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Photo: Luke Dyson It’s been a bit of a quiet year for Secret Cinema. Following the acquisition of the company in September 2022 by TodayTix, they’ve not mounted a show in the capital since Guardians of the Galaxy opened in late August 2022. Being one of three shows they opened last year (alongside Bridgerton and the long-awaited Dirty Dancing), many fans assumed that with the backing of their new owners, and now firmly in a post-COVID world, 2023 would be full steam ahead with multiple shows opening throughout the year. Instead, we had relative silence on the company's social media in the first few months of the year. After a lot of teasing, it was confirmed in April that their next show would be Grease. But this show would have a twist - they were leaving London behind, instead mounting the show in Birmingham. It’d be their first full show outside of the capital in the UK. They continued to depart from tradition as the event drew closer, releasing a map of the site in June (a month before it even opened!), and also confirming that phones wouldn’t be locked away this time. While it remains to be seen if any of these will become the norm going forward, Grease certainly seemed like an opportunity for Secret Cinema to rewrite its rulebook now that they were under new ownership… The show does feel different to their two most recent outdoor events (Dirty Dancing and Romeo + Juliet) in a few key ways. Firstly, it’s much much smaller. With a reduced audience capacity, reduced venue size and even a reduced running time for exploration, it’s a more intimate and focused affair than has been the norm. Clocking in at a bit over 90 minutes from doors opening to the film starting, Secret Cinema Presents Grease packs a lot into its exploration time. Relative to Dirty Dancing or Romeo + Juliet, it has roughly the same amount of buildings and areas to explore, but in a much smaller space. This, coupled with the ratio of cast to guests also feeling higher, makes it easier to see more of the site quickly and get involved in what’s going on around you with ease. Photo: Luke Dyson The other notable difference between Grease and the company's other outdoor shows is the newly relaxed rules on mobile phones. While they seem to be still be trying to find a sweet spot between encouraging audiences to live in the moment, but also allow guests to still take photos inside that don’t include the cast, we found the use of phones to be a refreshing change that didn’t break the immersion of the event. You could get photos of your group inside the event without issue, which will surely help boost the awareness of what it’s actually like inside the gates - something that was tougher with guests' phones locked away previously. The cast all do an outstanding job of turning the Rydell High site into a living, breathing place - from the large re-enactments of songs like Summer Nights and Grease Lightnin’, to smaller character moments like Sandy perfecting stubbing out her cigarette with Frenchy, every pocket of the site has activities going on, and the cast are working non-stop to make the audience part of the world. If you're not being pulled into choir practice, or being hit on by Vince Fontaine, you might be taking part in an egg and spoon race for carnival tokens or pulling off the prank of the century against Principal McGee. Even during the film's screening, the cast barely has a moment's rest, with every big song lovingly recreated in front of the screen - the National Bandstand scene is the highlight of this, it’s a chaotic and meticulously timed spectacle that must have been a nightmare to choreograph and perfect in rehearsals. Photo: Luke Dyson Overall, Grease is a great immersive experience that more than does justice to the source material. With a knockout cast and some amazing performances, it's one of the strongest outdoor shows Secret Cinema have put on in recent years. Fingers crossed that future outdoor Secret Cinema shows will follow in the footsteps of Grease and be smaller scale, as it makes for a richer and more engaging experience overall. ★★★★ ½ Find out about future Secret Cinema shows at secretcinema.org

Punchdrunk have today announced their latest production, which is set to open at their Woolwich headquarters in May 2024. Titled 'Viola's Room' - this new show is described as “an intimate, sensory, labyrinthine journey guided by light and sound”. With no white masks, and no live cast, audience members of up to six people at a time will be guided barefoot through a maze-like set while wearing headphones, guided by an unseen narrator. It's based on The Moon-Slave, a short gothic mystery first written in 1901 by Barry Pain. The Moon-Slave follows a discontented Princess who sells her soul to the moon in exchange for music while at the centre of an overgrown maze in the middle of the night. Punchdrunk have previously adapted The Moon-Slave, but it was staged for an audience of just four people back in November 2000. Punchdrunk's The Burnt City - which ran in Woolwich, London. This latest version of the show has been written by Booker Prize shortlisted author Daisy Johnson (Everything Under) along Punchdrunk's artistic director Felix Barrett - who c onceived, directed and designed the show, with co-direction from associate director Hector Harkness ( One Night, Long Ago; The Third Day ). Lighting design comes from Simon Wilkinson ( Bedknobs and Broomsticks ), and sound design Gareth Fry ( The Encounter ). Felix Barrett had this to say about the new show... When The Burnt City closed, our laboratory opened, and Woolwich became Punchdrunk’s home to experiment, play and develop – allowing us to prototype long held dreams and new ideas. Our ambition over the coming years is to open our doors as never before, offering audiences a chance to experience the evolution of these ideas from limited runs to larger-scale works. It’s with great excitement that we prepare to welcome audiences to the first project in a new era of Punchdrunk shows, Viola’s Room – an uncharted landscape – a moonlit fever dream. Viola's Room will begin previews on 14th May, and will run until 18th August in Woolwich Works. Tickets are on sale from 20th March via punchdrunk.com , priced at £28.50 per person.

