DreamWalkers is what is called an “immersive” theater event, which means there technically is no “theater” — no lobby or seats — with the scenery being the town square in Bedford. Theater-goers are not just spectators of the action, but actually become part of the events taking place around them. For tickets go to this link.

Shadow of the Run LLC, is hosting the show. It is a locally-founded production company with a big vision of making Cleveland the Immersive theater capital of the Midwest (similar to major centers in New York City and London). It has emerged from the pandemic with a smaller scale production to develop Northeast Ohio audiences’ taste for immersive and interactive theatre. 

Immersive theatre is a type of performance that puts the audience into the story as a participant or as an active observer. Not willing to settle for a passive artist / audience relationship, immersive makes storylines more immediate and intimate by getting the audience out of their seat and into the personal space of the story and characters. All immersive productions have their own worlds, their own rules, and ways to engage – like life, you have to invest yourself into the experience so that you know how to participate in it.

While theaters everywhere were shut down, Shadow of the Run adapted by producing a virtual immersive show via Zoom, The Torso Book Club, which raised $5,000 for Cleveland local artists who lost work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now they are easing back on track with their plans.

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“Railroaded: A Shadow of the Run Story,” will premiere an original story in a limited engagement January 9 through January 12 in the City of Bedford. This short term installation, or “pop up” theater production with limited tickets, will feature an alternate reality game (ARG) built into the experience. The result will be a multi-location trek through Northeast Ohio, with a reward for those that complete the optional ARG.

The story is set during the Great Depression, when desperate men and women travelled the country’s railways seeking work or a fresh start. This was an unfortunate time where the less-fortunate could disappear without a trace – whether by their hand, or another. Add a serial killer to the story, and you discover how easy it is to become railroaded yourself.

Railroaded is written and directed by Woods, with production design by Needham, and support from McGee and Kern. Carol Dolan and Gregg Hill of Secret Pond LLC return as executive producers.

Why Immersive Theater and ARG?

Audiences today are choosing personal experiences over the purchase of physical objects. Immersive theatre dives into this mindset – a guest can attend multiple performances and have a completely different experience based on the choices they make throughout the evening. Combining elements from theatre, night clubs, and personal exploration into one evening of fully engaging entertainment, audiences will want to gather afterwards to share their experience and make plans for their next trip.

Woods explained that an alternate reality game (ARG) is a game in which the boundaries between players’ lives and the narrative world become blurred. Players interact with information and characters as if they were real, without the proscenium or 4th wall of a game interface. This integration of game into real life is done through social media, real-life destinations, and physical objects. An ARG is a means for completely engaging in gameplay that allows the player to forget that it’s just a construct.

Railroaded fits between 2019’s Chapter 1: WanderLust and Chapter 2: Calloused, which will tentatively premier in the Summer of 2020.

Shadow of the Run LLC was founded by artists living in Bedford, Cleveland Heights, Orange and North Canton. McGee is a professor at Case Western Reserve University while Needham and Woods are all alumni of CWRU. Kern is a graduate of Kent State University and Harvard’s American Repertory Theatre / Moscow Art Theatre Institute.

The post Shadow of the Run ‘pop-up’ story to have limited engagement in town first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

Most people in Northeast Ohio may not be as familiar with immersive-type live shows, where the audience members are set in the middle of the action. The experience becomes a type of “Choose Your Own Adventure” scenario, where each audience member’s impressions are determined by the choices he or she makes.

An example of a recently successful immersive play nationally has been “Sleep No More,” in New York. The show takes place in various rooms in an old hotel in New York, and has been running continuously since 2009.

This week’s production in Bedford, “Chapter 1: Wanderlust,” is based around the time of the Great Depression, where a girl yearns for life outside her sleepy hometown, despite the warnings of the dangers. 

The promotional material states, “With a chance to find a brighter path…she finds him instead – the origin of a heartbreaking legacy that will stain the city of Cleveland for years to come.”

The “Shadow of the Run” series was conceived in December 2015 by Beth McGee and Adam Kern. In January 2016 the project was awarded a $1,000 grant as an audience favorite from Notre Dame College’s SEAChange Program, prior to appearing in the Cleveland Leadership Center’s Accelerate Competition in February of the same year.

With initial support from Joe and Anthony Russo of Avengers fame, the team continued development to find the right opportunity to bring Immersive to the city of Cleveland. Production designer Ben Needham and escape room architect Christine Wood are also involved in this project.

The show runs this week from July 25-28 and next week on August 1, 3, and 4.

For more information and tickets, click here: shadowoftherun.com

The post Immersive theater experience begins in Bedford this week first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

 “The Little Mermaid”

The Cleveland Modern Ballet, Northeast Ohio’s fun and inclusive ballet school, will be putting on their pop ballet, The Little Mermaid, this coming June. The Hans Christian Anderson fantasy-adventure story will come to life on the stage at Bedford High School. Ariel, the little mermaid princess, portrayed by CMB dancer, Atira Caton, along with her prince, her father, King Triton, and the sea witch Ursula, will entertain audiences both young and old. Dancing to movie classics such as “Under the Sea,” as well as current pop hits like “Issues” by Julia Michaels, a good time will be had by all!

The Cleveland Modern Ballet, conveniently located at 4640 Richmond Rd. in Warrensville, is owned and operated by Jenni Hankey. With a background in classical ballet, Ms. Hankey applies her own experiences in the dance world to train her students in the art of dance through proper training and performance opportunities. “Miss Jenni,” as her students call her, attended the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts, received both academic and dance scholarships to Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA, and earned a degree in Architecture from Ball State University, where she also minored in Technical Theater. She is currently a company member with the North Pointe Ballet.

“The Little Mermaid” pop ballet will be performed on:

Friday, June 7^th at 7:00 PM

Saturday, June 8^th at 2:00 PM

Bedford High School Auditorium

481 Northfield Rd.

Bedford, OH 44146

Tickets can be purchased at the door on the day of the performance, or at:

clevelandmodernballet.ticketleap.com

The post Cleveland Modern Ballet presents “The Little Mermaid” first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

A sultry female voice floated over the Square on a cool summer breeze, backed by guitar, organ, and drums– a simple jazz quartet. The modest crowd was scattered across the lawn, ranging from elementary to elderly. They sat in wheel chairs and lawn chairs, on benches and on the grass. The band played a mix of many genres of music, and a variety of tempos

(left to right) Stella, a 15-year resident of Bedford, Mary from Cleveland, and Mary from Northfield line dancing to the classics.

. Songs included “Jump Jive An’ Wail” by Louis Prima and “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, “Temptation”, made popular by Bing Crosby, and many others ranging from early jazz standards to iconic Motown hits.

A few ladies were on their feet, line dancing to almost every song, and one young man stood at the base of the gazebo steps, grooving and clapping to the tunes. To add to the picturesque summer evening, the smell of hot dogs on the grill wafted from Bedford Falls Cafe. People purchased sweet treats from the ice cream truck parked in front of the old church and grabbed bags of popcorn popped in front of the historical society.

Throughout the event raffle tickets were sold for items donated by local businesses, council members, and even the mayor himself– flowers from Carol James Florist; gift bags from T-Jay’s Collision Center; a lawn chair from Councilman Don Saunders; and several bottles of wine from Mayor Stan Koci, among others. At the end of the night, these went to a number of people in the crowd, and proceeds raised from the sale went back to support future Parties in the Park. The event ended as night fell.

Next week’s Party in the Park will begin at 6:30 pm to accommodate an earlier sunset. The featured artist will be Logan Wells.

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