Voidspace Dispatches, February 2025: Making Mozart, Uncanny Things and Side/Stepping into the Void
interactive arts
We have to start February’s Dispatches with a great big VOID THANK YOU to everyone who showed up at Theatre Deli last night (8 February) for our inaugural interactive theatre scratch night, Scratching the Void. Three very different works in progress left the whole room buzzing, and with plenty to talk about. It felt like the start of something special and we look forward to repeating it in September.
February is a busy month in the Void. We have another event coming up in just over a week, as we jointly present an evening of games and interactive performance at Side/Step Festival, a festival of new experimental work from the team behind Deadweight Theatre, which features a whole range of new interactive performance. There are a tiny handful tickets left for Side/Step x Voidspace present: An Evening in the Void (including friends of the Void Chloe Mashiter, Nick Murray and Ada Null) and we would be THRILLED to see you there.
We also are delighted to announce that pre-orders are open for Voidspace in Conversation: talking about interactive art, an anthology of collected Voidspace in Conversation interviews, with bonus essays from friends of the Void about interactive performance, writing and even philosophy. We are very proud of it.
February also sees lots of exciting openings elsewhere in the interactive arts world, including the Uncanny Things interactive horror-opera trilogy from Virtually Opera, and The Shop for Mortals and Fools, a new take on the Bacchae from Punchdrunk alum and multi-talented creator Vincius Salles. The team behind the Uncanny Things trilogy are extra busy, as they bring two Lovecraft-inspired interactive pieces to the London Lovecraft Festival.
And in the meantime, our listings grow ever longer and our play-at -home experiences ever weirder: read on for DIY Mozart Dice and a garden of digital Haiku.
Hope to see many of you soon. The Void loves you!
Voidspace at home
interactive arts to experience at your own pace
Voidspace in conversation:
Read our conversation with longstanding friend of the Void Leo Doulton, who we welcome back into the Voidspace to talk about the Uncanny Things Trilogy, their forthcoming immersive-interactive opera series. You can read previous interviews with Leo here and here
Read previous Voidspace conversations with other friends of the void, including Gemma Brockis, Key of Dreams, Deadweight Theatre, Jury Games, Unwired Dance, Nick Murray, Leo Doulton and Chloe Mashiter.
Play at home experiences
Haiku Garden - Richard A Carter presents a delightful, slow, art game where you explore a garden collecting bits of haiku. The garden changes based on the time of day and the season.
Corner of the Internet Database - Matt Prebeg creates some delightful things and this little database just have a series of delightful things in it.
Mozart’s Musical Dice Game - Explore a series of new Mozart pieces that are randomly constructed or generated.
Voidspace explores
interactive arts listings
VoidThings
Voidspace events coming up this month and next:
Side/Step x Voidspace presents: An Evening in the Void - join us for a night of games, poetry and performance, as Side/Step festival welcomes the Void in. Featuring playful performances from friends of the Void Chloe Mashiter, Nick Murray and Ada Null.
Monday 17 February
120 Upper Street, London
Strange Play - monthly online meet & experimental games. This month featuring a Mystery One Shot from friend of the Void, GM and theatre-maker, Hakan Akgül
Voidspace Meets: meet fellow friends of the Void, share what you’re working on and bounce ideas around the Void in our creatives networking meet.
Thursday 20 March 2025
Theatre Deli (no ticket needed)
The open call for voidspace live (in Association with Theatre Deli) is still running and will close on the 30 March 2025. Tickets for the festival
Funding, Money, Opportunities, Whatnot
A fun little gaggle of funding opportunities coming up.
Funding for trans creatives - QueerAF is supporting 20 Trans+ creatives including writers, audio producers and artists to pitch work for Trans+ History Week. Each successful pitch will be paid and
Deadline 16 February
Concrete Immersive Intensive Bursary - A three week immersive theatre intensive in immersive theatre and dance-physical theatre. Awarded scholarships will receive $1000 off the tuition (approximately ½)
Deadline 31 March
IEN callout for consultants and contributors - The Immersive Experience Network (IEN) is back for 2025. This year it will be spread out over two days and their call is out not only for people to lead panels and workshops but also for people who may want to contribute performances and work.
By the way, if you'd like a weekly list of paid opportunities, big shout out to Opportunity Tuesday
Online events
Lennox Mutual by Candle House Collective - Welcome to Lennox Mutual: a Life En-surance company, here to help you make the most of the time you have. We offer policies – to get yours, all you have to do is make an appointment.
For more information, book a one-on-one phone session. Our live representatives are trained to make you feel, make you think, and of course, make you smile. You’ve never experienced service like ours. Read our conversation with Candlehouse Collective here.Online
Various dates, 2025
cirqueSAW - A series of interactive pieces focusing on the intersection of art and technology.
Void Main - Every astronaut knows the risks. Every trip up might not come back down and one wrong choice–however small–might mean the total loss of the mission. In a routine call back home, your smallest choices determine the fate of one astronaut alone on a station 750 million miles away.
