Dewey's Tumblr

Adventures in theatricals

[unklarity]

so I have a few boxes in planning stages right now…

Josephine Fulton tarot-themed box

Plus 3 customs, one which I’ve started already. Yay!!

I’ll be picking a date to open customs for Feb-March soon so keep an eye out :)))

[deweydjb]

I could get excited about a Fulton box!

[deweydjb]

Mesmerisms 14:  Spinning

At the moment I am thinking of this wild ride that is my Tumblr.  I sort of have a purpose to blog again,  and recap my evenings spent in a show that I love. 

I am wondering, after Sunday, what the next chapter will be.  Most likely I will go back to reading,  improvising,  trying to catch local concerts or plays with the occasional foray to New York for a madcap weekend,  but it won’t be the same.  

I have two weeks off coming to celebrate the holiday and the back seat of my car is packed with the Turner House by Flournoy,  Black Swan Green by Mitchell,   Infinite Jest  (though I can't imagine trying to tackle that one)   and an advanced reading copy of something that caught my fancy.   I can put my feel up on mu mom’s coffee table and actually relax.  

My fourteenth visit was on Thursday,  December 17.     Soon the fifteenth and sixteenth will be here and gone, though I am trying  not to think to hard about this.    I had spent sometime reading about Poe’s final days and the “train theory”  and it really as confounding as it sounds.   But there is a part (or parts) in the show where it features heavily, so it was good that I caught up with it.  It made more sense in the sense that I understood where it was coming from,  not that I understood it.   Maybe it is not meant to be understood.

Almost in the same way that Agatha Christie once disappeared for several days and suddenly turned up, and never said a word about it.   We may never actually know where Poe was in his final days or hours,  or how he ended up in the wardrobe that he did.   I often think that V should enter a room during the evening and come out in different clothing,  That would throw the audience for a loop!

But I did sit with Auguste during his final scene  and we were standing around him much like the time on one of my first visits,  instead of the pulled up chairs that the audience had recently been occupying.    Then Sarah came over to deliver her final words and we all sat on the floor surrounding her,  and it was a fine, gentle moment.   I was so glad to be part of that!

I did manage to stay with the Barkeep through the entire collection sequence and see her pick up everything from the red ribbon all the way through the locket.   The pheasant feathers was a particularly beguiling scene,  with some mirror writing that I found fascinating.    There are so many scenes I like and want to experience.   And two more days to do it.

Lately I am at a loss.  Friends of mine know what this means to me, but are starting to look at me like a madman for attending so many times.  Several have come at my urging and understand how wonderful it is, but don't get the desire to attend again and again.  I guess I am a rare breed.    I have some wonderful new Tumblr blogs I can now follow to at least experience other shows that our out there in the stratosphere with hopes I can get to some of them.   Until then, I will go back to being me and lie in wait for my next adventure. 

Though fear not, those of you who have found this small space I have created ih the universe, there will be at least two more posts.

May the keeper keep you in her heart,  and keep those you have lost close to your soul.

[deweydjb]

Mesmerisms 13:  Bittersweet

When I discovered immersive theater with Sleep No More,  I finally discovered a world where I could be the kind of person I was.   I have always craved mystery and suspense.  I adored hosting murder mystery parties,  having everyone come dressed in full 1920′s  garb,  creating characters and solving a crime.   It was hard to find others out there quite like me.    Yes, there were options if you wanted to be a vampire, or live action Dungeons and Dragons, or even the Renaissance Faire,  but what of us Victorians,  or people who wanted to dress like a 1940′s film noir character,  or experience going to a Speakeasy?   Immersive theater let me experience this type of environment  and let me explore.  Not only characters but a set filled with secrets. I can open drawers, read letters,  pick things up and move about a space in my own time and my own way.  And if inside my mind I am also creating a character or a reason as to why the person in my mind is there,  that is fine, too... immersive is all about how I experience it.  In my own time and in my own way.  It doesn’t have a wrong or right answer.

I got to Sleep  No More as often as I could,  but because of the expense involved, not as often as I would have liked.   Also the crowds in Sleep No More got more and more overwhelming,  and I tended to get lost in the shuffle, and not able to see or experience it in the way I wanted to.