Photo: The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Experience This summer, The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Exhibition will open at London’s Dock X, Canada Water, on 25th July 2025, offering a rare, all-encompassing journey into the story of the world’s most iconic ship. Following highly successful openings in Madrid and Munich, Madrid Artes Digitales , the team behind Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, and FKP Scorpio Entertainment bring this groundbreaking exhibition and timeless story to London. With breathtaking projections, interactive installations, and detailed recreations, this 120-minute experience will offer visitors the chance to step back in time to 1912 and experience the building of the ship at Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard, then journey across the Atlantic whilst exploring the ship’s grand cabins and elegant corridors in a multi-sensory experience that captures the grandeur and enduring legacy of Britain’s most famous ocean liner. Photo: The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Experience Upon arrival at the Dock X venue, visitors will enter  Dockside Boarding,  a state-of-the-art Augmented Reality reconstruction of Southampton Harbour, receive their boarding passes and gather for a virtual greeting from Captain Smith himself (available in 5 languages), who acts as a guide throughout the exhibition. As visitors walk along the pier, the sounds of seagulls and steam engines fill the room, setting the tone as guests prepare to board the iconic ship. This initial Augmented Reality experience offers a deeper dive into the untold stories behind the voyage and selected artefacts, bringing history to life through dynamic and interactive storytelling.  As the exhibition progresses, visitors will walk through the humble third-class corridors before entering the main hall, where information panels provide essential historical social context curated by exhibition experts and historians. From there, guests step into a first-class lounge, which highlights the opulence and extravagance that made first-class travel aboard the Titanic such an unparalleled experience. On display are a fantastic selection of original artefacts (including china, silverware and personal items as well as props from the Titanic movie) alongside replicas of costumes and much more. Following that, visitors enter the iceberg projection mapping room, which brings the towering mass of ice to life and showcases the chilling iceberg that changed history. Next, guests will arrive at one of the exhibition’s standout features: the breathtaking Virtual Reality (VR) Room “ Until the Orchestra fell silent!”,  where visitors will experience a special tribute to Titanic’s famous orchestra. In an emotionally charged sequence, guests will be immersed in a newly composed piece by René Merkelbach, inspired by " Nearer, My God, to Thee ," believed to have been the final song played aboard the ship. Through VR, this intimate moment reimagines the classical pieces once heard aboard the Titanic in a powerful, moving performance. Photo: The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Experience Thereafter, visitors will enter a huge immersive showroom with 360° floor-to-ceiling projections that will submerge them in the depths of the Titanic. Using state-of-the-art technology, the projections and deeply emotional storytelling provide an unprecedented perspective on the ship’s journey, from its construction and voyage to its tragic sinking on the night of 14th-15th April 1912. The 360° projections, featuring stunning visual quality and emotional narration, focus particularly on bringing the story of the Callaghan family to life - a fictional father and daughter who were passengers on board. As guests leave the immersive showroom, they will come across information panels with  meticulously prepared background information about the ship, its passengers, the myths, legends and details on survivors and deceased, all of which are written by the exhibition curators and historians to provide the educational part of the experience. Photo: The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Experience Taking the experience even further, the exhibition introduces an interactive Metaverse journey developed with VR Coaster, which incorporates interactive elements and 5D sensory experiences, such as simulated smells and a realistic reconstruction of the different classes and areas of the ship. Visitors will dive into the depths of the ocean to discover the Titanic in its current state on the ocean floor, until, as if on a journey through time, the ship comes to life and allows the visitor to visit all of its rooms one by one. Every deck, cabin, and lounge is open for exploration, offering guests the chance to interact with life on board across all three classes.  Designed for all ages, families can enjoy a child-friendly activity room where kids can draw their own Titanic illustrations at a creative station and play an interactive puzzle quiz based on the events leading to the ship’s fate. Completed drawings are digitally projected onto a large screen, becoming part of the exhibition. Visitors can also use advanced AI and facial recognition technology to transform into 1912-era passengers, virtually dressed in historically accurate attire for a memorable, personal connection to the experience. Photos: The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Experience The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Exhibition will open at Dock X in Canada Water from 25th July 2025. Tickets are priced from £24.00 for adults and £16.00 for children. For more information, and to book tickets, visit feverup.com

This immersive exhibition depicting the sinking of the Titanic docks in Canada Water for a 14-week run. Photo: Madrid Artes Digitales On 10th April 1912, the RMS Titanic set off on its maiden voyage to New York from Southampton’s White Star Dock. At the time, it was the largest passenger ship ever built, holding over 2,200 people. Four days into its journey, it struck an iceberg some 400 miles off the coast of Canada and sank just three hours later, killing over 1,500 of those on board. The disaster would prompt a wave of new maritime safety laws to come into effect, including a mandate that every ship have enough lifeboats to accommodate all passengers and crew, and later inspire James Cameron’s Oscar-winning 1997 film, which remains one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Now, 113 years on from the disaster, Madrid Artes Digitales , who recently presented their immersive Tutankhamun exhibition  at Immerse LDN, return to London with The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Exhibition at the appropriately named Dock X in Canada Water. While previously staged in Madrid, the London version, which runs until 2nd November 2025, has been expanded and enhanced with additional spaces, exhibits and enhanced VR sections. A mix of 360-degree immersive projections, virtual reality, and phone-based AR, alongside traditional displays of artefacts and movie props, The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Exhibition promises to ‘bring the ship’s story to life like never before’ and provides a respectful and poignant, yet engaging, way to learn more about the iconic ship and its passengers. Photo: Madrid Artes Digitales The opening rooms of The Legend of the Titanic operate like a traditional museum exhibit, with large wall-mounted panels providing context and historical information on the ship and its construction. Glass cabinets house numerous objects, including dining sets from the Titanic’s sister ship, the RMS Olympic, and handwritten letters. A handful of items from the 1997 film are also on display, including a screen-used life jacket signed by Bernard Hill, who played Captain Edward John Smith. Most of the items on display in this portion of the experience come from the personal collection of Juan Cruz Ercoreca, who has spent the last 15 years collecting Titanic-related artefacts and serves as curator for the London edition of The Legend of the Titanic. Later in the experience comes the first of two VR sections - a 7-minute-long orchestral tribute to the musicians who played aboard the Titanic and famously went down with