look At Me I’m Sandra Dee’, ‘Summer Nights’, and ‘We Go Together,’ fusing the film and its iconic moments with a modern live-action experience. From the moment you enter Rydell High, you'll be invited to join all the action – from follow your favourite characters, cheering on the T-Birds, sharing secrets with the Pink Ladies, learning to hand jive, joining choir practice, getting a taste of 1950s American diner-inspired delights and visiting the fun fair on offer ahead of a collective finale. Locations from the film, including Frosty’s Palace, The Beauty School, The Carnival, The Gym, The Autoshop and La Cafury Beauty School will also feature. Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical is being produced by a multi-award-winning creative team with both West End and Broadway credits, including Matthew Costain (Director); Tom Rogers (Set Designer); Jennifer Weber (Choreographer); Howard Hudson (Lighting Designer); Gareth Fry (Sound Designer) and Ian William Galloway (Video Designer). Director, Matt Costain, whose previous productions with Secret Cinema include Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Dirty Dancing said: Grease has been an enduring cultural phenomenon for decades and rightly remains one of the best-selling film soundtracks of all time. With GREASE: The Immersive Movie Musical, we are delighted to bring to London an experience which celebrates the film’s timeless youthful exuberance, retaining the best of its nostalgic feels but integrating a dash of modern Secret Cinema magic to keep audiences on their toes, too. Much more than any screening or stage show that’s gone before, this is a celebration of the era, featuring the entire movie and all of its songs just as you’d expect, as the film fuses with the live experience. With audiences at the heart of the action, there will be no other Summer Night in London like it. Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical also sees the introduction of a new event ticketing structure. General Admission (Free Roam) tickets start at £49 offering general access. VIP Seated (Roam and Return) tickets will, for the first time, allow attendees to join the world of Rydell High with the option to return to designated seating throughout the event and start at £79. Premium Immersive (Join the Cast ) tickets begin at £149 and offer an experience like never before, with ticket holders learning choreographed routines in advance of the performance, before joining the crowd-dazzling company. The 2025 production marks the first of three consecutive summer events from the masters of immersive entertainment, at Evolution London, their most central London venue to date. Future productions based on other iconic titles for 2026 & 2027 will be announced later in the year. Secret Cinema last staged an immersive version of Grease in Summer 2023 at Birmingham NEC with Grease: The Live Experience. You can read our review of that show below. Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical will run from 1st August to 7th September 2025 at Evolution London in Battersea Park. For more info and to get tickets, visit greasetheimmersivemoviemusical.com

Photo: Virtually Opera Immersive Rumours: Hi Leo. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. Do you mind introducing yourself and telling us a bit about Virtually Opera? Leo Doulton: Hi, I'm Leo. I'm Artistic Director of Virtually Opera and creator of the Uncanny Things Trilogy. I have been working in immersive/interactive theatre since 2019 and in the arts more generally for over a decade now, which is a terrifying thought. I've been experimenting within interactive/immersive theatre, particularly through my work as Associate Creative Director of The Key of Dreams , and in my own work with Virtually Opera. With the latter, we've been experimenting with interactive, immersive opera. That is to say, a fusion of the two forms. Virtually Opera's mission statement is to create beautiful entertainment through fusion opera. I love going to something and having a good time, but also being devastatingly moved, and that's what Virtually Opera exists to try and do. Virtually Opera's own little history is that in 2017, it was set up initially making cinematically filmed opera that we’d put on YouTube. No one watched it because who watches anything that's on YouTube? In 2019, I had a catalogue of, I think, just under a hundred different cinematically filmed operas where the makers weren't filming it like a stage show - they'd sat down and made a bloody movie. Around the same time, I'd started doing these experiments in interactive/immersive opera. That ended up being a really interesting and rewarding strand of work. It started off with a weird little show called ‘We Sing I Sang’. The audience is a hive mind, essentially, deciding what a collective unconscious does as it flees its dying home world. A big part of what Virtually Opera’s interactive work is about is the sense that humans care about stuff and, generally speaking, want to at least try to be decent. Trusting that if you give a group of people the chance to build a community together, they're going to take it seriously, as long as you ask them to, is generally something we found pays off.  