Then this marvelous little show opened in Baltimore.  Only 26 guests as a time and a plot that I watched but somehow involved me.   I was led upstairs and down,  meeting characters that I would see again and again,   who also seem to know I am trapped as they are by the spell of this house.  And I am compelled to go again and experience the story one more time.

And now, at show 13, I know the end is near.   I have no doubt that this will not be the last immersive production in Baltimore but it will be the last for this set of marvelous actors and characters I have grown to love.  Odd, I know.  I don’t know the actors or much about their lives outside the show, but the characters I know inside and out.   Each time Roderick the butler asks for help,  I can only obey,  I must keep V safe.  Help V along on his journey. If only I can do something to make this happen.

On show 13 I was wandering about making a list inside my head.  What scenes do I want to see one more time... if anyone could drag me off for a 1:1  what would my favorite one be?   What room should I be standing in?  Should I help at Sarah’s séance or find Madeline’s ?  Or help Roderick keep order?

Roderick again chose me to go down to the basement to help V.   I love this so much as V is so troubled.. trying to regain his senses and his memory. Roderick took me upstairs again to help him with objects he had collected.   I try to understand. And yet, I want things to remain a mystery.

It is hard to straddle the line of being one of those frequent visitors who have gone so many times one can almost sing “I Wish I Wish “ along with the cast, and deliver Gertude’s speech by heart.   I am just always touched by something in the show,  and even now, at show 13, I can still be moved to tears,  and jump when a door is slammed.    And those spirits will be ever present, at least for me.  As I go into my final weekend at the Pratt house,  I need to remember how this type of theater has given me a much deeper appreciation for the power of art and what art can do,  and think about how I can use the creativity within myself to share and experience it with others.

[unklarity]

She asked me once if I’d been in love. 

 One of the most beautiful things about immersive theater is that I can let go of the “myself” with anxiety and depression and all the other stuff and I can share experiences with strangers who, in turn, share experiences with me. I can lie in a bed while a woman I don’t know tells me a story. I can become simultaneously invisible and hyper-visible; vulnerable and invincible. I can see tears and shed them. I can see my struggles mirrored in someone else’s and in turn, get answers about my own life. 

 There is still awkwardness, but awkwardness is human. If you let your discomfort exist instead of escaping it, it transforms almost into another feeling. It takes on a life of it’s own. Gives instead of taking away. It’s a difficult lesson, that being in the wrong place is something you are allowed to do.

 There are wrong steps but they will never lead you to the wrong thing. 

 The people I have met on this adventure have changed my life. The places I have been have affected me just as drastically. I have opened up deep and ugly and terrifying parts of myself and learned, in a small way, to accept them. I have had good days, bad days, but I have learned from each one. 

I have left things in empty spaces and full ones, given them up to the universe in crevices so tiny that they’ll never be discovered, things that I may revisit but I will never pick up onto my shoulders again. I have learned that being afraid is a beautiful thing. That uncertainty and naivety are not things to run away from. That sometimes you have to fall in order to change directions and find something truly amazing. 

 Most of all, I have learned that time may not be able to heal a broken heart, but I can pick up pieces along the way and fix it myself. I will throw things away. I will have bad nights. I may not know what I am doing. But one day, I will stumble down the stairs and into a room and maybe I’ll hear something I needed to hear since I was a child. Maybe I will tell someone they’ve needed to hear. Maybe the tiny things I collect will make someone happy, and that will make me happy. It’s all a cycle. It never ends. I do not want it to.

 I said yes, I have been. And suddenly there was a red thread between us.

[rottenwoodandwiltedsunflowers]

This is beautiful and very moving. Thank you for your words that express what is so hard to express in words.

[deweydjb]

What a moving post. And so true.

[deweydjb]

Mesmerisms 11 and 12. Eliza. Virginia.