the ship, entitled ‘Until the Orchestra Fell Silent’. Wearing VR headsets, seated guests see each band member play against various digitally rendered backdrops, including the Grand Staircase and the exterior of the ship. With music composed by René Merkelbach, it’s a moving celebration of their selflessness, but it provides little information or insight about them or their decision to keep playing until the bitter end. Photo: Madrid Artes Digitales The exhibition's main space, which offers 360-degree projections, contains a 30-minute-long looping film. It begins with a CGI timelapse of the Titanic being built in Belfast, before shifting to focus on two fictional passengers, Arthur and Elizabeth Callahan. We see the pair boarding the ship in Southampton, their exploration of its numerous interiors after a restless Elizabeth sneaks out of their cabin, and, of course, their escape during the eventual sinking of the ship. The most visually disorienting moments of the film see the interior of the ship begin to tilt as water rapidly fills the bow, and a poignant conclusion shows a shellshocked Elizabeth and Arthur onboard one of the lifeboats as the Titanic disappears into the sea on the horizon. In large part due to the height limitations of the venue, this portion of the experience isn't as visually impressive as the 360-degree projection room Madrid Artes Digitales presented in their recent Tutankhamun exhibition, which filled your entire field of vision, but the addition of a narrative certainly makes it easier for guests to follow along, and it remains an engaging experience all the same. Photo: Madrid Artes Digitales Far and away, the strongest part of The Legend of the Titanic is the VR ‘Metaverse’ experience, in which guests wear a wireless VR headset and walk through a virtual recreation of the ship. Beginning in the present day aboard a glass-lined submarine descending to the wreck, a portal to the past soon opens up and transports guests to the past. There, you can explore the cabins, staircases, engine room, and decks of the Titanic at your own pace. Conversations between passengers and crew members play out, and the detailed environments invite deeper solo exploration. It's a marked step up from the previous Metaverse offering from MAD and is a much grander affair. A scene inside the ship's engine room, in which visitors move along elevated platforms, has the potential to inspire vertigo for those looking over the edge, and there are some awe-inspiring moments, including a recreation of the ship's Grand Staircase and a walk along the deck that showcases the ship's scale. Alongside these moments, there's a photo opportunity that lets people re-enact one of the best-known scenes from Titanic, with Jack and Rose at the bow of the ship, and several interactive displays designed for kids, including a tabletop touchscreen with Titanic-themed games and a drawing station that can digitise drawings and project them onto a digital display of Southampton dock. Photo: Madrid Artes Digitales London's immersive landscape has been populated with numerous projection-led experiences for some time now. Long before Lightroom and Frameless existed, the likes of Shoreditch's Immersive Van Gogh  showed that there was a notable appetite for these kinds of experiences. Showing no sign of dwindling interest, recently there's been a shift towards creating experiences with a more educational focus, with the likes of The Moonwalkers with Tom Hanks and last year's BBC Earth Experience leading the way. While there's constant debate around just how 'immersive' these kinds of experiences really are, they undoubtedly offer a modern way to learn about the world around us that's not always possible within a traditional museum setting. While The Legend of the Titanic doesn't stray far from the format established by Madrid Artes Digitales with Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, it shows that they're adept at creating educational yet engaging experiences. It's a poignant and respectful exploration of the Titanic that focuses just as much on the people who lost their lives as it does on the spectacle of the sinking itself, and is a strong addition to the city's growing catalogue of immersive exhibitions. ★★★½ The Legend of the Titanic: The Immersive Exhibition runs at Dock X in Canada Water until 2nd November 2025. Tickets are priced from £27.00 and can be booked via feverup.com For more reviews of immersive exhibitions and experiences like The Legend of the Titanic, check out our recent Reviews

With nearly 4,000 shows on offer across the month of August, planning a visit to the Scottish capital is a daunting task. Here's our guide to five interactive and immersive shows at Edinburgh Fringe that are worth your time. Spreadsheets at the ready! With nearly 4,000 shows on offer across hundreds of venues in the Scottish capital this August, the month-long arts festival is a daunting event to tackle - even for those who have been multiple times. To help out, we've combined our top five recommendations for interactive and immersive shows at Edinburgh Fringe. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it's a solid jumping-off point for anyone looking to see what the Fringe has to offer this summer. Darkfield - FLight Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic Darkfield has been a staple of Edinburgh Fringe for a number of years now. Staged with a 40ft long shipping container made to resemble the interior of an Airbus A320, FLIGHT is an immersive audio experience that takes place in total darkness. Over the course of 30 minutes, visitors will experience two different realities - one in which the plane lands safely, the other in which it doesn't. It's an intense experience that's unlike anything else at the Fringe. Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to direct your attention to the on-board safety demonstration and ask that you give us your full attention. In the unlikely event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure alternative scenarios will be provided. Next of kin will be provided. Additional desserts will be provided. An extra pillow. Trumpets and gongs. Neither Heaven nor Hell is assured. We’re not responsible for your final destination. The many worlds interpretation of Quantum Mechanics proposes all possible outcomes that could occur are occurring in countless worlds of varying similarity. Maybe there is some comfort in knowing that however ill advised your choices have been - there is a version of you who made better ones and is suffering from less regret and embarrassment. FLIGHT takes place in absolute darkness inside a 40ft shipping container. Its interior exactly resembles an Airbus 320 economy cabin and over 30 minutes explores the Many-Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics, taking audience members through two worlds, two realities and two possible outcomes to their journey. There are many worlds in which this plane lands safely. 📍 Pleasance Dome, Potterrow Plaza - Container 1 (Venue 23) 💰 From £12.00 🕒 31st July - 26th August 2024, 30 minutes 🎟️ Book via tickets.edfringe.com Temping - Dutch Kill Theatre Company Temping is an interactive solo show performed by the audience with the collaboration of a Windows PC, a corporate phone, a laser printer and Microsoft Office. The pace of the show is dictated by the audience member: how many emails they respond to, how fast they complete the tasks, and how much of the office they decide to explore. Writer Michael Yates Crowley said, “I was interested in the idea that inanimate objects and technology could be performers. That I could write for a phone or fax machine the way you would write for an actor. Or at least that characters could speak through these devices—just as in our lives, particularly during the worst moments of the pandemic, the people that matter to us appear as messages and phone calls and streaming video. The last two Edinburgh Fringes and the Adelaide Fringe gave us such insight into how different cultures react to the piece. Every performance is unique and it is really fascinating to watch diverse audiences react to the piece so differently." Contrasting the anonymity of recording births and deaths in Excel spreadsheet with furtive moments of human intimacy, this interactive show from Dutch Kills Theater and Wolf 359 examines mortality, capitalism and the value of a human life. Sarah Jane Tully, a 53-year-old actuary, has gone on vacation and the audience member steps in to cover for her. As they update her spreadsheets, they realise her job involves calculating the life expectancy of strangers. Meanwhile, an intra-office romance is spilling out of the printer, the phone bleeps with recorded messages, emails land in the inbox, and all the inner life of Sarah is there for anyone who has access to her cubicle and computer. Temping is a show with no performers, just an audience and the ether. 