Experience The Magic of Dungeons & Dragons At ‘The Twenty-Sided Tavern’

Have you ever been interested in learning more about tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs)? Or are you a highly experienced player, eager to fill the void between sessions? Then roll the dice with Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern,  a highly interactive comedy show that brings the world’s most popular TTRPG to life on stage. 

After a highly successful off-Broadway run, the show is set to make its Australian debut on December 18 and bring all the chaos of a D&D campaign to life with help from the audience. 

Lauded as “rip-roaring funny” and “an enjoyable frenetic, warm-hearted good time”, it’s a little hard to know exactly what to expect each night from The Twenty-Sided Tavern; with the number of estimated endings to the show in the hundreds of thousands, a key part of the production’s appeal is precisely that neither you or the performers have any idea what’ll happen when you enter the door.

How The Twenty-Sided Tavern works

Michael Fell, the show’s long-time director in New York, further explains how the audience interactivity works: “There’s a web-based browser application that has prompts that will ask the audience questions or riddles on their phones, and the amount of people that get it right dictates whether the players will succeed or fail.

“At the start of each show, we pitch three characters for each performer to the audience, and whichever gets the most votes wins,” Michael continues. “We all learn in the moment what’s going to happen and what characters the actors are going to play. One of the audience members becomes the main non-player character at one point in the show!”

A passionate D&D player and theatre director/performer, Michael came onboard as director for The Twenty-Sided Tavern for a show in Pittsburgh when it began to incorporate more theatrical elements. Given the unconventional nature of the show, he says that the most important aspect of directing this production is fostering a sense of trust in the cast and crew. 

“It’s truly never the same show twice, and because of that it’s my job to lay the foundation for the actors to feel comfortable making bold, strong, inbound choices,” he says. “It’s my job to focus on the audience’s perspective, because I’m cognisant that many people who see the show are curious about D&D, so it’s about structuring the show, constantly rewriting and retooling it.”

“Unlike anything you’ve ever seen before”

Trubie-Dylan Smith is one of five onstage performers (four players, one dungeon master) playing the archetype of the Trickster, and he notes that it’s a less conventional rehearsal period than other shows: “There’s a lot of structure that’s deemed in the moment by the dungeon master and the tavern keeper, and as a player I just get to tumble around in these premade rooms!”

“But I’m also improvising a lot in that space, and to improvise well with my scene partners and fellow players, I need to be able to trust them. And the deeper you trust them, the more dangerous ground you can cover; you can fall in love, be vulnerable, confess something to them while still ultimately being a comedy. You’re still gonna have a great time, we’re not gonna traumatise anyone!” 

Though there are plenty of jokes and references for veterans, The Twenty-Sided Tavern doesn’t require knowledge of D&D to be enjoyed; in fact, it’s served as a great onboarding point for many newcomers. 

“I know from personal experience in New York that people have to come see the show that don’t know anything about it, and have come back to us saying they’re in regular weekly games,” says Michael. “The fact that campaigns have been formed from audience members of this show is just the coolest thing.”

Both Michael and Trubie guarantee that The Twenty-Sided Tavern is a show unlike anything you’ve ever seen before – don’t miss this celebration of D&D that’s sure to surprise both you and the cast and crew no matter which show you go to!

Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern
December 18 2024 – March 8 2025
Sydney Opera House, The Studio