23 February 7PMlabRats - Despite all your rage, you are still just a rat in a cage. Luckily, you're also a rat who's been outfitted with a neural implant that allows you to communicate telepathically with the other
22 March 7pmBeta Test Vol. 3 (a remote theatre salon). Online theatre scratch night - now at a UK friendly time!
23 March 7PM
Workshops
Dive In: Crafting Immersive Storytelling Experiences - Part of PUSH 2025 festival at HOME MCR, join director and choreographer Debbie Bandara for a hands-on workshop that focuses on the principles and techniques of immersive storytelling in theatre. Participants will explore how to engage audiences in a multi-sensory experience, breaking traditional boundaries and inviting them into the narrative.
7 February
HOME, Manchester
Acting and Directing for Immersive Cinema Experiences - Join immersive theatre specialist Joe Hufton for an exclusive one-day workshop exploring the art of acting and directing for immersive experiences.
8 February
Portsmouth
In-person events
February 2025
Antigone [on strike] - Ferodo Bridges - Set in an interactive media studio where you vote and affect the story’s direction, this is a new play inspired by Sophocles’ classic tragedy Antigone and the real stories of the young women who became the so-called ‘ISIS Brides’.
Park Theatre, London
30 January - 22 February 2025
Saloon in Bloom - Part of PUSH MCR 2025 festival, this interactive piece involves stepping into a world of digital blossoming and virtual delights. Audiences can watch at their own pace through episodic dance performances. Created with the Night People.
HOME MCR, Manchester
5 - 6 February
Novelty Automation - Situated in London, Novelty Automation is a building featuring a collection of “satirical home-made arcade machines”. They are coming up to their 10th anniversary and are inviting people to join them for a special bar evening with half price tokens and entertainment.
1a Princeton Street, London
6 February (but open all year round)
ART / TECH / PLAY LIVE Producers’ Edition- This annual, special edition of ART // TECH // PLAY LIVE will explore the challenges and delights of making and presenting artworks involving emerging technologies. With keynote presentations and panel talks, we will discuss development, installation, exhibition, touring, and public engagement, exploring a range of case studies with the aim of identifying what new models for producing art/tech work might look like in 2025.
Cambridge
6 February 2025
Gæmz Meetup London - A regular hangout event for the people who are into art/experimental games and playful media. This event gives people the chance to meet one another, present work and mingle.
7 February
113 Rye Lane, Peckham, London
The Tavern - Fantasy Game Night - A casual night of connecting through play, conversations and shared interested. The bar, foyer and studio space of Hoxton Hall will be decked out with elements of post-medieval fantasy world Tephran where, guided by facilitators, you will play some of their traditional tabletop games. This is not an immersive performance but will be a social and playful space.
Hoxton Hall, London
7 February 2025
The Shop for Mortals and Fools - The Shop for Mortals and All Fools is a site-responsive and immersive physical theatre experience conceived by Vinicius Salles and inspired by Euripides’ The Bacchae.
Stanley Arts, London
14 February - 1 March 2025
Sunday Night Salon: Queer Renaissance - Join longtime void friends CN Lester and Leo Doulton for the next instalment of their interactive salon, hosted by the legendary Gay's the Word, inspired by our queer Renaissance forebears. 500 years ago Michelangelo wrote his exquisite sonnets of longing and desire to Roman nobleman Tommaso dei Cavalieri: 400 years ago Strozzi composed and sang of queer love and betrayal to the intelligentsia of Venice: this November, we invite you to celebrate their poetry and music, and the ideas they provoke, with friends old and new in the intimate space of the UK's oldest queer bookshop.
Gay’s the Word, London
16 February 2025
Side/Step Festival - Taking over an intimate restaurant space, Side/Step aims to bring together artists who are pushing the boundaries of their disciplines. With a non-traditional space, the festival combines experimental work, films, works in progress amid other curiosities.
15-22 February 2022
102 Upper Street, London
Here are some specifically interactive offerings but you can also find more sessions such as film nights and workshops.
Painting Pickman’s Model - From the company that brought you the Uncanny Things Trilogy (with an interview forthcoming!). follow in the steps of Pickman and sketch a monstrous ghoul.* A unique opportunity to make your own pieces of art and get to know a horror from London’s corpse-filled graveyard. Part of London Lovecraft Festival.
Drayton Arts Theatre, London
16 February 2025
The Estate Sale of Randolph Carter - Also from Leo Doulton, it has been nearly a decade since the disappearance of Mr Randolph Carter, legendary occultist, academic, and explorer. We have been tasked with the disposal of his estate. Attendees will be able to confer, negotiate, and pool resources between collected lots; we encourage the avoidance of any underhand dealing. Part of London Lovecraft festival.
Drayton Arms Theatre, London
17 February 2025
The Engagement Party - Guests gather for the engagement party of Zack and Sofia but the happy couple are nowhere to be seen! Tensions rise, and the live band and entertainment must keep the party going amid growing chaos. Packed with love, laughter, and a good dose of drama, this immersive performance is a perfect mix of Coronation Street and Britain’s Got Talent, complete with an epic soundtrack to get you dancing in your seat. Designed by afshan d’souza-lodhi.