📍 Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17) 💰 From £15.50 🕒 3rd-25th August 2024, 50-70 minutes (audience dependent) 🎟️ Book via tickets.edfringe.com Non-Player Character: A Virtual Reality Musical A leader in combining live theatre with virtual reality and gaming, Non-Player Character: A Virtual Reality Musical is the latest in Brendan Bradley’s experimentation with innovative storytelling tools to reach new audiences.  Since 2010, he has been writing, producing and performing a range of online series and from 2017 has been looking at more ways to merge technology into live performance. For this version of the show, Bradley is offering other artists taking part in Edinburgh Festival Fringe the opportunity to be the four ‘Players’ taking part in the musical each night, similar to a Twitch “let’s play” but live, on-stage.  A boundary-pushing fusion of immersive, improvised theatre and video games where no two performances are the same; this virtual reality musical invites the audience to influence the narrative through on-stage and spectator participation. Award-winning actor and creator Brendan Bradley portrays a non-playable character (NPC) of a fictitious video game who is joined on-stage by four ‘Players’ wearing VR headsets, along with seated spectators and audiences watching from home through a live stream who assist in creating the story via a mobile web app. After the hero dies, participants travel through the five levels of the game’s open-world setting that represent the five stages of processing grief, set to a soundtrack of original songs inspired by hit Broadway numbers, pop music, and the chiptune musical style found in video games, along with improvised music reflecting the evolving narrative from an onstage musician. Non-Player Characte r aims to make a deeper connection between the audience and performer.  📍 Imaginex at YOTEL Edinburgh in association with ZOO (Venue 572) 💰 From £15.00 🕒 2nd-26th August 2024, 21:00, 60 minutes 🎟️ Book via tickets.edfringe.com Burning Down THe Horse - Fishing 4 Chips After an award-winning run in 2023, Fishing 4 Chips return to Edinburgh this summer with Burning Down the Horse. Bigger and better than ever, this immersive comedy epic tells the “true” story of what happened on the Trojan Horse. The audience become soldiers and are witness to the build-up to one of the most precarious military missions of all time. All goes well until lowly carpenter Epieus gets stuck onboard - unwilling to be wheeled towards certain doom, he starts a revolution and the soldiers that surround him are forced to choose where their loyalties lie. Burning Down the Horse is an immersive comedy play written by two best friends who hate immersive plays. Dotted through the show are pockets of audience interaction alongside a pre-show that starts from outside the venue - a unique brand of gentle immersion that has proven to be a hit with all audiences. Last year, Burning Down the Horse won Best Comedy Performance (Sean Wareing) and Best Director (Maya Shimmin) at the 2023 DarkChat Awards alongside ‘Best Ensemble’ at The Stagey Place Awards . Fishing 4 Chips first performed the show at last year's Edinburgh Fringe after being finalists of the Charlie Hartill Reserve, selling out the entire month-long run and receiving an OFFIE nomination. This show is perfect for the Edinburgh Fringe - silly, funny and interactive but with a genuine heart. 📍 Pleasance Dome - Queen Dome (Venue 23) 💰 From £14.00 🕒 31st July - 25th August 2024 (excluding 14th), 13:00, 60 minutes 🎟️ Book via tickets.edfringe.com Darkfield - Arcade ARCADE is the latest show from Darkfield, and first debuted at Lakeside Arts in Nottingham earlier this year. It's an immersive choose-your-own-path experience that immerses players in alternate environments, allowing you to navigate a conflict in which your choices have consequences... Speaking on the arrival of ARCADE at the Fringe, Darkfield had this to say.... “We're very excited to be returning to our home at Summerhall, with our most ambitious show to date, ARCADE. It's been a long time in the making. We really hope our audience enjoys exploring the world they are immersed in, aware that there are many other paths through it they could have chosen. We're really looking forward to the conversations the audience will be having with each other afterwards, and hopefully seeing them return to discover new paths!” ARCADE is the latest immersive audio experience from Darkfield. Using the nostalgic aesthetic of 1980s video games, ARCADE's interactive narrative explores the evolving relationship between players and avatars. Over 30 minutes in a completely dark shipping container, this choose-your-own-path experience will fully immerse the players using 360 degree binaural sound, sensory effects and a bespoke Darkfield Arcade machine for each player. Players will be asked existential questions about free will and consciousness in a world where some may win and some may lose... 📍 Summerhall - The Terrace (Venue 26) 💰 From £13.00 🕒 31st July - 26th August 2024, 30 minutes 🎟️ Book via tickets.edfringe.com For more news on immersive experiences, follow Immersive Rumours on Instagram .

The final performance of The Burnt City - the large-scale immersive production depicting the fall of Troy, has been confirmed to be Sunday 24th September 2023 by Punchdrunk. The show originally opened in March 2022, and has had over 200,000 visitors since opening. It was the first large-scale Punchdrunk show to be staged in London since 2013's The Drowned Man. Felix Barrett, the Creative Director on Punchdrunk said: Creating The Burnt City in the midst of a pandemic was one of the most incredible feats our team has achieved. We couldn’t be prouder of this show and everyone who brought our world of gods and mortals to life. The Burnt City has propelled us forward, and we want to keep that momentum, making the most of our new home in Woolwich. It’s the first time we have had a long-term space to call our own, so these extraordinary buildings are the perfect place to showcase our ideas quickly without needing to wait years for the right venue to come along. We’re fairly sure that The Burnt City will be the last new mask show the company makes, and what comes next will be different and unlike anything we have done before. We cannot wait to unleash these new ideas, and in the meantime, we hope that everyone will make the most of our precious last months of The Burnt City! Tickets are on sale now for all dates, including the final performance, at punchdrunk.com

Immersive theatre company Punchdrunk have today confirmed the date of their final 'party' event prior to the closure of The Burnt City in Woolwich on the 24th September 2023. The Last Rite, the last 'Divine Rites' party, will act as a final send-off to the groundbreaking immersive production. Taking place on Sunday 17th September, The Last Rite has been billed as including pop-up performances by the cast and extended performing family, guest DJs, and a return of The Walk of Terror - the house band from Punchdrunk's 2013 show The Drowned Man, who will be performing in Peep, the speakeasy bar within the set of The Burnt City. Punchdrunk released the following, confirming The Last Rite... All good things must come to a glorious end. But with all endings come new beginnings. Join us for one night only as we party into eternity as the city burns around us. Dance amongst the shades and celebrate all that was and all that will be with pop-up performances, DJs, bars and debauchery. Send The Burnt City once more into oblivion and set your souls on fire. See you at the end of the world. Opening in March 2022, the production has sold over 200,000 tickets. By the time it closes, the show will be the longest-running mask show that the company has presented in London. Over 600 people have worked on the show, making it the largest project in Punchdrunk’s history. The epic retelling of the end of the Trojan War, set between the neon-drenched backstreets of downtown Troy and the menacing but opulent shadow of Greece, is played out across two vast warehouse buildings. Part of the old Woolwich Arsenal, these buildings provide Punchdrunk with its first permanent home in London. Punchdrunk is keen to keep pushing the boundaries of the company’s craft and make use of the unique space the buildings provide in different ways. News of future projects will follow later this year. Tickets are available via www.theburntcity.com/tickets

