Voidspace dispatches, November 2024: Withered Hill, Shakespeare and the Borg
interactive arts
Welcome to November’s edition of Voidspace dispatches. Read on to find out more about festival favourite Emily Carding, whose Richard III (a one-person show) brought the house down at Theatre Deli in June.
This month’s play at home experiences focus on location based ambient literature, as Roads to Withered Hill takes you on a walk to a doomed village, and Breathe brings the uncanny right to your door.
Step outside and you’ll find a greater variety than ever of interactive performance, games and exhibitions to explore, including a murder mystery set on a Bridge Command’s spaceship, and a night of interactive experiences at the Horniman Museum. Tread wisely, and be brave.
Voidspace at home
interactive arts to experience at your own pace
Voidspace in conversation:
This month we welcome festival favourite Emily Carding into the voidspace, to tell us about their interactive takes on Shakespeare, why immersive is the successor to the spirit of early modern theatre, and what a theatre audience has in common with the Borg.
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
We gave ourselves shivers playing / reading / listening to these chilling pieces of ambient literature:
Roads to Withered Hill, by Tom Abba: Ambient literature meets folk horror, as you are invited to take a journey to Withered Hill, an isolated Lancashire village with a nightmarish secret at its heart.
Taking Dave Barnett’s new novel, Withered Hill as inspiration, this interactive location-sensitive audio experience will transport you to Withered Hill, wherever you are in the world.
Created by Tom Abba, whose previous work includes These Pages Fall Like Ash and From Bitter Ground. Read our interview with Tom here.
Breathe, by Kate Pullinger: Breathe tells the story of Flo, who has the ability to talk to ghosts. As Flo struggles to communicate with her dead mother, a terrible realisation begins to dawn: the ghosts can see you too. A horror story that knows where you live.
Voidspace explores
interactive arts listings
November 2024
labRats - CirqueSaw - 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 rats in your cage. Maybe that'll help. labRats is a new digitally native interactive performance by the award-winning duo cirqueSaw. Pulling equally from classic games, silent films, and a generous helping of Lewis Carroll, the piece seeks to blur the line between reality and unreality, between wonder and horror.
Online
2 - 3 November 2024
How to Survive the Apocalypse - Museum of Homelessness - This is a chance to learn from and listen to people with the skills and aptitude to deal with the collapses we are seeing. Expect a lively, conversational encounter which is about connection and solidarity. Through an approach that looks to smash the traditional model of glass cases and guarded access, we instead present our objects through a tour that includes performance, poetry, object handling, chats, and much more.
Finsbury Park, London
2-30 November 2024
Immersive Learning Festival - Punchdrunk Enrichment - For primary school teachers, senior leaders and Headteachers, for arts and culture learning teams, practitioners, academics and researchers. Discover the impact of Punchdrunk Enrichment’s work in primary schools as we launch the results of major research and evaluation. Or dip your toe in the water, hear from other teachers’ experiences and come away with your own toolkit to apply immersive learning in your classroom.
Brentford, London
4 - 7 November 2024
Red Planet Revolution - Upstart Theatre - It’s the year 2224, and the human settlement on Mars has finally declared its independence from Earth. You have been chosen to lead the people of Mars into a new and brighter future. The decisions you make now will shape your planet’s history for generations to come. No pressure…
6 November 2024
Porthtowan, Mount Pleasant Eco Park8 November 2024
Falmouth, Poly9 November 2024
Hayle, Academy10 November 2024
Newquay, St Michael's Church Hall
Selecting a Ghost Two Lines Production & BirdGang- immersive supernatural mystery takes over former Manikins venue, Stanley Arts, as part of the Day of the Dead festival
Stanley Arts, London
6 - 9 November 2024
Landmarks Late - a night of interactive experiences, installations and participatory performances at the Horniman Museum and Gardens, exploring how humans mark the land and how the land marks us. Immersive mixed reality performances, to a Caribbean crafting workshop, a series of interactive activities led by researchers at Goldsmiths and a performance from community partner, IRIE! dance theatre
Horniman Museum and Gardens
7 November 2024
Stampin In the Graveyard: an immersive journey to the end of the world - Rose is an AI chatbot that gives advice for the end of the world, powered by a black box of memories from people whose worlds have already ended. Tonight, Rose unfolds the archives she has salvaged (and fabricates a few in true AI fashion), to learn about the woman who created her. An immersive headphone experience that fuses poetry, live music and movement to draw the audience into this ephemeral apocalyptic world.
