Delirium Dog

Glenn Ricci is a composer, sound designer and video producer with a wide range of serial obsessions including experiential theater, bitter cocktails, and audio samples from obscure corners of music history. Music in SoundCloud Twitter Facebook YouTube

[deliriumdog]

Oh hi! It's been a minute. Or five-plus years, but who's counting? After being away from the McKittrick for about the same 5+ years, I've been to #sleepnomore a few "last" times over the course of this Very Long Goodbye phase we are in.

Some people have asked me about this "missing" podcast in which I interview Careena Melia (OG Hecate) and three OG superfans. Well, the fine folks at ScareHouse saw fit to re-post this flashback episode after I mentioned your clamoring.

So travel back in time with me, if you will, to the Summer of 2012...

Enjoy!

Sleep No More cast member Careena Melia

Our 2012 interview with 'Hecate' from the iconic immersive experience, recorded at the McKittrick Hotel

[readwithjoy]

We CAN Do It Again!!!!

Hello all of you amazing folks --

NYC theater has been dark for over a year. While there is some light at the end of this tunnel, it's dim and far away for people who haven't seen a regular paycheck since last March.

And so the Lost Immersive folks are putting on another show and fundraiser!!! We can't wait to bring this new project to you! Last Halloween, the immersive fan community came together in an amazing way and gave tangible and desperately needed support to the performers, staff, and crew of NYC's immersive productions. I'm so proud of all of us!

On May 1st, we are hosting another amazing show! I'm looking forward to sharing more about it as we get closer to the date, but trust me -- there is a lot in this show that you will love. We also have some spectacular art and artifacts and surprises that will be auctioned off to benefit the fundraiser.

Which brings me to...THE FUNDRAISER!!!

Have you been doing a little bit better lately? Is your tax return on it's way or has a stimulus payment landed in your bank account? Have you been able to work from home without a loss of income? If that is the case, could you think back over this year and imagine how much money you would have spent on ticket to theater shows? How many cocktails would you have savored in The Manderley? Could you think in those terms when considering how much to give to help the people who have given so much to all of us?

Click here to give!!! The Lost Garden Fundraiser

Thank you for your support, and I can't wait to share a drink with you in our favorite bar!

Note: Just for transparency's sake, please know that the show is being completely underwritten by those of us who are producing it. Every single cent given to the Go Fund Me will be given directly to immersive folks who have requested help.

[thinkingimages]

Goodbyes are inevitable | discarded library book acquired from Michael Dumontier @stoppingoffplace

[deliriumdog]

How true.

[deliriumdog]

Some views from MASS/RABBLE from Submersive Productions. Opening tonight!

[everylittlenote-deactivated2019]

I had the pleasure of trekking down to Baltimore this past weekend to experience H.T. Darling’s Incredible Musaeum. It was fascinating, engaging, and probably my favorite piece of immersive theater that I have seen besides Sleep No More.

I only got to see it once so I certainly don’t understand everything that went on, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. I was first impressed just by all of the set details and likely could have spent the majority of the show just investigating the museum itself. Also - the puppets! I want a Tooth Monster and Vampire Butterfly of my own, please.

Lately I’ve been discouraged at some of the smaller scale immersive pieces I’ve seen because it just seems like they have been cramming too many people into entirely too small spaces. HERE had it right with just the five audience members. Ghost Light worked but they guided you along. H.T. Darling also had it right. The rooms were not enormous but big enough that it never felt too cramped (except for one scene at the end but even that wasn’t a massive problem or criticism). They knew how to use the space. I loved that it was a free follow and the characters interacted with the audience from time to time. We, the audience, weren’t “ghosts” - we were invited guests and the characters were entirely aware of our presence.

More about the performers - wow. When there were interactions, the way they could just seamlessly and naturally improvise a conversation. It’s not something I can do (I am horrible at small talk in most circumstances, and also freeze when put on the spot by anyone in an immersive - or otherwise - piece. I saw “Every Brilliant Thing” a few years ago and the performer had me be his childhood guidance counselor and asked me how I would describe him as a kid. My mind went blank, my anxiety hit the roof as I felt all eyes on me, and I finally managed to sputter out some dumb answer. This is not a reflection on any of the interactive moments in any show, which are wonderful and a happy bonus typically. Just my own anxiety.) *Spoiler Alert* I was part of a scene where H.T. was writing out his will and asking everyone around him what they wanted from him. The conversations were so seamless that I thought I was the only one who hadn’t received the script. It really was a joy to watch.

All of the performers and characters were fantastic, each with their own curious eccentricities and secrets that I am still trying to piece together. I love a bit of mystery, so naturally I loved the story - the portion of it that I got to see. I spent the majority of my time with H.T. so my friends and I tried to put the puzzle pieces of the story together the next morning at breakfast since we had all spent time with different characters.

I’m so happy I made the journey to see the show. It kind of blows my mind to think how much work goes into shows like this. I’m excited to see and throw my support behind Submersive’s next project(s).

[deliriumdog]

I just came across this like a year later while searching for something else. We were still running the show this time last year, about to close it down, and so I’m getting some waves of nostalgia now. Especially having just closed (for now) another major piece (@instituteofvisonaryhistory)  this past weekend I've got some time to breathe and look back at what we've done. Anyway, thanks @everylittlenote! So glad you were able to visit!