Punchdrunk have today confirmed plans for a series of masterclasses and workshops themed around the companies approach to creating site-specific experiences, as well as intimate walking tours of The Burnt City's set for those eager to revisit the venue after its closure in September 2023. These experiences will be open to anyone who wants a deeper insight into the process and approach our creative team takes to unlock the possibilities of a space, create intricate design, build different environments with lighting and sound, and translate source texts into a language of physical performance. For those eager to visit and learn more about the world of Troy, our extensive set tours with knowledgeable guides are also available. You could be an artist looking to develop your own practice or are just eager to explore the world we created within The Burnt City. Details of the tours, masterclasses and workshops are below, as well as booking links: The Burnt City Set Tour Explore the world of Troy with these intimate walking tours. Our knowledgeable guides will lead you through the space, including 1:1 spaces, and reveal stories behind how this unique world was brought to life. Here you can ask questions about the building process and, if you wish, share your own experiences of The Burnt City . When: Various dates & times, 27 Nov-15 Dec. (90 minutes) Where: Punchdrunk Labs Tickets: £45, local residents £25 (includes a post tour beverage). Access patron tickets include a complimentary companion ticket. Book here. Who: Ages 11+ (under 16s accompanied by an adult). Anyone with an interest in The Burnt City, Punchdrunk, Greek mythology or immersive world-building. Performance Workshop Delve into the work and performance practice of Punchdrunk, the ‘world’s leading immersive theatre company’ (GQ Magazine). Join a member of The Burnt City’s company as they explore the unique process for performers, developed by Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle, which has inspired and crafted Punchdrunk’s immersive work. Learn how to create genre-defying experiences through the blending of classical texts, contemporary dance and physical performance. When: Thursday 14 December, 10am-4pm (6 hours, including breaks) Where: Punchdrunk Labs Tickets: £150, local residents £85. Book here. Who: Ages 16+ with an interest in performance. No experience necessary. Design Workshop Step behind the scenes in this interactive design workshop where we demonstrate how we bring this multi-sensory world to life. Led by a member of The Burnt City’s design team, you’ll experience the evolution process involved in prop-making through building your own keepsake, inspired by the world of The Burnt City. When: Wednesday 6 December, 10am-1pm or 2-5pm (three hours) Where: Punchdrunk Labs Tickets: £75, local residents £45. Book here. Who: Ages 16+ with an interest in immersive design and prop-making. No experience necessary. Production Management Workshop Learn how to transform abandoned spaces into the fantastic worlds Punchdrunk plunges its audience into. This Production Management workshop provides you with insight into the Production department’s role in building an immersive, site-specific experience at Punchdrunk. Through dynamic activities and exercises on the set of The Burnt City , our team will give you the tools to think and problem solve creatively, as well as give an overview of how to deliver a project that breaks the mould of theatrical experience. When: Wednesday 29 November, 10am-1pm (three hours) Where: Punchdrunk Labs Tickets: £75, local residents £45. Book here. Who: Ages 16+ with an interest in production management, lighting and sound. No experience necessary. Immersive Storytelling Masterclass with Felix Barrett An Immersive Storytelling Masterclass with Felix Barrett MBE. Punchdrunk is the spark that ignited the immersive genre, introducing mainstream audiences to this now hugely successful form. In this masterclass, the company’s BAFTA-nominated founder, Felix Barrett, offers an introduction into the techniques behind his creative process. From learning how to analyse a text, translating it into the physical space and breaking from traditional models of storytelling, this is an opportunity to understand the foundations to creating immersive shows – giving you the tools to push the boundaries in your own creative work. When: Tuesday 28 November, 10am-2pm (four hours) Where: Punchdrunk Labs Tickets: £350, local residents £195. Book here. Who: Creatives and mid-career professionals who wish to apply the insight gained through this masterclass to their own professional career. Immersive World-Building Masterclass with Stephen Dobbie An Immersive World-Building Masterclass with Stephen Dobbie. The Burnt City’s Sound Designer Stephen Dobbie shares his creative process, and explores the highly collaborative role sound plays within building the world and evoking feeling in Punchdrunk’s work. In this masterclass, you will learn to appreciate the particular details and textures of sound design, and how it is used as a mode of storytelling through a unique exploration of The Burnt City . This is an opportunity to both deepen your understanding of collaborative process and sound design, and unlock how the key tool of listening can elevate your own creative practice. When: Friday 8 December, 10am-2pm (four hours) Where: Punchdrunk Labs Tickets: £350, £195 for local residents. Book here. Who: Creatives and mid-career professionals who wish to apply the insight gained through this masterclass to their own professional career.

Image: Secret Cinema Ahead of Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical opening at Battersea’s Evolution, London on 1st August 2025, double Tony Award-nominated choreographer Jennifer Weber has been in the UK workshopping the all-important movement of the show, blending iconic steps with hip-hop and a fresh flair for Secret Cinema’s newest production, which is presented in partnership with TodayTix. Jennifer received both ‘Best Choreography’ Tony Award nominations in the 2022-2023 Broadway season for her work on & Juliet and KPOP , both of which opened within a week of each other. With Jennifer's roots in hip-hop, the choreography for Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical blends the iconic with the contemporary. 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 is brought to life all around you with actors and immersive elements seamlessly blending with the on-screen action. Step into the ultimate director’s cut and live at the very heart of Grease as screens play the fan-favourite film whilst a 30-strong cast and live band 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 are invited to join all the action – follow your favourite characters, cheer on the T-Birds, share secrets with the Pink Ladies, learn to hand jive, join choir practice, get a taste of 1950s American diner-inspired delights and visit the fun fair as dazzling live performances and sensational dance numbers enthrall ahead of the sensational collective finale. The production will also feature iconic locations from Grease, including Frosty’s Palace, The Beauty School, The Carnival, The Gym, The Autoshop and La Cafury Beauty School. Image: Secret Cinema 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). The 2025 production marks the first of three consecutive summer events from Secret Cinema, 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

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. 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