Oldham Coliseum Theatre, Manchester
18 - 22 February
Where We Meet - Unwired Dance Theatre present an immersive and interactive dance theatre performance where audiences explore the power of connection. Through interactive audio headsets that give the gift of telepathy, audiences can tune into the vibrant inner monologues of whichever character they move close to.
The Cockpit, London
28 February to 2 March 2025
Art Plays Games - Fun, playful and suitable for gamers and non-gamers of all ages, Art Plays Games looks at how artists are increasingly using games as a way to challenge conventional forms of storytelling and offer us new ways to make sense of the world today. Over the exhibition’s run, the artworks and games on display will rotate, introducing something different to discover each time you visit! Currently including I CAN’T FOLLOW YOU ANYMORE from Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley: A video game that explores Black trans identity, spirituality and resistance through vampires – all wrapped up in a 90s horror aesthetic.
FACT, Liverpool
Until 27 April 2025
Bridge Command - Fly your own starship adventure, from the creative minds behind interactive theatre titans, Parabolic. Read our conversation with Bridge Command’s Owen Kingston, here.
London
Until 31 May 2025
March 2025
Living Soils Workshop - a learning game based on collective intelligence which aims to spread a common language on the functioning of soils and the issues linked to their preservation. Presented in collaboration with Gaia Art Foundation, and with support from the World Living Soils Forum by Moët Hennessy
1 March
Somerset House, London
Uncanny Things trilogy - Virtually Opera - A unique trio of shows circling the wyrd, the supernatural, rituals and community. You can play one, you can play all of the.
Come Bargain With Uncanny Things - A ritual.- The Wyrd is rising. But if a community comes together and performs a ritual of bargaining, the Things’ power can be bound, controlled, used, or abused to solve their problems.- You have been asked to attend such a ritual in these difficult times, deciding who to help and how. As the wyrd rises, what will you do?
Come Worship Our Uncanny King - A comedy. Your community has become the court of an inexpressibly powerful uncanny thing; a place of laughter and hilarity. It requires you to honour it, praise it, and serve it. You will decide how as you strive for the favour amid the dangerous gaiety of the Uncanny King (work-in-progress sharing sold out at Voidspace Live, 2024).
Come Murder An Uncanny Thing - A tragedy. A rogue bargainer has captured an Uncanny Thing. A dangerous, manipulative being. But in two and a half hours, its power will be released. You are invited to guide it, channel it, and say how we should use our new power. Behold our enemy, an Uncanny Thing. You are here to decide how it dies.
4 - 30 March
COLAB Tower, London
Bacchanalia - Sleepwalk Immersive - Following two sold-out runs in 2023/24, Bacchanalia is returning in March 2025 to take over the 160-year-old Hoxton Hall.
Hoxton Hall's Grade II* listed building, including its stunning tiered hall and labyrinthine network of rooms and passages, will play host to Thebes, allowing audience members to witness the city's violent descent into madness and debauchery at the hands of the god of wine and pleasure.Hoxton Hall, London
11 March - 6 April
Weird Hope Engines - Dying Earth Catalogue - The first exhibition of its kind, Weird Hope Engines foregrounds the practices of innovative designers, artists, and writers in the field of independent game design, and brings their work into dialogue with fellow-travellers in the field of critical art practice. exploring the shared experience of game space as a site of hallucinatory possibility…
Bonnington Gallery, Nottingham
22 March - 10 May 2025
April 2025
DARKFIELD @ THE DITCH - Four immersive, audio pieces that combine sensory effects and 360 binaural sound.
Headline: ARCADE - A ‘choose-your-own-path’ experience that allows players to decide where the story takes them.
DOUBLE - A troubling exercise in familiarity for two people sitting opposite each other.
VISITORS - A reflection on our irrepressible desire to touch that explores why the dead find so little comfort in the world of the living.
ETERNAL - Experienced lying down in a bed, this piece explores the quandary of eternal life and wonders what price you would pay to achieve it.
Shoreditch Town Hall, London
1 - 12 April 2025
The Argument - Spare the Rod Theatre presents an opportunity to argue with them. In this 60 minute show and “entirely serious experiment”, the performers will be guided by the audience to have heated exchanges and answer big questions.
Barons Court Theatre, London
8 - 12 April 2025
asses.masses - London Games Festival - a custom video game designed to be played from beginning to end by a live audience, one person at a time. It’s a 7+ hour epic story of a herd of unemployed donkeys trying to get their jobs back, all while navigating the perils of a post-Industrial society in which they’ve been made redundant.
Battersea Arts Centre, London
12 - 13 April 2025
Future Ritual Festival - A new festival of choreographic work, performance art, ritual offerings and sonic activations.
Various venues in London and Venice
23rd to 27th April 2025
May 2025
Faust - Seth Kriebel & Zoe Bouras - Come in. Have a seat. Name your price. From the creators of The Unbuilt Room, Discover a new version of a very old story, with an interactive twist. Read our conversation with Seth & Zoe.
South Street Theatre, Reading
15 May 2025