SYDNEY INTERACTIVE THEATRE: THE MESSENGER
You receive a phone call from Donnie 48-hours in advance, telling you how it’s all going to shake down.
If that doesn’t sound like your average curtain opening, you’d be spot on.
Interactive theatre – a style that has already stormed through NY and London – is touching onto Sydney soils, and the first incarnation taking over the historic Rocks precinct sounds like a corker.
Daniel Harris of Sydney Interactive Theatre tells us more.
For the uninitiated, what is interactive theatre?
Interactive theatre is part game, part theatre, part tour, part bar crawl unlike anything found in a theatre … Participants meet mysterious cast members scattered throughout various locations in the city such as park benches, iconic landmarks, bars, wharfs, and back alleys. These characters are professional actors and blend into the background until a group uncovers them or they uncover a group! Along the way there are bar pit stops which include drinks and food all included in the ticket price. Good times!
The Messenger follows fated lovers Donnie and Rose, who are on the run from the mob. Where did the spark of inspiration come from for the story? And how much is truth, how much fiction?
It’s completely fictional. With the inspiration coming from a combination of the 1920s gangster era in Sydney and also the Kings Cross underbelly scene to develop an entertaining and enthralling plot that the audience become part of.
You say the audience members must follow clues to embark on a ‘treacherous mission.’ What kind of clues are they, and is there a correct ‘order’ you are supposed to follow?
The clues are varied and may or may not include puzzles, riddles, magic tricks, bar coasters and cryptic maps. There is a general order and flow that goes with the production, but that doesn’t mean you will definitely make it out with your piece of the loot.
Why do you think Sydney is ready for this form of theatre?
I think Sydney is still trying to find itself culturally and in general doesn’t have its own defining cultural profile. But we have the facilities and population to take the best elements from around the world and bring them here. Sydney is crying out for more fun, interesting and unique things to do on the weekend. Sydney Interactive Theatre is providing that offering.
What are the challenges in putting on a show like this, as opposed to a more traditional theatre experience?
The main challenge is the variables that occur and having groups who navigate themselves. The key ones are the weather and tracking groups so they don’t go off track. However that is also the fun part about the format. Each group has its own experience and regularly interacts with people in the rocks only to find out they had nothing to do with the show.
Until Apr 2013, every Saturday, 2-5pm, The Rocks & Circular Quay, $59, sydneyinteractivetheatre.com.au