Voidspace Live , the two-day festival focusing on interactive arts, installations and exhibits, returns to Theatre Deli near Liverpool Street in June following a sold-out 2024 edition. Taking over the venue across the weekend of 7th and 8th June 2025, Voidspace Live will feature over 30 shows (including four LARPs, three one-on-one shows, one self-guided audio piece and two Jubensha games), over a dozen installations and four workshops. It's also been confirmed that 15 pieces of work will have their public premiere as part of Voidspace Live. Voidspace Live 2024. Photo: James Lawson For the 2025 edition of Voidspace Live, the festival will feature work from the likes of Deadweight Theatre (creators of 2024's The Manikins: a work in progress), Seth Kriebel and Zoe Bouras (who performed The Unbuilt Room at Voidspace Live 2024) and Emily Carding (actor, writer and theatre maker who specialises in Shakespeare, responsive immersive theatre, and the horror genre). The Voidspace is an organisation that explores and platforms interactive arts that focuses on performances, texts, games and multimedia pieces that invite their audience to participate in some way, in addition to watching, reading or listening. Think interactive theatre, fiction and poetry, performance art, arthouse games, audio-visual work, LARP, and playful media of all kinds.  Voidspace Live 2024. Photo: James Lawson Speaking on the line-up announcement, Voidspace's Katy Naylor said: We are absolutely thrilled to be bringing Voidspace Live (in association with Theatre Deli) back this year, bigger and better than ever. It's so exciting to be able to fill Theatre Deli with such an incredible range of performances, games and installations. Expect to get stuck in and try out something new, as we bring you new work from familiar faces, incredible work from artists you've never met before, and a lot of surprises. The full line-up for Voidspace Live 2025 is listed below, with additional shows to be announced in the future. Tickets are on sale via this link . SATURDAY AND SUNDAY Untitled By Deadweight Theatre Deadweight are a London-based experimental theatre company specialising in interactive performance. Their multi-disciplinary approach to making work draws on their backgrounds in scenography, dramaturgy, filmmaking, and visual art. Their show The Manikins: A Work in Progress was a sell-out hit in 2024. Jury Games Photo: Jury Games Friends of the Void Jury Games return to the festival this year! Jury Games are award-winning interactive experiences that dive into thrilling criminal mysteries. A blend of crime-solving and immersive theatre. Look through the evidence of a case, interrogate the defendant, cast your verdict. Hamlet (An Experience) By Emily Carding After breaking new ground with award-winning Richard III (A One Person Show) , which was a hit at last year’s Voidspace Live, Emily Carding brings us a new interpretation of Hamlet and you, the audience, are the players arriving at Elsinore. Hamlet needs your help to take on the roles of his friends and family and resolve the great questions of life. Journey through the play together and become immersed in the story like never before. Hamlet has the questions. Do you have the answers? Cafe +44 By Maria Jose Siminez Silva In this moving audio piece, which takes place in and around Deli’s cafe, the artist invites you to see her history through her eyes by exploring the history of immigration in her own family and how she found a home away from home. for better [or] worse By Yiannis Pappas Maria Ambramovic Institute performance artist Yiannis Pappas presents a brand new long durational participatory performance, conceived especially for Voidspace Live. Come along and join in making something very special together. Uncle Barry’s Birthday Party by Mia Foster and Ariana Aragon You are invited to share an evening with us in celebration of our dear Uncle Barry… Our guests ought to know that interactions will occur at this party, as they do at any, and ours will involve some light touch. If this will make you uncomfortable, please feel free to decline this invitation. However, if you want to hug cake and eat friends, please join us! We would love to have you, and know Uncle Barry would too. SATURDAY ONLY FAUST By Seth Kriebel and Zoe Bouras Photo: Emma Bailey. Image: Elsa Kriebel Seth Kriebel and Zoe Bouras bring us Faust , a new version of a very old story, an interactive twist on the classic tale of the infamous doctor and his deal with the devil. Seth and Zoe performed The Unbuilt Room at Voidspace Live 2024 and are theatre makers, performers and devisors. ‘The intersection of our Venn diagram: We both make unusual performance!’ The Unbuilt Room started nearly 14 years ago and has been performed all over the country, one of many other interactive shows the pair have created and toured. Where We Meet By Unwired Dance Theatre Photo: Unwired Dance Theatre What if you could hear others’ inner thoughts? Immersive dance theatre meets XR tech to spark human connection in an increasingly digital – yet divided and lonely – world. Step into the minds of three unique characters, and join them as they embark on individual and uplifting journeys of self-discovery. Where We Meet is an interactive and immersive dance theatre performance, where you’re in control to reveal the hidden stories behind each character. We invite you to rediscover the joy of human connection, as an antidote to today’s increasingly digital – yet divided and lonely – world. Devil In The Details By Hazel Dixon and Usva Inei A family comes together to perform a powerful ritual; in order to keep living their extravagant lifestyle, they must pledge themselves to a dark and mysterious power. Using an ancient first edition of the Picture of Dorian Grey, they’ve found a way to store hardships into a portrait. However, with any boon comes dangerous consequences. Audience members will switch between playing members of the family and playing the devils that emerge from their portraits. As family members, participants will interact with one another, while as devils, participants will engage in art-making. The progression of the art will reflect the progression of the characters. Who – or what – will you become? No Wet Socks By Ella Raymont and Arlo Howard Become a happy camper and take part in activities and crafts, guided by your camp counsellor! No Wet Socks is all the best bits of summer camp – with no wet socks; an interactive experience that transports us back to the joys of camp, condensing two weeks of activities into just one hour. This unique journey is designed to remind adults of the importance of slowing down, sparking their imagination, and reconnecting with their inner child. Only Exit By Camden Barrett and Angela Rauf ONLY EXIT is a performance practice/installation which looks at the collision of found space and public space in performance, and the utilization of wearable apparatus in performance. Anarchy, anarchitecture, and pleasure in transgressive protest are all themes in this mischief-making participatory piece. Interact with signage available in the found space, as well as visual and audio ephemera/apparitions, and challenge learned spatial behaviour as you commune and collaborate with each other and the space… or make a mess and/or simply watch the joyful chaos unfold. Spy of the Year By Tom Black, Arlo Howard, Chloe Mashiter, Hannah Raymond-cox Bringing Jubensha – the hit Chinese murder-mystery/RPG/theatrical hybrid – to the UK for the first time, Spy of the Year, set at the eponymous awards ceremony, is a playful and melodramatic game that puts the audience at the centre of the action. Audience members take on the role of spies from the same agency, whose celebrations are interrupted by terrible news – shady organisation InCog is leaking information about them, with a grand reveal of all their secrets when the winner of Spy of the Year is announced! It’s up to the players to uncover which of them is the mole before the final award is presented. Will you get there in time? Accept The Cookies By Accept The Cookies Team This is an electrifying and fully interactive exhibition about our rights and freedoms in the digital future. In the age of surveillance capitalism, we ask: how much of your mind are you willing to give away to algorithms and big