IR: We’re speaking today about The Uncanny Things trilogy, which is coming to COLAB Tower next month. Can you give us an overview of what all three of those shows entail? Leo: The Uncanny Things Trilogy is a set of shows all taking place in the same world, a world much like our own, except that the supernatural is real and it's a presence. When you hear a voice just on the edge of hearing, when you see something out of the corner of your eye, maybe it's not an Uncanny Thing, but it possibly is. Each show works as a standalone piece, and in all of them, you are negotiating with these Uncanny Things to try and serve your community and yourself.  They're all variants on a theme of ritual, but it might be that this is a very solemn ritual, it might be that it’s an ecstatic ritual, and then some of them are much darker, more intense rituals, and if you don't handle it well, consequences can happen. You don't have to sing, incidentally. People often ask that. Singing is very much not required, although a remarkable number of people do choose to, which is charming when you have someone joining in that way. Photo: Charley Ipsen IR: What was the inspiration for the first show in the trilogy, Come Bargain With Uncanny Things? Leo: It came from various places. I'd been working in contemporary opera for about five years at that point. There are things I love about contemporary opera, but there are things I find frustrating, such as the tradition of being a form for specialist audiences, which leads to a lot of it being fairly difficult for outsiders to come into. As a result, if you don't know the tradition, maybe you don't want to come. I sometimes use the parallel of if you are giving advice to a young person who’s going, ‘Why doesn't anyone I want to date like me?’ You don't go, ‘Keep doing the same thing, but louder!’ You say, ‘Maybe you need to go and brush your teeth.’ Similarly, I fell in love with interactive/immersive theatre with Parabolic Theatre's Crisis, What Crisis? The agency and use of dramatic structures to tell stories were really interesting to me. I learnt a lot from how Parabolic put on shows.  I also have a deep interest in epic stories from around the world and the different narrative structures that you might find in them. The Kalevala,  for example, has one narrative structure, which is, you have three different characters, and their stories are basically kind of separate, then occasionally they hang out together. You see that in The Lord of the Rings - the Fellowship is together, and then Frodo and Sam do their thing, and Aragorn goes and does their thing. Sometimes they reunite, and sometimes they go away. Tolkien is obviously influenced by that structure. How do you take a story structure and make it do something ritualistic? Well, you take a story structure that's not designed to be about winning. It's about relating to things. IR: Come Bargain With Uncanny Things had a two-week run at COLAB Tavern back in 2022. How was it having an audience come in and live in that world? Leo: That’s kind of why we're bringing it back. Because it was really fun. In that version of the show, we got to really understand the different things people wanted to do. People would come in, and they'd really care about it, to the extent that people started coming back. Which we were delighted by, but also we weren't necessarily expecting that. We discovered ways that the world would tend to grow around what different people suggested and how flexible we could be. We discovered how creative people could be in this space and how open they would be to the invitation of ‘Would you like to come and help your neighbours?’ That's the basic question Come Bargain asks you. It's just small local problems. You're not here to save the world, and people did want that. They didn't care about winning. They just cared about relating. Photo: Charley Ipsen IR: It's interesting that you focused on creating a relatively low-stakes environment for the show to exist in. That seems to go against what most other experiences do. Leo: I think for certain genres, it's absolutely the right thing to do. If you're doing a show about war, your stakes are life and death. I would say, however, the audience generally speaking assumes you're not going to murder one of your performers, which makes it quite hard to make those stakes believable. The stakes of ‘I am worried about my neighbour who’s sick’ are small. It's much easier to play that. I don't know you well enough to go, ‘Do you have a member of your family who is maybe elderly or vulnerable?’ but I suspect the answer is yes, because you're a human being. You and I have both reached an age where we are aware that we are mortal. Therefore, if you make the scales ‘I'm a human being and that's sometimes hard’, it means something to people. IR: Following on from Come Bargain, there was Come Worship Our Uncanny King, which was performed at Voidspace Live in 2024. Did you want to start working on that show as soon as you finished the run of Come Bargain? Leo: Initially after Come Bargain, I thought, ‘Well, that's done. I'd like to bring Come Bargain back someday, and maybe we can have a show where you see the community develop based on what the previous show did’. I thought we'd just do it nice and straightforward and easily. This would have been sensible. I ended up having other work come up, which was delightful. Thank you to everyone who did that, but it meant the show sat in the back of my head for a little while. We took a lot of what we had seen in Come Bargain’s audience, where there were some people who were weirdly enthusiastic about doing what the Uncanny Thing wanted. Come Worship is a show for those people. It came out of that sense of people being invested in this world. The entire world-building of Come Bargain is designed to support this question of ‘How do we relate to the Uncanny Thing?’ Metaphorically, how do we relate to the world , our community, and each other in this space? In that show, you do that as equals. In Come Worship Our Uncanny King, you do that from a position of grotesquely less power because you have the Uncanny King there. That's an interesting situation to put people in. Photo: Claire Shovelton IR: Come Murder An Uncanny Thing is being performed for the first time in front of an audience at COLAB Tower. Does that give you any trepidation? Leo: You are more than experienced enough to know that if I said anything other than yes, I'd be lying. Obviously, it causes trepidation. A lot of the individual mechanics, if you have been to the weird little Fringe shows I've done over the past few years, will be familiar. There's one mechanic of the audience shaping how a certain conversation plays out between the Uncanny Thing and the audience through very light touch musical elements, which people may have seen remarkably well at Into The Dreamlands last year at the London Lovecraft Festival. There's another mechanic for how do you punish the Uncanny Thing? This is the show where you have power over it, after all, which was something I developed in residency at Theatre Deli in 2023. The overall structure is, I think, solid. There is, of course, trepidation because maybe all of these things come together, and they go clunk. This is probably where it's worth mentioning the performance team. Fundamentally, this is a show about humans being human together. The mechanics are only a means to that end. I have absolute confidence that the ensemble we have is going to be able to bring something beautiful to that of ‘Here's a group of people who've got together to decide to murder a supernatural creature'. There are mechanics around it, and there are specific ways you're doing that, but really, the interesting thing is how are you going to occupy the space where you have agreed to murder something. IR: Across all three shows, there’s a shifting power balance between the audience and the Uncanny Thing.  What about that idea is so appealing to you as a creator? Leo: I have to credit Katy Naylor of Voidspace for the insight of me being interested in power as a theme. She's been following my work for a while and just said that very casually. It explains a lot of things. I have a background in History, and a lot of my education was by Marxian historians who are not Marxists, but they are interested in similar ideas of class dynamics, economic dynamics, and who holds power in a society and why. We live in an age of climate change. We live in a world where you turn on the news, and basically every day, the world is more powerful than you. You cannot individually do anything about climate change. You have to live with it. Similarly, for many people, the government is more powerful than you in ways you can't necessarily understand. It just is. How do you live with that? You and I have just had a coffee and green tea. We live in a world where, by virtue of the fact we have a fairly small amount of capital by the standards of our society, there is someone on the other side of the world who has picked those things, put them in a cup, and I can just get them to do that by spending £3. I have power over my world. What do I do with it? That's an interesting set of questions for those metaphors of how do you relate to the world, the community, and each other? We have no power against the climate, but we also do have power over nature. We have no power against humans with power, but we also do have power over other humans. I will say, you don't have to think about any of those things at the show. Just come and beat the shit out of an Uncanny Thing... Photo: Charley Ipsen IR: How does opera fit within all three of the shows? Leo: As with immersive, there are competing definitions of what is opera. This show goes, ‘This is a world of constant music. The music is improvised to reflect that world's story ’. We know that there are certain motifs, certain melodies, and certain harmonies that are associated with different things. If, for example, you make the worlds more Uncanny, more supernatural, you might notice that the music suddenly gets a bit more crunchy and weird because that's one of the things we've got in the vocabulary of music for the show. That's all in response to how the audience changed the world. It's a way of expressing there's magic happening and showing the world shifting. This is drama about the community and their world, not about the characters.. In the fiction of the world, the Uncanny Things don't like human voices, but they respond really well to singing. If you are one of the Bargainers, your job professionally is to control these things and to negotiate with them. You sing to it, and you sing while you're conducting this ritual. The community doesn't have to sing because why would they? They're not professional Bargainers, and also because I'm not an arsehole. IR: What were the audience reactions to Come Bargain With Uncanny Things like from those who were previously unfamiliar with opera? Leo: I think they preferred it to the opera people. I think for them, they were able to understand the idea of ‘I’m meant to be a person in this world, and I'm acting as a human being with agency because we have free will.’ They just got that. For them, the music was just like, ‘Oh, that's super cool, there's this person who is professionally singing’. Weirdly, some of the opera people got super into it and were like, ‘Oh, I'm actually allowed to be a human being while being in the show. That's super cool. I've never had that before.’ There were other people who sat down and just went, ‘Well, I just want to watch it. I know I came to this interactive, immersive opera, but I'm confused by both the fact that I'm in the world and I'm being expected to do stuff.’ Some people came and, admittedly, they said that this isn't opera because they felt the role of the music was not sufficiently expressing the drama of the story. Which was interesting. There are definitely some operas that don't fit within this definition , and that's a conversation that I can have until the cows come home. Photo: Virtually Opera IR: So those elements of the Uncanny Things Trilogy shouldn’t be a turn-off to those intimidated about going to anything labelled ‘opera’? Leo: For the specific thing we're trying to make, the world is told through music, the world is supernatural, and the supernatural is achieved through music. But we're doing all of that work for you. The music is designed for that purpose, which means it is easy and welcoming. If the main thing you listen to is Chappell Roan, great! Come along. You don't need to know shit about opera to come. It ' s an unreasonable expectation fundamentally. The opera is a tool towards telling the story and creating the experience. It's not designed as a test of ‘Are you opera enough?’. Let's say you have a relative who goes to church, or you've been to church for Christmas. In that environment, it makes total sense that at some point a guy comes out and does a hymn. But you don't have to know about it to understand that when you do rituals, people sing . There is something weird that happens with music, and we all recognise that, whatever music we listen to. IR: If there's one takeaway you'd want people to take from attending The Uncanny Things Trilogy, what would it be? Leo: I want them to walk away feeling like they've been welcomed and that they've been human. I want people to come away feeling like they've been in a community and they've done something important. Whether that is you having worshipped the King, you have Bargained, or you have Murdered.  Ultimately, the title says Uncanny Things, but that is only because by relating to the Uncanny Things, hopefully you do something deeply human. Also, I hope they've genuinely had a good time. The shows should be fun in the proper sense of the word. It's not just ‘I've engaged with content and it was fun’, but ‘I got to be a human being and be entertained, and that's just really fucking important sometimes.’ Photo: Claire Shovelton The Uncanny Things Trilogy runs from 4th March to 30th March 2025 at COLAB Tower near London Bridge. Standard tickets for each show are priced at £45, and tickets are available for all three shows as a bundle for £105. For more info and to book tickets, visit designmynight.com

A trilogy of immersive operas, directed by Leo Doulton (Associate Creative Director, The Key of Dreams), is coming to COLAB Tower this Spring for a month-long run. The Uncanny Things Trilogy, which is made up of Come Bargain With Uncanny Things, Come Worship Our Uncanny King, and Come Murder An Uncanny Thing, has been created by Virtually Opera, and will take over the newly-opened South Bank venue from 4th to 30th March 2025. All three shows in The Uncanny Things Trilogy take place in the same setting; one where supernatural creatures still flicker in the corner of your eye, giving gifts and sickness, able to bind and be bound. The audience-community will decide how to change their lives by mastering rituals, crafting offerings, and negotiating with these beings. Photo: Charley Ipsen In Come Bargain With Uncanny Things, a ritualistic gathering tries to solve local problems. In the comedic Come Worship Our Uncanny King, people brought into an Uncanny Thing’s court try to win favour. The trilogy closes with the tragic Come Murder An Uncanny Thing, which sees the community deciding what justice looks like for a captive, dangerous being. This trilogy of shows is the world’s only interactive, immersive operas, and each contains rich lore, total audience freedom, and a commitment to creating communities with their audiences. Each audience’s choices will develop the ongoing world of the show, forming a uniquely growing experience, and the show's fully improvised music shifts and adapts as the audience changes the world, making their magic feel real. Photo: Claire Shovelton Speaking on The Uncanny Things Trilogy, creator Leo Doulton comments: Combining interactive theatre’s invitation to serious play with opera’s ability to conjure worlds beyond our own has made something special: the chance to enter a world where being a human in a community matters deeply (and also feel like you’re doing magic, which is just fun). Virtually Opera is a fusion opera company and has spent the past six years creating a unique system for interactive immersive