I had a wonderful time with visit 11. I love the character of Eliza, and had attempted to follow her story arc before, but got dragged away by other residents and was not able to piece together the entire thing. With immersive theater, it is fun to get swept into the tumult of confusion, madness and strange events and be carried along like a lost life raft at sea, but sometimes it is nice just to stay with a character and try to make sense of their personal journey and motivation. I think I learned a bit from Eliza, about motherhood and fame, and the balance of both. Wanting to raise your child but still wanting to remain true to your admirers. The fear of aging and losing your figure. The resentment you feel when your son transfers his affections to the woman he will marry. The fear of not leaving a legacy behind as an actress. Who will remember Eliza's greatest roles? That is a lot to think about but it seemed to come through at least to me. She is a powerful and dynamic character and is always fun to spend an evening with. Visit 12 was Thursday. I was tired and had trouble getting my bearings. I wasn't sure who to stick with and seemed to be wandering aimlessly for the first 40 minutes or so. Then I decided to stick with Virginia and she becomes really frenetic! ! We raced around the rooms, picking up speed. We bothered other characters and visitors. We wore matching necklaces. We peered through binoculars and caused mischief at a seance. I came to believe that Virginia is the houses resident poltergeist. Poltergeists tend to be trapped spirits, often tragic souls, who can only communicate through noise and moving objects around. Many focus on an individual rather than a place, and there is a lot of mischief making around V and Eliza. She stamps, hoots and hollers. Throws things. . She is definitely a poltergeist. Oddly it is only when she realizes she is dead, can she transcend the stairs. I think that is true for each of them. They are trapped in limbo until they can come to terms with what they are. Eliza never is able to, so she is ushered downstairs. The servants get back to business in the house. Someone left the little book behind that the barkeep gives as a gift. I am not sure that person knew it was a keepsake to be treasured. I made sure that a visitor had it and knew how important it was to be kept safe. I go again for lucky 13 on Sunday. Excited.

[deweydjb]

I have found a box for all my treasures.

[deliriumdog]

9 and done...

Yo. I just want to be super-clear about this: I know I have been adding lots of caveats and escape hatches when talking about whether the show will end. You should no longer hang any hope on those. Here are the facts:

ON DECEMBER 20th, MESMERIC REVELATIONS WILL END.

That’s nine more shows, counting today. None will be added next year. This is because of a combination of our availability and the start of renovations to the house in early Spring. No, the show cannot be moved. If it ever happens again, it will have to rebuilt somewhere else, at which point it would be a different show. (We get bored easily and would probably end up changing everything.) At any rate, we currently have no desire to do that. For lots of reasons. So I would not harbor any hope of it happening.

So! Listen up, all you SNM superfans in NYC! I say all this out of love: 

Let’s say you’re planning this weekend or next taking that well-worn path the McKittrick yet again for the hundredth and nth time. I know, it’s comforting and easy, and it’s still a good show. But really: what are you thinking!? For that price you can hop on Amtrak or the Bolt Bus, be in Baltimore in three hours, walk a mile through a beautiful neighborhood, and have a genuinely new and special experience in a whole new world. Maybe hit a nice restaurant before or after. It isn’t hard. SNM will be there when you get back, I promise.

[Above: our amazing cast of performers you will be missing if you never come.]

If the night you want to come is sold out online, write info(at)myedgarallanpoe.com and state your situation. We’ll figure something out. You can still use the coupon code “mesmeric” for a discount.

I’ve had a number of people tell me that their first visits reminded them of their early days at Sleep No More. That excitement of discovering a new world with new characters, new rules, not knowing what will happen next…. What would you give to feel that way again? All you need to do is show a little spontaneity and come on down. It’s not too late. In two weeks…it will be. 

http://www.myedgarallanpoe.com/

[deweydjb]

I'll be there for 5 of the final 8. And no regrets. It's the best show I've ever experienced. I'm so lucky to live in Baltimore. Get her. Just get here.

[deweydjb]

Mesmerisms 10:  Objects and Theories

My tenth visit was Thursday, December 3rd,   and it was Jenna Rossman’s last show as Eliza.  Jenna was always fascinating to watch,  and I especially loved her rendition of Gertrude coming down the stairs.    I was happy to be able to experience her performance of Eliza on several occasions and am definitely going looking forward to seeing her in other theatrical projects.

In this edition of Mesmerisms,  I want to focus on some objects that trouble me.  This may be a possible spoiler ridden post,  so if you have not seen the show and don’t want any theories,  save this for after the closing of the show.   I am really trying to get my thoughts down as I think them,  so when the show does close, I have a record of the things I really want to remember.

New objects:

Tonight I noticed a rather heavy ceramic pot in the lobby.   When I opened it, I found a skull.  I had not seen it before.  I wonder if it is new.

In Virginia’s room,  there was a strange little box that when opened had some dangly bits,  and appeared to be about phrenology.   I also found a piece of paper with an illustration of human lungs.