tech? A cyberpunk-inspired, immersive sci-fi story, sprinkled with glitch, digital fairytale, and online tropes like blue ‘verified’ badges, persistent cookie requests, and opt-out boxes that are impossible to find; the audience are the main character in their own odyssey in data ethics. Playfully camp, this show offers a performative panel discussion with a rollerblading host, a tongue-in-cheek ritual that looks at cringe culture and gets people to archive and recreate their social media content IRL, and a deep level of reflection on our own relationships with data ownership, surveillance, and big tech. Afterwards, audiences will have the choice to join our secret Telegram group and await further instruction to keep going down the rabbit hole… If You Think I Should Make Beter Life Choices, Turn To Page 42 By Hakan Akgül An interactive monologue play in the style of choose your own adventure books and TTRPGS, the story follows a man after a night out, sneaking away from a hook-up, who realises he’s lost his one emotional keepsake—and any sense of direction. Drunk and disoriented, he tries to retrace his steps but spirals into panic, unable—or unwilling—to decide his next move. Now, the audience must take control, guiding him through the night’s chaos. Can they steer him home safely, or will they get him into trouble? Navigate puzzles to help him retrace his steps, roleplay encounters with strangers on the street or in the club, and manage his dwindling emotional and physical resources – ultimately shape his final reckoning, in this experience balancing control with the weight of responsibility. Meet Me At The Tavern by Rebel Rehbinder and Kol Ford The first in a series of TaverQuest games that were developed during lockdown; Inspired by Terry Pratchett and J.H. Brennan the world is light-hearted, whimsical and fun. Participants will each take on one role inspired by common fantasy tropes. As adventurers gather in the Olde Tavern to prepare to bring The Dread Wizard to justice they discover that all is not as it seems…. My Favourite Path/Route By Mahshid Alavi A deeply interactive show about the deep emotional connection we have to certain roads, pathways, and places—especially when we are far from home—Alavi explores memory, nostalgia, displacement, and shared experiences of movement through storytelling, live music, technology, and audience participation. Beginning with Alavi recounting their experience of driving down Valiasr Street in Tehran, watching its iconic plane trees and feeling the pulse of the city, the show slowly shifts focus to the audience and makes them co-creators of the experience. Audiences will connect to the space, reflect on their favourite routes, and share their experiences if/when they feel ready. The outcome is a collective, imagined road, built from many voices and memories. The Sixth Subject By Liz Cable The Sixth Suspect is a Victorian-set murder-mystery escape room, and a highly interactive workshop where the audience will first solve a murder, and then create their own narrative-based mini-escape game, by introducing their own suspect… The Legend By Juice Cui An interactive shadow puppetry experience that transcends time and media. Blending sound art, drama, traditional shadow puppetry, and digital interaction, it breathes new life into ancient myths, inviting the audience to co-create a living legend guided by sound and animated shadows. In this project, each note represents the soul of a mythological character. They serve as catalysts for transformation – when the audience triggers different sound keys, the artist manipulates the shadow puppets behind the screen, bringing the story to life through a mesmerising dance of light and shadow. Come and bring the myth to life, as it unfolds as an audible, visible, and ever-evolving narrative. SMITE (Shadows Must Intervene To Endure) By Ed Davies A telephone rings…Answer the call from another time. Follow the whispered fragments and the paths between reality. Discover, deliver, decide: The Fate of those who reside. All will be lost should you not step inside. The drum beat sounds, in confidence confide. Gaslamps alighting, memories fracturing, shadows searching, and love letters burning. The veil between worlds is thinning.SMITE is returning. Be the cure, with hearts pure. Shadows Must Intervene To Endure. Workshop: An introduction to Ambient Lit By Tom Abba In this workshop, Tom will be talking all things Ambient Lit – writing that responds to the reader’s physical environment & surroundings. Tom’s work on the Ambient Literature Project – a collaboration between UWE Bristol, Bath Spa University, and the University of Birmingham – brought us experiences such as A Hollow Body , These Pages   Fall Like Ash  and On Bitter Ground . Join him today to get an insight into this exciting work, and an opportunity to make a small Ambient Lit piece of your own. Voidspace Live 2024. Photo: James Lawson SUNDAY ONLY The Crow Club by Dean Rodgers The Crow Club is a Soho nightclub. It is frequented by the highest and lowest of London society, and famous for one thing: murder.  An immersive murder mystery game inspired by the Chinese Jubensha format, and bringing in elements of immersive theatre and escape games, The Crow Club is a Soho noir, which sees players locked in a nightclub with a murder to solve… and one of them is the killer. This is a game of social deduction and deception. Players must uncover the secrets hidden in the Club – and in their fellow players – to solve a murder. S(t)olas by Thomas Jancis This hilarious and earnest participatory show sees the audience meet and converse with a demon confined within a circle.  But it’s not all just giant owls and favourite rocks. Drawing upon 17th-century English folklore and biblical mythology to talk about modern-day loneliness and isolation, S(t)olas examines connection, companionship, and community (and maybe covens) as the audience learn about the demon and perhaps help him to escape. Will you help the hapless demon, or seal his fate? Continuum by Et Al. Performance Continuum is a durational performance celebrating the unseen labour of stagecraft. A mix of cabaret, clowning and live art, audiences will be presented with a series of tasks transforming mundanity into a spectacle with sound and music. Break traditional theatre etiquette, talk, answer your phone, take photographs, interact with the props and see what you can uncover in this joyful and reflective piece about community, control, repetition and surprise.  Mind Control Disco by But Why? Theatre Mind Control Disco is an immersive, participatory audio adventure where guests experience the thrill of a party guided by O.M.N.I., an AI designed to create the ultimate night out. The show combines synchronized instructions, epic tunes, and a playful exploration of AI control versus free will, offering a unique blend of entertainment and social interaction. Funny, playful, and profound, Mind Control Disco is a dance party of epic proportions. Will you follow O.M.N.I.’s control or rebel against it…? Support Group for the Newly Human by Chloe Mashiter This show casts the audience as members of a support group entirely filled with those who, whilst now human, used to be something else – werewolves, vampires, zombies, immortals, ghosts, etc – and must now navigate common limitations (ex-zombies’ loss of purpose/clarity/simplicity in their lives, ex-werewolves’ comparative fragility/weakness/vulnerability, etc) through a mix of conversation and therapeutic activity.  Using role-play as a way to reflect on real life, Support Group … is about how we engage with limitations, frustrations, the things we wish we could change about ourselves, and how creative framings for this can be a release.  MIA by Cross-stitch Theatre A single room. No set. No costumes. No actors. A single envelope lies on the floor. When stripped back to its roots, what do you need for a mystery to be solved? MIA invites you to solve a mystery within a mystery. Who killed David Fischer? What does the colour red have anything to do with it? And where on earth are all of the suspects? Secrets of Barrenbrook by Bunbury Banter Secrets of Barrenbrook is a darkly comic, interactive theatrical event centred around a social deduction game. Inviting audience to actively participate, and fostering a sense of community and imagination through shared storytelling, Barrenbrook has received glowing reviews for its engaging narrative and multi-sensory design. Step into the centre of the action, as you become a vital contributor to the storytelling process. Dig In by Caro Murphy and Arlo Howard In Dig In, you play as a member of a family around the holiday dinner table. Every person at the table has a bone to pick with someone else, and conflicts will arise… This LARP explores common family tensions and frustrations along with what makes a good apology.  