[instituteofvisonaryhistory]

Episode Six: A Horse By The Tail In The Night

Two obscure aristocrats are fated to dine together indefinitely over the course of an evening that will not cease. Cursed with abundance, they chew away the hours, their food and drink complemented with the bitter fruits of their recollections; spiced with regret and desire, mellowed with well-worn stories. Any attempt to exhaust the inexhaustible is doomed to fail. But like a finely cured meat there is pleasure to be had in consuming the decay and even more in sharing it with whom you may.

Actualized by Francisco Benavides and Lisi Stoessel with live sound design and music by Glenn Ricci (aka @deliriumdog).

As a set of stories are told and re-told over the course of eight (yes, 8) hours, the audience has a choice: Stay for an hour and experience one course of a larger meal? Stay for a longer stretch as the stories evolve and devolve? Drop in and out over the course of the day? 

All we can say is that those who had committed staying for longer stretches did not regret their experience.

[deliriumdog]

You read that right: eight hours long! And I was there mixing live-generated sound and music the whole time. This was mostly because there was no way for me to score it ahead of time. In fact, I could not even see it all ahead of time. The performances were roughly half scripted and half improvised and responsive to the audience of up to ten people sitting just a few inches from the performers. Each hour had one or more scenes that involved them directly, but their close proximity had them always feeding back into the performance. The story and overall experience was just as strange and poingnant as our other pieces, but there was something special and electric that came from the extended format. Their comical chemistry mixed with the audiences' on a long, dark ride into unfamiliar territory. By the end, I have to admit that I was a little choked up. I'm still wrapping my head around what we've done, but it felt very signficant, special, and satisfying. (And a dream gig for a sound-designer!) We're doing it again this Saturday and possibly again December 8th. I feel like it could become a real phenomenon. Or I could just end. All I know is that I'm very excited to do it all again.

[instituteofvisonaryhistory]

“What happens next?…” Tattoos left behind by our guest researchers during Episode Four: Waters of Oblivion

[deliriumdog]

This was such a beautiful episode to put together. And the first time our audience response involved writing on the performer’s skin. Cori Dioquino is such a fearless performer and took a number of artistic risks that really paid off. Once again so proud of the amazing artists we work with.

[instituteofvisonaryhistory]

Identify fellow Institute inductees with our omnipresent logo. We find that even if they are not wearing it, fellow members can still tell.

[deliriumdog]

Oh Hi! I have not been posting much because this project (The Insitute of Visionary History and the Archives of the Deep Now) has been such an all-consuming and exhuasting trip! Thanks so much for those of you who have reached out with words of support, even though you are too far away to travel just to see one short episode. I totally get it. I think it's been a real treat for all the local folks who've been along for the ride so far. And we've made many converts for whom this is their first immersive thing. Yes, that still happens, and it's beautiful to see every time. We have three more episodes to create, then we'll figure out what to do with the whole concept. Make it bigger, fuller, more satisfying for a single visit? Keep it the same--small and relatively short? Or just close up shop? There is already talk of bringing back the last two episodes that each had a single weekend run. But we will see. For me, getting to do lights, sound, and projections (on top of the dark arts of devising and producing) for each piece has been one of the most satisfying things I've done creatively. We made this very wierd performance/experience space and then get to make something new happen in there every couple weeks. Other than barely keeping up with sleep and having to hold down a full-time day job in the meantime, it has been a wonderous experience. Wish you were here.

[deliriumdog]

This curtain to #visionaryhistory opens next week! Tix link at SubmersiveProductions.com #immersivetheatre #submersiveproductions #pealecenter (at The Peale Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnTLkt_g9g0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=76v3g1o9fcn6

[instituteofvisonaryhistory]

Space is very limited! Act with haste!

It is our pleasure to be finally bringing our work the the public.

[deliriumdog]

Boom!

[deliriumdog]

Been spending a lot of time at this place lately, working on a couple strange projects that just cause people to blink at me funny when I describe them. #visionaryhistory #terminallucidity #pealecenter #baltimore (at The Peale Center)

[deliriumdog]

A statueless face and a faceless #statue. #pealecenter (at The Peale Center)

[deliriumdog]

Found this knitted brick rummaging in The Institute of #visionaryhistory archives underneath the #pealemuseum. Still deciphering meaning. #immersivetheatre #submersiveproductions #baltimore (at The Peale Center)

[deliriumdog]

Curious.

[deliriumdog]

Found this knitted brick rummaging in The Institute of #visionaryhistory archives underneath the #pealemuseum. Still deciphering meaning. #immersivetheatre #submersiveproductions #baltimore (at The Peale Center)

[instituteofvisonaryhistory]

Reproduction of the first found IVH cypher. Still decyphering.

[deliriumdog]

From the new Submersive joint.

[deliriumdog]

“Submersive Production’s show “H.T. Darling’s Incredible Musaeum Presents: The Treasures of New Galapagos — Astonishing Acquisitions from the Perisphere” converted all three floors, and even the attic, into a sort of cabinet of wonders with a dime museum-esque assemblage of stuffed creatures and bizarre artifacts related to the mythical planet (yes, planet) New Galapagos. The show included puppetry, sound and lighting effects, and ringleader Darling and his minions performing skits and talks as patrons wandered around the Peale at will for a night of choose-your own-adventure theater. Crazy as it sounds, it was a good fit for the museum, since Peale’s original 1814 museum also featured stuffed exotic creatures and assorted natural history oddities.”

[deliriumdog]

Still decompressing from three weeks of “BATS!” — our meditation on fear, madness, moods, and accordion melodies. Here are a few shots of Michele Minnick in action, puppets by Ursula Marcum, projections by me, and illustrations by Chelsea Demitras.