Roderick was reading a letter early in the show and placed it in a drawer.  I immediately ran over and tried to read the letter, but the lighting was a bit dim and I wanted to keep my eye on some characters,  so I scanned it and put it back.  It was tragic.  Maybe Sunday night I will try to read it again.

Roderick’s book:

Tonight I also discovered that Roderick seems to need to be in possession of the book in order to move and be active.  He becomes separated from it and becomes immobile.     I really want to snatch the book up and run to the lobby (where there is better lighting )  and pour over the book, because I get snatches of it, mostly reading over Roderick’s shoulder, but with the lighting and the font, I am not always sure what I am reading.  There is a page all about Sarah I had never seen before. There is a LOT of info.  I need to read this.   I am also unsure whether he is predicting events before they happen or while they are happening.  He has information about the chess piece and the key and the sand and wine glass.     And he often opens to these pages at auspicious moments.

The teeth:

I can’t for the life of me figure out what is happening with the teeth.  Whose teeth are they?  Why are they in a jar?  Where to they come from?  I have seen the teeth used in the spell in Virginia’s room.  I think I have also seen them in the box over near Auguste’s table.   I have seen them discarded on a shelf near Virginia’s room and at some point V throws them about.    Note to self:  follow the teeth.

The Barkeep:

At some point in the show, the Barkeep is wearing a red ribbon,  a rope, pheasant feathers,   among other things.  There is a point when she starts to collect these items.   I always mean to go in thinking that I am going to follow her at this point, but I get distracted by the other goings ons and I miss it.   Then I see her throw all these things onto a table near Auguste,  and I think “when did she pick all these things up?  What do they mean?”   I truly need the one on one again where I name her/him to test my theory.  I have a theory as to who she/he is.    I need to be proven right or wrong.

Other things that move:   A handkerchief.  A pearl necklace that Eliza is wearing at one point, only to fling down  in the lobby,  and this reappears when Auguste attaches it to one of his evidence clothes lines.

The audience was stellar tonight and ready for an immersive experience.  They really moved around and shadowed many of the characters.   I have a few quiet scenes I like to watch when I need a respite from the crowd, but tonight, all the quiet scenes I generally go to had a big audience.    I was really happy because these actors do so well in their roles,  everyone needs to see the nuances and even the quiet moments are sometimes quite powerful.

We also got to see the monument lighting downtown, and fireworks.    Because parking might have been tight due to the lighting, we decided to walk downtown, get a bite to eat, hit the show and take the light rail home.  It was not too cold so it was a good plan.  We also met some Victorian carolers who sang “Good King Wenceslas” to us.   It was a very good night!

[deweydjb]

Mesmerisms 9:  The 50.

Last Night, the Mesmeric world had it’s 50th show and I was really happy to be part of it.    There was quite a crowd,  and many in Poe inspired dress.   It is a constant joy to see this immersive work reaching so many new fans in Baltimore.

I still have a remarkable time when I go, but I sometimes get into my headspace when I know something that I love will soon be ending.   So, I begin to think “I need to figure this out”  or “I need to make sure that I see/do this”  and more often than not, living in your head space is not the way to go. 

I again tried following the barkeep, and this time I managed to discover when she finds the rope,  the telescope, and the chain.  I am still unsure as to where the pheasant feathers come from, or why for that matter they are pheasant feathers.  I even had a one on one with her,  and that only made me a bit more confused as to who she is.  I do have a theory.    I think part of the show is not knowing,  so, not having an answer may be the answer.

I love getting in between Roderick and Madeline.  It’s a game I play now,  who’s side will I pretend to be on, and which side will I get sucked into.   This time, Madeline tried to coerce me,  but I second guessed her,  and  wandered off in search of new delights.  

The best part of the evening for me was one of the final scenes in the show that I had never seen before, featuring Eliza, and something that a different character had showed me on a previous visit but I never was present when Eliza finds it.   It was very touching,  and really beautiful.  I think it will become one of my favorite moments in the show.  It is very quiet, and you can miss it,  but when you see it, it is powerful.

One of my favorite things to do is stay with V.   I really enjoy sitting with him in the lobby area as he struggles to escape  or in Virginia’s room nearing the end.  These are more quiet moments that I love.  Just sitting, watching a character in part of a journey  coming to rest.   