opera. Their goal is to create work that feels truly live: for the audience as a particular community, there and then. Work on parts of The Uncanny Things Trilogy has been supported by a Britten Pears Foundation Creative Retreat, the International Opera Awards Foundation Bursary, Tête à Tête, Voidspace, and the generous support of crowdfunder backers. Photo: Charley Ipsen The Uncanny Things Trilogy has been created by Leo Doulton, a writer and director working in opera and interactive theatre. Leo founded Virtually Opera in 2017, and continues as its Artistic Director. In 2023, Leo became Associate Creative Director of the critically-acclaimed overnight immersive experience The Key of Dreams , and in 2024 became Creative Consultant to Voidspace . Their interactive novel Rites of Angels will be published by Voidspace Press this summer. Photos: Virtually Opera Cast & Creative Team: CN Lester: Guildmaster McCall ( Come Bargain )/Adorer ( Come Worship ) Sarah Griffin: Carol Schuster ( Come Bargain )/Silent ( Come Worship )/Local ( Come Murder ) Amy Kearsley: The Wyrd Gazer ( Come Bargain )/Vigilante ( Come Murder ) Hestor Dart:  The Master of Processionals ( Come Worship )/Lawful ( Come Murder ) Maggie Vaz Neto: Cover/Assistant Producer Leo Doulton: Creator ( The Uncanny Things Trilogy )/Uncanny Things Charley Ipsen: Designer ( The Uncanny Things Trilogy ) Erika Gundesen: Musical Adviser ( The Uncanny Things Trilogy ) The Uncanny Things Trilogy runs from 4th March to 30th March 2025 at COLAB Tower near London Bridge. Standard tickets for each show are priced at £45, and tickets are available for all three shows as a bundle for £105. For more info, and to book tickets visit designmynight.com

Photo: Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue Coinciding with the release of  A Minecraft Movie  in cinemas on 4th April 2025, Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue will open its doors on the same day at Corner Corner, London’s newest exhibition venue in Canada Water, marking the highly anticipated UK and European debut of this immersive Minecraft adventure. In collaboration with Experience MOD, Mojang Studios, and Microsoft, fans can dive into a groundbreaking experience that combines innovative game design, captivating storytelling, and cutting-edge multimedia. Photo: Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue The experience invites long-time Minecrafters, new players, and families of all ages to step into the world of Minecraft and become real-life heroes on an interactive quest, with visitors entering seven different Minecraft rooms to help rescue villagers under siege from a zombie attack. Taking on the role of heroes, they must work to gather the essential ingredients to cure them before time runs out. Armed with only their wits and a handheld Orb, known as the Orb of Interaction, players will embark on a journey through breathtaking biomes in search of the resources needed to craft a life-saving potion.  Minecraft is the best-selling game of all time, with over 300 million copies sold, with players from around the world adventuring and creating together in their Minecraft worlds. Now, with Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue spawning in London, they can take part in this rescue mission experience where iconic places and mobs from the game are brought to life before their eyes. Photos: Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue Visitors begin their 45-minute journey by entering the forest. Guided by two unique characters—Tobin and Dayo—they will learn to use the Orb of Interaction, a glowing interactive handheld device which guides the user from room to room. Moving into the village, they will receive their quest and embark on a rescue mission with a team of fellow Minecrafters. On this interactive scavenger hunt, adventurers will journey through multiple Minecraft biomes while collecting resources and interacting with iconic mobs – some more friendly than others. Minecrafters can gush over pandas and dolphins as well as face skeletons, spiders, and – of course – creepers. Once they complete their quest, they can celebrate their heroic feat at the Minecraft Experience Trading Post with a crafty memento from the adventure. Photo: Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue is designed to welcome families, parents, children, players, and non-players alike, and no prior knowledge of Minecraft is required to enjoy the experience. Kayleen Walters, Head of Franchise Development at Mojang Studios comments: After a successful debut in Dallas, TX this past autumn, we’re excited to bring our first-ever immersive touring Minecraft Experience to its next stop in London! We are thrilled to offer players and fans new ways to engage with the Minecraft brand starting this April. Finding ways for our community to express their love for Minecraft both in-game and out is always top of mind for us, and we can’t wait for more of our global community to attend the Minecraft Experience. Photos: Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue opens at Corner Corner in Canada Water on 4th April 2025. The waitlist for tickets is now live at  www.minecraftexperience.com will offer access to a presale starting on 12th February, with tickets going on sale to the general public on 14th February at 10am. The experience is priced from £20 for children and £24 for adults (16+).