Arsenic and Lies by Karolina Soltys It is 31 December 1919 and the party at Weatherby Manor is in full swing. The guests exchange furtive whispers of intrigue, blackmail and forbidden love. At midnight, a glass of poisoned champagne shatters, dropped from a dying hand. The family has to find – or frame – the killer before the police start looking too closely into their secrets. A beginner-friendly LARP inspired by Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie novels, focussing on emotions, relationships, secrets, and blackmail. Save the Raccoon by Yudi Wu Save the Raccoon is a live game show aiming to find the best “trash artist” to save the raccoons, as the species becomes homeless and endangered in a zero-waste future with no bins. To earn the title of best trash artist, the “raccoons” (you the audience…) will have to go undercover and beat a system ultimately rigged against them. Inspired by Wu’s experiences navigating the UK funding & awarding system as a rural-based first-gen immigrant artist, the game design has been adapted from the application process and requirements for the Global Talent Visa.  Reflecting on their journey, the show not only presents the ridiculousness of navigating a system that is unfair for the “raccoons”, but also the privilege that “elite raccoons” have over the others under this system, along with their exploitation of the “loser raccoons”. Find Your Superpower by Loy You’re a high-flying exec, and business means business. You’ve signed up for this workshop to maximise your productivity and 10x your financial returns. Oh yeah, and maybe there can be some afterthought about the environment or something. Looks good on paper, innit.  The thing is, something doesn’t feel right today. You had your double macchiato and it just didn’t go down like it usually does.  And this workshop host… they seem a bit..odd. Are you about to get more than you bargained for? Join this workshop with a difference to find out.  Zine making workshop: Cosy Weird by Assemblage Collective Assemblage Collective are a group of young creatives who take a hands-on approach with a focus on making and doing. They express unity through physical manifestations of creative intent. In this workshop you will learn to make your own zine, using a collage of found words and images, and anything else you want to bring to the table. The theme: Cosy weird. Voidspace Live 2024. Photos: James Lawson Voidspace Live runs at Theatre Deli near Liverpool Street/Aldgate on the 7th and 8th June 2025. Tickets for each day are priced at £55.00. To book and find out more info, visit voidspacezine.com

We venture into Room 101 as part of the Ministry of Truth's recruitment process in 1984 - A Unique Theatre Experience Photo: Maggie Jupe Pure Expression's adaption of 1984 returns to Hackney Town Hall for a second year, featuring a fresh cast, creative team, and new direction by Jack Reardon (From Out The Land, Pucked). When the revamped production was announced in September, writer and executive producer Adam Taub promised it would be “more visceral and more challenging” for audiences. While this iteration certainly delivers a more visceral experience and makes some positive strides over last year’s version, it remains hindered by an underdeveloped and truncated script that strips away much of what makes George Orwell's novel so impactful. Photo: Maggie Jupe The show begins with an extended pre-show in Hackney Town Hall's Atrium. After being handed an ID badge, we're invited to grab a drink or take a seat and await 'processing'. Ensemble members, dressed in pastel-grey Ministry uniforms adorned with Ingsoc badges, menacingly roam the space with clipboards. Greeting everyone as 'Comrade', they quiz attendees on their opinions about Big Brother and gauge interest in joining the anti-sex league. Soundtracked by eerie hums and drones, the familiar slogan of 'See it, say it, sorted' occasionally echos through the space, highlighting how modern-day Britain shares more similarities with Orwell's Oceania than we'd like. Following a short musical performance on stage by two party loyalists, the audience, all prospective candidates for roles within the governmental organisation, are instructed to proceed upstairs into the Council Chamber to be assessed. It's here that we're introduced to O'Brien (Dominic Carter), who gives a lengthy speech underlining the importance of the Ministry's work. We're asked to stand for the National Anthem before O'Brien singles out some of the audience by badge number. Quizzed on our observational skills, and with a rapidly dwindling number of participants who had demonstrated the necessary surveillance skills, we're soon escorted back to the venue's atrium for the remainder of the show, which now doubles as the Ministry's observation centre. Photo: Maggie Jupe Adam Taub's adaptation of Orwell's original novel has done away with a lot of the smaller moments and character building and instead focuses on a few key moments which are performed on the central stage within the Atrium. Presented as a telescreen, we briefly get to see Winston (Joe Anderson) and Julia (Neekita Knight) first meeting and falling for each other, before immediately jumping forward in time six months to see them secretly cohabiting. We've barely had a chance to understand exactly why these two were drawn together in the first place, or exactly why their decision to secretly build a life together may have dire consequences, before their flat is stormed by Thought Police, and the pair are separated. While it hits many of the main beats in the original novel, so much of what made it resonate with readers has been lost. Photo: Maggie Jupe The remainder of the show sees Winston being tortured and interrogated inside Room 101. These scenes are the biggest departure from last year's adaptation and thankfully, is where the creative team's efforts with the lighting, sound and video design get to shine. Taking direction from video designer Dan Light, the show's ensemble operates numerous cameras around the stage, capturing both the repeated scenes of Winston having his head dunked into a bath and being electrocuted, and the audience who watch on silently. Writ large when projected three floors high onto the back wall of the venue, it's as if we're watching a snuff film being made right in front of us. Some clever video trickery at a pivotal moment during Winston's torture also has us questioning if what's being shown via projection can be trusted, as it fails to line up with what we can see happening on stage in front of us. When combined with Ben Jacob's excellent lighting design and Munotida Chinyanga's haunting sound design, these final scenes in 1984 are an arresting and intense experience, even if we've arrived at them so quickly, they lack the emotional depth you'd have hope for. Photo: Maggie Jupe With so much of the novel's story having been erased from this adaptation, what's then left for audiences to sink their teeth into? Well, in terms of audience interactions, all of the moments in which the audience is called upon for input can be boiled down to one question - are you loyal to the party? Those who commit to the idea that they're there to help push forward the Ministry's cause will get the richest moments of immersion, not least the single audience member selected to participate in the show's final moments. For the rest of us, who have shown ourselves to be less committed to Big Brother, we're left to watch an adaptation of Orwell's that's visually engaging, but over far too quickly. ★★★ ½ Immersive 1984: A Unique Theatre Experience  runs from 1 October 2024 to 22 December 2024 at Hackney Town Hall. Tickets are priced from £24.50. To find out more and buy tickets, visit immersive1984.com