The cast met for a 50th show celebration and graciously allowed me and my husband to join them and this was nice, too.  It was nice to share with the cast what joy they bring to me every time I go, and getting to talk not only to the actors but the set dressers and costumer is so interesting.  To see all the work and effort that pulled something like this together.

I truly hope that the show is just on another hiatus and it will come back for a spring run, or perhaps summer.   Or that maybe it will morph into another immersive local experience that we can enjoy.   I am beginning to dread where I am going to spend my Thursdays and Sundays, if not at the Pratt House.  I’ll need a new hobby,

[deweydjb]

Mesmerisms 8:  The Keeper, revealed.

It is very hard for me to talk about visit number 8 without revealing too many spoilers, but I will see what I can do.    This visit took place on Sunday night, Nov. 15. 

I was fully committed to testing my theory of who I think the barkeep might be,  and usually the barkeep doesn’t get as much love as the other residents, so the actor is wide open for an intense follow.  This night, however, the barkeep became wildly popular,  and it seemed like a gaggle of guests were chasing her around, so I thought it best to leave her be, as I have several more visits planned and have time to catch up with her later.

So, I thought it best to concentrate on the basket.   The basket is a new addition to the show with the reboot,  and I had managed to interact with it on one occasion but it had never sent me on a mission before.  Tonight was my night for a mission.  I had to find a steward, and thus it began. 

I can't hope to tell you where the mission leads.  I will say, it is worth looking for the basket and following instructions.   It moved me deeply and gave me a lot to think about.

I am a librarian by trade,  and thus am, a big fan of story and narrative.   This evening, I began to think about one of the central themes of the show, or how I see the show,  as characters, both real and imaginary having form, as long as they are remembered, or are an active part of someone’s mind.  Even when the author dies, the characters live on any time a person reads the work.  This makes being a librarian even cooler, when you think about it, because a librarian’s job is preserving the memory of books and characters, and often recommending books that are no longer on the hot title list, but books a reader may have missed along the way, or even want to revisit.  As long as people can think and dream,  characters can come to life.

So as a multiple visitor to the Pratt House the show makes sense every time, because time itself resets,  so the events become almost like the movie Groundhog Day,   and no matter who arrives at the door, the characters become part of a collected memory narrative,  and we, the audience bring them once again to life.   Only to fade slightly,  but come to life again on the following night, and perhaps,  are there, still when the building is empty.

All this from the Keeper of the house.   I hope that this does not seem like a spoiler,  it is not meant to be.  It is just a theory I have developed about the show that may be true, or not, but makes sense to me.  And the only way to test a theory, of course, is to go again.

So, after being thrown completely for a loop, I needed to get my bearings, and once again trailed after Madeline and Roderick,  the two characters I seem to relate to best in the show, both being in helping professions and trying to serve the residents in their own way, even if at cross purposes.   I really enjoyed seeing Madeline’s version of the séance scene that differs with both of the actors playing the roles.  You really need to go and see both, if you get the chance.

And will that, I will leave you. Pleasant dreams and all that. 

[deweydjb]

Mesmerisms 7: The Cluster

Incidentally,  before I fell asleep, it dawned on me who the barkeep might be.  I have to investigate this theory further.

My seventh visit was Thursday,  November 12.    I soon discovered that it was an easy night to be pulled into private scenes because of the very nature of the audience.    I experienced a phenomena I like to call the Cluster.

Immersive audiences come in all shapes and sizes.  There are newcomers who have absolutely no idea what to expect or where to look,  casual visitors who go more than once so have been before, and seasoned fanatics.  One guess as to which category into which I fall!

Tonight, I believe they were all first timers, because the audience seemed to move as one big entire group.  I would be following a character, as I do, getting close to the action,  bending in to hear something,  and when the character moves, I go after.  Tonight, there was  a large mass of maybe twenty people,  and they always seemed to be in the same area looking at the same thing, and quite often it was in the central “ lobby” section!  This meant that rooms were almost empty and scenes were happening all over that could easily be missed!  I tried to exhibit good immersive behavior in hopes that they would catch on.  I am not  a 1:1 snob.  I like them but I want others to experience them as well.  But it was hard to get this crowd moving!

