The intriguing mystery DreamWalkers will premiere live and in person in Bedford with a limited engagement of 12 evening performances starting June 25. Each performance has a limited audience of 10 people per show, offering a safe and socially distanced event for each participant.
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.