Photo: World Experience Organisation World Experience Organisation (WXO) today announced a new venue for its forthcoming World Experience Summit (WXS 2025). The event will run from 29th April through to 1st May 2025 at Phantom Peak in Canada Water. This year’s Summit will see Phantom Peak’s enigmatic in-world corporation JONACO join as Official Corporate Partners, with the town’s residents offering up a host of surprises across the event's three days, including a keynote from Mayor Pocket himself. World Experience Summit debuted at Phantom Peak in 2023 before moving to New York’s House of Yes for its 2024 event. This year’s event will see over 500 of the Experience Economy’s leading professionals descend on East London - over double the number who attended 2023’s debut event.  Photo: World Experience Organisation In the two years since they last hosted the Summit, Phantom Peak has gone from strength to strength. Its average yearly audience has grown twofold, and its community now boasts almost 1,000 superfans with a 30% return rate. It's received multiple awards, including the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award (top 10% of things to do worldwide), and a coveted blooloop Innovation Award , naming it the global best immersive experience for 2024. Speaking on WXO 2025, World Experience Organisation founder and CEO, James Wallman, comments: Phantom Peak is a living, breathing example of the Experience Economy in action. Not only is it an amazing immersive experience for an intergenerational audience, it's a financially successful operation that shows how experiences can be as profitable as they are awe-inspiring. Nick Moran, co-founder of Phantom Peak, said the following on hosting WXO 2025 for the second time: Phantom Peak is where it all started for the World Experience Summit, and we can’t wait to welcome back old friends as well as meet the new ones the WXO’s fast-growing event is attracting. Photo: World Experience Organisation World Experience Summit 2025 is part of the debut London Experience Week, which takes place between Monday 28 April and Friday 2 May 2025. As well as hosting the third iteration of the World Experience Summit, London Experience Week showcases the best of the UK capital city’s blossoming experience economy.  A citywide Experience Safari will be announced in the coming weeks, with a full roster of London venues and events that both WXS attendees and the public can visit free of charge. London Experience Week partners London & Partners are working with WXO to secure the very best in London venues, with an initial roster to include exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences at the likes of Monopoly Lifesized & London Tea Tour , Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience , Battersea Power Station , The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience , Bridge Command , Cahoots Borough , Frameless , Paradox Museum , Alcotraz , ExCel's Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition and the forthcoming Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue . WXO Head of Content, Mike Goldsmith, comments: Phantom Peak is a superb example of the capital’s experiential creativity and business smarts and thus the perfect venue for London Experience Week. As well as hosting the best speakers, talks and experiences, we are contractually obliged to announce that World Experience Summit 2025 will also see JONACO, the company that canonically runs the town of Phantom Peak, join us as Official Corporate Partners. That means the Summit will not only see the more ‘interesting’ townsfolk of Phantom Peak entertain WXS attendees over all three days, but Mayor Pocket has some ‘surprise announcements’ which he threatens to reveal in the keynote session he has insisted on giving. We here at WXO are a little concerned but have been told that an unwavering belief in the Cosmic Platypus and JONACO will guide us. Gulp. Photo: World Experience Organisation The World Experience Organisation Summit will run from 29th April to 1st May 2025 at Phantom Peak in Canada Water. London Experience Week will run from 28th April to 3rd May 2025 at various venues around London, with more details to be announced. To find out more about the events and book tickets, visit worldxo.org