Let’s face it.  I LOVE Shannon Graham as Sarah.  She was the first real character I stayed with for a night, and I adore her performance.    She is very understated and often quiet.  You really need to be present to figure her out.   I followed closely for the first half of the show, and saw a wonderful scene with the barkeep that reminded me of the importance of the paper roses.  It was a beautiful moment.   I was glad to experience it.

On Thursdays, the original V, Tanner Medding is there, and I had not really stayed with V in the original run, so I wanted to get a chance to see him in the role.   Largely, many times it was just me and V,  and of course, I was finally taken to the basement to see the basement scenes.    The character is very complex and is a fun arc to follow.   I definitely will need to experience this again, once more at least before I bid the show a farewell.    I do love, however, seeing the new cast members in the same roles, to see how the interpretation changes.

Once again, Madeline took me upstairs,  Caitlin Weaver tonight, not Siobhan  Beckett.   One of the Madeline’s always seems to find me and shows me something,   and makes me worry about Roderick.   But then, Roderick will make me worry about Madeline,  so it’s all good.

But, the second half was largely sticking with V.    I really enjoy being a frequent visitor.  I am always seeing, learning, experiencing or thinking about something new.   I love trying to figure out the process behind how once can create something this amazing.  And I LOVE being transported back in time to the 1890s.     

So, thank you cluster, for allowing me some time with these strange residents that I have come to know, and love.    I am genuinely still looking forward to my next visit to the Pratt house.

[snmawakening]

#7 Wednesday 11/11 “The Rules Are Simple”

As always the performance and show were great during my 7th visit to the McKittrick. Normally I’d write about my 1-on-1 with The Nurse, or my time with the Speakeasy Bartender, or my super bad ass tarot card reading, or just how I watched the story unfold. I discover more, and I see more detail in the characters every time I visit. This is why I keep coming back, the uncovering of each character’s personal story. But, I’m not going to talk about that; instead I have to talk about something that overshadowed the entire night, another terrible audience.

The folks in the audience who talk, or whip out their phone, or just do stupid shit, probably don’t read tumblr, so I don’t need to call them out. But there were three people that I encountered on Wednesday night, and they might possibly read this, and I hope they do.

First, my bearded suited friend who I had the misfortune of meeting in Hecate’s room while the bald witch was cleaning up after the rave. The Bald witch locked eyes with me, and then pointed to her shoes. As I went to reach for them, this burly dude practically fell across the room trying to grab the shoes. 

I’ma step up on my soapbox now.

If you are new to Sleep No More, like I am, stop spending all your time researching the 1-on-1’s and secretes to the McKittrick. The idea is to experience, not create some sort of mental checklist to accomplish all the things you read on someone’s blog. Go into the Hotel, screw up, hand shit to the wrong characters, get lost, and then talk about it and learn. Don’t Google all the 1-on-1’s and then go try to accomplish them. When it becomes some competition, you turn into an asshole that lunges across a room and you stink of desperation for 1-on-1’s.  Remember, if you are an asshole at the McKittrick Hotel, you’re still an asshole in real life.  And my suited bearded friend, if you are a veteran to sleep no more… please punch yourself in the face.

Back off my soapbox and on to the second douche of the night, the bearded suited dude’s friend. I will call him the name dropper. I had the misfortune of meeting him at the Manderley Bar where he was trying to get information from the actors in the bar and telling them “My Friend Works at the McKittrick, and told me you could tell me about xyz.” Happy they told him to go into the show and figure it out… nice try, and you sound like a tool bag.  Refer to my statement above.

And finally, the Blonde chick trailing Lady McDuff during the final loop. When the characters have to move you 2 dozen times because you are too close, well, you’re too damn close, back the fuck up. When 20 people are watching a scene and you’re the only moron standing 1 foot away from two actors dancing around a room, you’re an idiot. Pushing people in an effort to trail a character is also not cool. Honestly, life will go on if you lose a character and you don’t get that 1-on-1. You are not being BOLD, you are being an fucktard. 

To sum up, fuck you guys, and all the shitty people who are so damn important that the rules don’t apply to you. I hope you all get terrible hangnails that hurt like a motherfucker, and they get infected, but not so infected that something really bad happens, but enough that for day you think your fingers are going to be amputated, but they aren’t and everything ends up fine, but if forces you to re-examine your life, and you realize you’re a terrible person.

*Edit* Question for all the Awesome Sleep No More Folks- What days have you found to be best for the show? 

