It’s time to rethink reality!
OpenMind
OpenMind immersed two participants in an epic Sci-fi reality that spanned four days and several locations across the city of Austin. The story world was brought to life by a team of 17 professional actors and 70+ extras. Think "The Truman Show" if Truman willing opted into his fictional life.
We created a reality so immersive that our participants lost site of the real world.
- Bryan Bishop in The Verge
"One of the most exciting and forward thinking pieces of immersive work [at SXSW]"
- Bryan Bishop in "The Verge"
The Wild Party
#SexDrugs&Charleston!
This immersive adaptation of the 1928 poem The Wild Party invited guests to step back in time to a prohibition era party hosted by vaudville's B-list performers and producers. As the night goes on and intoxication levels rise, dark secrets are revealed and things take a sinister turn.
- Paul Atreide in Eat More Art Vegas
"This is what immersive theatre is all about. The audience is right in the thick of the party... the cast is hitting the high notes of the epic poem."
Spirit of the Torch
- Spirit of the Torch Participant
"I still talk about this experience 5 years later! No other immersive show I've experienced has been quite like it, and I've done a lot of immersive experiences"
An abandoned summer camp. An ominous legend. An experience you'll never forget. Deep Dive Austin presents Spirit of the Torch: an interactive story experience.
7 participants and 7 actors spend an evening living out the plot of a classic camp horror film. Each participant was cast in a specific role: the Legend, the sweetheart, the film director, the psychic. It was our jobs as actors to support the participants in authentically embodying those roles over the course of one cinematic evening.
Reefer Madness
My team of actors at Ruse partnered with BBQ Films to bring the world of Reefer Madness to life!
Guests were greeted by Bible thumpers warning them of the dangers of "the devil's lettuce", danced lindy hop in the Five & Dime, before being lured into the reefer den by Jack an Mae.
- The Hollywood Reporter
"It’s part theater, part cinema, part circus, part cosplay, part cannabis con"
Resilience 2032
Participants were invited to co-create a possible future set in the year 2032 that unfolded in real time across social media platforms over the course of a month in October 2020.
The project (originally intended to be hybrid) pivoted to be fully online due to the pandemic. We had guests and featured artists from all over the world including Jordan, Turkey, Spain, Nigeria, Mexico, and all across the US.
The project was featured in the Cannes XR challenge and awarded the Next Generation Foresight Practitioners Fellowship. We were invited to teach futures thinking workshops for NYU, California State University, Laguardia High School, and the Association of Professional futurists.
- Sabine, teacher who hosted our workshop
"You have been so inspiring to those of my students that participated. And my son-in-law bursting with envy - he would have loved to have had the same options when he was a teen."
Participants were invited to co-create a possible future set in the year 2032 that unfolded in real time across social media platforms over the course of a month in October 2020.
The project was featured in the Cannes XR challenge and awarded the Next Generation Foresight Practitioners Fellowship.
There’s a science to the art
After witnessing the Deep Dive participants fully loose themselves in the world we had built for them, and reflecting in my own personal experience in upending my understanding of “reality” when I left my faith (which was a foundational part of my identity for the first 24 years of my life), I realized that there was something deeper to explore.
I started researching the various psychological phenomena that influence our perception of reality, and realized that the human brain is pretty terrible at determining what is fact and what is fiction. This lead me down a rabbit hole of discovery and analysis of the psychology of belief/ imagination that shapes our everyday lives, and how those same techniques can be leveraged to create unbelievably “believable” immersive experiences.
Think Westworld, The Game, or The Truman Show, but you don’t need to trick your guests into thinking it’s real. If you create an engaging enough story world, their subconscious mind will do that for you, even if their conscious mind know that it’s fiction.
Ready to make your experiences more immersive?
Teaching Interactive Performance Technique
I specialize in training actors how to actively engage audiences, and help them feel like they're truly part of the world. I offer one-off workshops as well as coaching for specific productions. Because I know what it's like to be an indie producer, I am open to a barter for small budget creators.
Sign up for my mailing list and/or follow me on Instagram to stay in the loop when I announce workshops! I will be teaching in LA, online and in cities I visit in my travels!
Interactive Acting
In addition to teaching interactive performance, I am also a performer myself. Growing up near NYC, I dreamed of Broadway and trained in singing, dance, and acting.
I spent a year training with Jeff Wirth, author of "Interactive Acting," as part of the Interactive Deep Dive.
I also trained HB Studios, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Montclair State University, and various independent teachers and coaches.
Consulting
Looking to bring a deeper level of interaction to your next production? I'd love to help!
I also design and facilitate workshop style sessions that foster collaboration and expedite productivity with goal oriented exercises.
In addition to immersive entertainment, I also support individuals planning milestone moments and corporations looking to wow clients/ customers.
Writing for Interactive
The script is the foundation that determines how deep your audience can immerse themselves in your world. I can help you take your productions to the next level, not just conversing with audience members, but transforming them into main characters!
I prefer to be involved as early in the writing process as possible, since every piece from the marketing to the portal to the finale effects the overall experience, but can also contribute smaller portions of the script and work as part of a writing team.
Directing for Interactive
Every element of the production shapes the guest experience!
As a director, I utilize not only my background in performance and writing to ensure the story is being told as effectively as possible, but I also tap into my experience in lighting and scenic fabrication to ensure that the physical environment is also supporting the audience experience.