The Cockpit, London
8 - 9 November 2024
Where We Meet - Unwired Dance Theatre - What if you could hear others' inner thoughts? An intimate and communal experience at the intersection of dance, immersive technology and mental health. Read our interview with creators Clem Debaig and Livia Masserelli here.
Questors Theatre, London
8 - 9 November 2024
The Manikins: A Work in Progress by Deadweight Theatre - An hour long performance by two actors for you, its single audience member and protagonist. Innovative and mind boggling, this is the voidspace’s favourite interactive show for some time. Read the voidspace’s conversation with Deadweight’s Jack Aldisert here and donate to Deadweight’s crowdfunder here
Croydonites Festival - 16 - 24 November 2024
The Estate - Pallas Projects / Conan McIvor - an immersive virtual game experience that draws on elements of visual installation, theatre, social media, pop culture, music and dance in exploring the ideas and values surrounding young working class men in Belfast growing up during the pandemic period.
Dublin
Until 16 November
Build Your Own Cult - An Immersive Theatre Risk Management Workshop.
Woolwich, London
18 November 2024
Murder Beyond Mars - Moonstone Mysteries - immersive murder mystery romp - in space! Moonstone Mysteries joins with Bridge Command to present an evening of sleuthing on board the UCN Warspite.
Vauxhall, London
20 November 2024
Intrapology: Is ‘Society’ in the Room with us now? - Zoyander Street - ‘Is “Society” In The Room With Us Now?’ is Episode 2 of Intrapology, which aims to tell stories about how worlds are made, how they break apart, and how we can reconnect. Our innovative custom-made web app allows the audience to influence what the protagonist says and does. This reflects how the characters, and their world, have been shaped by society.
Online
22 November 2024
The Dead - ANU and Landmark Productions, in association with Museum of Literature - Immersive experience offering uniquely intimate way for small audience groups to experience James Joyce’s masterpiece.
Museum of Literature, Dublin
22 November 2024 - 12 January 2025
Rhythm & Ruse - welcome to the Starling, home to magic, music & mystery. A place where things are not quite what they seem. Take your last opportunity to experience this high class magic & jazz show compered by Punchdrunk alumni Mallory Gracenin & Sam Booth, with hidden secrets for those lucky enough to be chosen to dig a little deeper.
Vaults, London
Until 23 November 2024
CLAWS by Candlehouse Collective - You get a call from a young man named Danny. There’s a monster in his closet, and he needs your help. But as the call goes on and more sinister intentions are revealed, it begs the question: which side of the closet door is the danger really on? CLAWS is an hour-long interactive phone call for you to experience alone in your bedroom. It’s a spine-chilling exploration of shared trust and the consequences of taking things for granted. Your choices matter as the story unfolds – for better or worse.
Telephone
Until 1 December 2024
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
Until 22 December 2024
Jury Games, live - play Jury Duty or The Inquest, sift through evidence and interview defendants to get to the truth. Read our conversation with creator Tom Black.
Theatre Deli, London
Until 23 December 2024
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 January 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!
FACT, Liverpool
Until 27 April 2025
December 2024
The Key of Dreams - highly immersive and interactive luxury 24 hour Lovecraftian experience set in a 17th century manor house, on the border of dream and waking. Read our conversation with creators.
Treowen House, Wales
December 2024
January 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