[sleepnomoreandihavebeendrinking]

Fairly certain who bearded suited is.  Yes, he’s a (new) regular, and always completely terrible.

I don’t really see the show anymore because all days are equally horrible.  

[at-the-pit-of-acheron]

Yes the bearded guy is Imposter Cawdor, called so because he dresses/very much resembles Cawdor from @thebloodybusiness. Imposter Cawdor is indeed one of the worst audience members ever, and everyone who works there knows it as well. As in conversations between myself and cast members like the following have occurred:

Me: Can we talk about the guy who looks like [insert real name of Cawedor] ?

Cast member: Ugh, omg right??? He comes all the time, and he’s absolutely terrible. We all know who he is too.

Also, friend of Imposter Cawdor sounds like a first rate douchebag.

There’s also Imposter Perpetuallyfive, even though @perpetuallyfive is female and the imposter is male. Imposter is an underage kid who is an equally terrible audience member. He’s always on Max’s list and tries to wipe the X off his hand as soon as he’s in Manderley.

[snmawakening]

I think Cawdor from @thebloodybusiness and the impostor should meet in the Speak Easy and settle this once and for all.

[deweydjb]

I love this post. The last three or four times I went, the audiences have been horrible. I love the show but lately have moved on. I live in Baltimore and have been attending the Mesmeric Revelations of Edgar Allen Poe and hope to see the Grand Paradise when it opens. I don't want to feel that crazy grumpiness with those really pushy 1:1 gatherers who push in front of people and then get the 1:1, or almost being shoved down flights of stairs. I realize personally I enjoy smaller and more intimate productions more.

[deweydjb]

Trinkets

[deliriumdog]

Wanted: Your Mesmeric Experiences

Every weekend we have visitors from out of town (no doubt many of you who read this blog) who have traveled just to see the show and it always warms my heart. On Oct. 29th, half of our audience were tumblrfolk passing through town on their way to the big Sleep No More Halloween party. It was lovely to meet all of you and talk immersive theater over drinks after MR that night. That show itself was among my favorites. So much depends upon the attentiveness of the audience and immersive theater fans are, of course, our best audience members. I know the performers always appreciate the focused attention you bring and I’ve been able to see the show in new ways by experiencing it with you.

Now that we’re approaching the halfway point of our run, I’d like to encourage any of you who are so inclined to write (or draw or photo or record any way you see fit) responses to what you have experienced in the Mesmeric World. (Thank you to those who already have!) Knowing that the show could very well end in December we want to capture this moment in time as best as we can. We have great momentum, energy, and audience response right now, but I know that this time is fleeting. I’m trying to document it every way I personally can, but your perspective is inevitably different than mine and in most ways more important to how the artwork is perceived.

Those of you who have seen the show are in a position to help us capture this moment. I can assure you that everything you post will be read by me and most of the “Revelators” (our name for ourselves and our secret Facebook group where we share news and social media with each other). Your responses help us think about the show in different ways, help morale during this long run, remind us of what’s important, and give us feedback we can use to make our work better in the future. Documentation for such an ephemeral work is important and your responses are very important to us. In short: it really helps!

So if you’ve been putting off writing that recap or drawing that sketch or making that video in response to your own personal Revelations: GET ON IT! WE NEED YOU!

Hashtag: #mesmericrevelations If you’re posting on Facebook, tag the show page or me personally.

Thanks again and always for all of your support!

[mesmericrevelationsofpoe]

Another word from our esteemed producer: We are counting on you to help us document the strange happenings in the Mesmeric World. For we are nothing without the experiences that live in on your mind. Tell us what you remember, what you loved, or what you loved not. It is all useful to us and much appreciated.

[deweydjb]

I don't have much of a tumblr following yet, but I'm game, and if you see the show, please jump in.

I'm going again tonight. I hope to follow V. a bit more, and possibly concentrate on Sarah, too. But things will change when I get inside the walls. They always do!

[deliriumdog]

Twelve December Shows and then…?

