After successfully introducing immersive theater in the Cleveland market earlier this year with “Chapter 1: Wanderlust, Shadow of the Run,” LLC Co-Founders Beth McGee, Adam Kern, Christine Woods and Ben Needham are announcing plans to continue the innovation in 2020. Those plans include a limited January engagement “pop-up” production utilizing an alternate reality game, as well as a separate full production, “Chapter 2: Calloused,” that is set to premier in late 2020.
“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.