Sage & Jester, a groundbreaking new arts production company, have today announced the world premiere of STOREHOUSE, an ambitious, immersive production that will challenge your sense of truth and trust. Opening on Wednesday 4th June at Deptford Storehouse in London, the show is set to be one of the most artistically daring and large-scale immersive theatre shows in the UK this year. Photo: Sage & Jester STOREHOUSE will invite audiences to step into a world where humanity's stories have been carefully archived since 1983, at the dawn of the internet. As audiences navigate a rich and awe-inspiring underworld, they'll confront the powers that shape everyday narratives and question their own role and behaviours within society. The production, which is set across a space equivalent to two football fields, will throw audiences into a battle between the defenders of Truth and the keepers of Order. As the STOREHOUSE crumbles and secrets unfold, the true cost of controlling the narrative will be revealed, urging audiences to examine their vulnerability in the face of power. Fusing art, technology, and cutting-edge storytelling, this immersive theatre show will have audiences question how they can protect themselves—and others—from being manipulated by powerful forces within this digital information ecosystem. The event's description is as follows: Step inside STOREHOUSE, a bold new immersive theatre experience that will leave you questioning everything you think you know about truth and trust. Hidden within a vast warehouse – once the paper store of Britain’s most influential newspapers, you’ll uncover a sprawling, ever-shifting archive. Now used by an underground collective to house all the digital information ever shared – every news story, message, and meme is being meticulously stored in a quest for a higher collective wisdom. But as narratives begin to clash and compete, and with their last remaining founder fading fast, a successor is desperately needed. Someone must decide what’s preserved, what’s rewritten and what’s destroyed… Are you ready to take a stand? Led by Founder and Concept Creator Liana Patarkatsishvili , Creative Director Sophie Larsmon and Lead Producer Rosalyn Newbery , STOREHOUSE brings together an award-winning team of writers, designers, and artists. The creative team includes Story Producer Donnacadh O'Brian (Operation Mincemeat, Southwark Playhouse/Riverside Studios) and co-writers Tristan Bernays (Boudica, The Globe), Sonali Bhattacharyya (King Troll, New Diorama), Kathryn Bond (IT’S TRUE, IT’S TRUE, IT’S TRUE, Barbican Theatre), Katie Lyons (Peaky Blinders: The Rise, Caryn Mandabach Productions), Caro Murphy (Disney’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser) and Rhik Samadder (The Indian Boy, The Globe). Production design is by Alice Helps (Lost Origin, Almeida Theatre and Factory 42), with costume design by Julie Belinda Landau (Wishmas, Secret Cinema), lighting design by Ben Donoghue (Ezra Collective, Wembley Stadium, UK Tour) and sound design by James Bulley (Distortions in Spacetime, Museum of Science and Industry). Liana Patarkatsishvili, Sophie Larsmon, Alice Helps and Zoe Snow Photos: Laura Lewis STOREHOUSE will take place in Deptford Storehouse, over a 9,000 square metre space, which was once used as the paper store for News International, now known as News UK. The vast set is derived in large part from raw, organic and bio materials, ensuring an eco-conscious experience. Sage & Jester was founded by Liana Patarkatsishvili, a Georgian-born media executive and cultural innovator with extensive experience in the television and arts sectors. She envisions STOREHOUSE as a catalyst for critical thinking about information consumption and its impact on society. Speaking on STOREHOUSE, Liana Patarkatsishvili comments: My whole life has been inextricably linked with the media and information ecosystem. I have witnessed firsthand the systemic impact of manipulated information on a personal, national and international level. With this awareness comes the need to share that insight and take steps to affect change. Sage & Jester’s Creative Researcher Aoife van Linden Tol comments: Our work at Sage & Jester is informed by extensive and rigorous research, ensuring that we have an in-depth understanding of the issues in information ecosystems. We have conducted years of desk research as well as original data collection, allowing us to gather important insights about how susceptible our audiences are to misinformation and how it affects beliefs, behaviour and decision-making, particularly around the major issues of our time. We then weave this knowledge into the creative process, providing checks and balances to ensure we are encouraging behavioural change that aligns with our mission. STOREHOUSE runs from 4th June to 20th September at Deptford Storehouse. Tickets are priced from £27.50. For more information and to book tickets, visit sageandjester.com