A couple years ago, I started voicing aloud this idea. People seemed to think it was a good idea, but it was just an idea, not an actual thing. The more I thought about it and the more I talked about it, the bigger it got and the crazier it sounded. It needed more people to become a thing. My wife Ursula, who could tell that the idea was not going away, pushed me to develop it further. I got a grant. And then I found my co-directors Susan Stroupe and Michele Minnick and, for whatever reason, they decided to go charging down this dark corridor of madness with me. Then there were six, nine, twelve…a wonderful location and partner at Maryland Historical Society …and now nearly thirty of us taking this leap into the unknown. All talking in a strange language about a Mesmeric World with it’s own rules, inhabitants, stories, secrets. Everyone involved dove deep inside this world, went mad together, and made it real. There are now more layers and details than any one person can even comprehend. To attend once is to only glance the surface. Why create such a ridiculous level of detail, layering secret upon secret? At some point we stopped asking and just kept doing it and the results are yours to discover every night of our run.

This sort of thing does not happen often. Productions rarely have this kind of time to spend in such a great location to take a deep dive into a single piece. Most producers see little value in creating hundreds of details and moments that very few guests will even know about. We had to build a new kind of machine to make it happen, and fill it full of the love of many artists all equally obsessed to do their very best. It has been nothing but a privilege that the universe has granted us: an opportunity to do something so strange on such a grand, yet intimate, scale. I’m pretty sure that a sold-out remount of an experimental, fully devised work—let alone an immersive and experiential one—is unprecedented anywhere in our region. People have traveled from all over the country and beyond to see it. We’ve won over many new converts to this style of theater, attracted a new audience to actually come out and see something, and started many conversations about what is possible.

I’m very proud of this work and everyone involved. I want to be able to share it with all of you, but we can only take 26 people per show. WE HAVE ADDED TWELVE MORE SHOWS—AND THIS COULD VERY WELL BE IT! The future is not certain, except that we will definitely be going dark after Dec. 20th. Possibly forever. Baltimore is not New York with a potentially endless audience base to support a show like this. I’m also certain that a number of the current performers will need to move on. People have lives, other careers, other goals. Even a decently-paying, popular, sold-out show cannot hold on forever to the kind of amazing talent that we have assembled. You can no longer put this off. If you have not attended even once, NOW IS THE TIME. If you have any urge to see it again, everyone who does so says they are glad that they did, SO GET ON IT NOW! The window to this world is quickly closing.

[deweydjb]

It worries me that this window might be closing. But I am thrilled that Baltimore has taken to immersive theater, and if not this show, the possibility of a different immersive world could be on the horizon. Brave artists, writers, producers get to work. Baltimore can support this. I'll certainly be there.

[deweydjb]

Mesmerisms 6.  V.

Tonight was to be my night with V.  Matthew Payne was playing V.   I really like him in this role,  he fits the character and has that Edgar Allen Poe vibe,  but is V. Poe?  Is Poe V.?   I may never know.    V.  does not arrive immediately.  He enters with a knock at the door, so I had to occupy myself a bit until it was time for his entrance.   I followed Madeline around as she prepared the house,  I peeked in on Eliza to see what she was doing,  and kept my eye on the barkeep,  and the space where the basket may appear.

V.  entered and I stuck by him as much as I could.    There was another gentleman also present, who would not let V go, and I knew it would be a race for the 1:1.   I was a bit determined,  but as often happens in immersive theater,  the more determined you are, the less likely you are to be chosen!    V ran off with someone else, and I was left to find another target.   I didn’t mind, though, as V does spend some time reading things to you and talking with you if you stay near him, and he has sort of a sly, pretentious nature that eventually falls by the wayside.

I lost track of V  and was lead away by Madeline,  who I love anyway, and wonder things about her character.  On the second occasion, I was asked to drink something rather strange, and in true immersive fashion, I just went with it and drank it down.    I learned a bit more about the upstairs but sadly, not about the inhabitant that lives there.  I did hand her a gift, a piece of blue agate,  a spiritual stone if there ever was one.  I wonder what she thought!

Back downstairs and V was starting to lose his marbles, but I did stay with him from that point on until the end.  I will definitely follow him again, he was very interesting and fun to keep my eye on.

I was really happy that my friends Scott and Shannon were able to come and join me and Chris tonight and they had a really good time to.  It is really especially nice when I can share my passion, or madness as it were, with other people who love theater as much as I do.

They say that in December, the show may close permanently.  I guess if they lose the cast and performance space, what can they do.  I will hate to see it go, but I still have many more visits planned to the mesmeric world.

[deweydjb]

At the Poe house, awaiting Mesmerism