The No Proscenium Podcast

Multidisciplinary artist Nancy Baker Cahill invites us to her LA studio to check out her VR artwork and talk about how the world of fine art is meshing with the immersive and site-specific movements. Buckle up for one of our patented philosophical conversations! Want to check out Nancy's work for yourself? Check out the 4th Wall AR app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey! Just a few quick notes about events and the IDS application process this week. Back to a full episode next week as we round out the year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jesse Damiani, longtime friend of the show, drops by to talk about his continuing adventures in the world of XR. (That's virtual, augmented, and mixed reality for those playing the home game.) Recently he curated the art show Spatial Reality, which brought together multiple artists from across the reality spectrum for what was one of the biggest -- if not the biggest -- gatherings of XR art to date. We sit down with Jesse, drink my favorite beer, talk about that show and wax philosophical as we are won't to do. Come, join us. This episode is brought to you by listeners like you and The Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, who are seeking faculty candidates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the past year actress Karlie Blair has become a mainstay of the LA immersive theatre scene. She's performed in such shows as Whisperlodge, the original production of Safehouse '77, and The Lust Experience. With actress Keight Leighn she co-founded DR3AMLOGiKK, which has presented the improvised experience Snow Fridge, and a workshop production Broken Clocks. She's also one of the leads in Shine On Collective's Echoes in the Dark. We caught up with the busy lady to talk about her work and her background as a graduate of UC Berkeley's theatre program. Brought to you in part by The Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, who are seeking faculty candidates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We met Amanda Rose Villarreal at the Denver Immersive Summit, where we shared a panel with her and Jenny Weinbloom of Meow Wolf Denver on Consent & Agency in immersive. Amanda Rose is getting her Ph.D in Theatre Arts at Colorado University at Boulder, and her practice involves training "police officers, lawyers, and counselors to use effective communication and de-escalation techniques during crisis intervention and conflict management." Amanda Rose is both a practitioner and a researcher, so we're getting a full spectrum look. That work has given her incredible insight into the challenges facing immersive creators around issues of agency and consent, and we dig into that on today's episode, recorded live in the field at The Molecule Effect cafe in Denver. This week's episode brought to you by listeners like you and The Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts. Content Advisory: language and mature themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might know Tad as the actor who played the dad, and whose own childhood informed Drycraeft LA and Capital W's Rochester 1996, or you might know him as a gentle seeker whose life got caught up in The Society and who is now working for the group that is unraveling the mystery of the Wolf Trail. Tad is all this, and more. Get ready for a special in-the-field edition of No Proscenium as we join Tad on the Wolf Trail, where we've encountered a Moonglow. This episode is brought to you by listeners like you, with the support of The Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathryn Yu moderates and This Is Not A Theatre Company's Erin Mee is the featured guest in this talkback session for Cafe Play recorded on September 30th, 2018. Featuring guest appearances by the cast of the show, Alyssa Kim, Christy Casey, and Andrew Hoepfner. Plus: Noah rambles a bit about his recent trip to Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Odyssey Works is a legendary company that started in San Francisco around the turn of this century. They're best known for making elaborate, immersive pieces of theatre for one. Ayden LeRoux is an installation artist and writer who is a part of Odyssey Works' team of collaborators, and she joins NoPro's Kathryn Yu in NYC to talk about her work and Odyssey Works. ALL NEW: EVENT SCHEDULE Are we coming to your town soon?! Find NoPro at these upcoming events! #SantaFe: 10/22: The Art of Presence by Noah Nelson http://bit.ly/2OzHyjK #LA: 11/5: Meet the Press featuring Bryan Bishop, Juliet Bennett Rylah, and Noah Nelson http://bit.ly/2S0VFNq #NYC: 11/5: Everything Immersive meetup http://bit.ly/2P08chW #Denver: 11/10: Denver Immersive Summit, featuring Noah Nelson http://bit.ly/2QX75RI And applications for the Immersive Design Summit are OPEN. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shine On Collective's writer-director duo Anna Mavromati and Marlee Delia join host Noah Nelson in LA to talk about their latest work Echoes in the Dark, a 2018 update of the Frankenstein story, and how their collaboration has evolved over the last two years of work. Plus: we touch on a bunch going on in LA right now, like the amazing Spatial Reality gallery exhibition, Delusion, CreepLA: Awake, the upcoming workshop from Tara O'Con and Marissa Neilsen-Pincus, and much much more. Support us via Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yvonne Chang and Jae Lee of NYC's Wildrence join guest host Kathryn Yu to talk about their unique storytelling space and consulting studio on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Plus: quick notes from Noah about the beautifully constructed site-specific work Nightwalk in the Chinese Garden currently in Southern California. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From NYC: Kathryn Yu talks with Carlo D'Amore, founder of interactive theatre company Live In Theater, about their latest work, the Nordic LARP influenced This Is When We Rest. Carlo is a Drama Desk Nominated director and he and LIT have been re-imagining the mystery genre since 2009. This year he was part of the Interactive PlayLab's Deep Dive team in Austin. Meanwhile, in LA: Noah is on Tylenol with codeine. Uh oh. Also: be sure to check out this week’s edition of Everything Immersive This Week. Always a doozy! And follow us on The Gram! To learn more about Deep Dive Austin and the SimuLife project, check out our previous podcast interviews with Bryan Bishopand Jeff Wirth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Dorado's Drunken Devil has been a fixture of the LA immersive scene for years now. Starting out as a haunt, the company transitioned to nightlife events with a flair for horror themes and immersive elements. This Spooky Season the company will present the next in its series of deadly sin themed soirees: Bacchanalia, a trip back to Rome sans togas. (No one wants togas.) Dorado sits down at NoPro headquarters with host Noah Nelson to talk about the company's origin story and what's on tap this Fall. CONTENT ADVISORY: we discuss the lives, and actions of serial killers -- the subjects of To Live and Dine In LA -- in this episode. There are details, including discussion of sexual violence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Wally, Chief Creative Officer of Mycotoo --the design firm that collaborated with marketing agency Giant Spoon on the SXSWestworld and InkHole activations -- joins us to talk origin stories: of the Westworld activation, Mycotoo, and his own journey from filmmaker to theme park and immersive designer. Oh, and he's ALSO the director of the annual Dark Harbor haunt at the Queen Mary to boot. Get ready for a deep dive. Plus: a slew of announcements including The Immersive Design Summit venue, LEIA's latest organizing efforts in LA, and a few thoughts about value and transparency around costs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Darren Lynn Bousman, Clint Sears, and Gordon Bijelonic are the terrifying trio behind the all-new Theatre Macabre, which recreates Paris' infamous 19th Century Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol in 21st Century LA, with an immersive twist. This is, of course, the team that brought us the often controversial Tension and Lust experiences and who made a splash by partnering with the Russo Brothers to bring that universe to Las Vegas. Theatre Macabre is an all-new stand alone show, and the team is bringing their A game as they look to reinvent how they tell immersive stories. Whatever happens next: we're bound to be talking about it for months to come. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathryn Yu and Anthony Robinson -- the keystones of our editorial board -- join Noah Nelson for a talk about the state of immersive as we see it now. So grab your beverage of choice and pull up a chair, it's NoPro After Dark. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 49 Boxes is a singular puzzle based storytelling event, the latest incarnation of which focuses on the life of Floyd G. Thayer-- one of the most famed illusion creators of all time. Host Noah Nelson sits down with Michael Borys, the information and story architect of The 49 Boxes to talk about the origins of the show and his career as an untraditional storyteller. Look for announcements about the next set of experiences from The 49 Boxes this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sara Beil and KJ Knies are one of LA's most interesting behind the scenes pairs in immersive. By day Sara works for ThinkWell, the major themed entertainment design firm, as a multimedia writer and producer. KJ, meanwhile, works for Giant Spoon, the company that has been behind some of the splashiest immersive activations (SXSWestworld, The InkHole) this year. By night the two work on indie projects, like the Hollywood Fringe sleeper hit What Went Wrong, and the immersive enhanced production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest that got LA audiences talking. Disclosure: KJ writes for us from time to time, but we're the one's who are lucky to have him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Wirth has been a lot of things in his life: university professor, computer programmer, ballroom dancer, and clown. These days he's the wandering sage of interactive performance, leading the Interactive PlayLab which is best known for the Deep Dive think tank that created work that was both intimate and large scale at the same time. Wirth has been crisscrossing America leading workshops in interactive acting techniques and design, and after a recent stop in Los Angeles he sat down with our own Noah Nelson for a philosophical deep dive of their own. Also this week: we kick things off with an impromptu field report from The InkHole, the latest promotional pop-up from the Giant Spoon/Mycotoo team, which brings the curious into the fabulously felt world of The Happytime Murders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our friend Mikhael Tara Garver dropped by this morning for a chat about how she integrates social impact into her work -- for entertainment, causes, and brands -- and how immersive and experiential work are uniquely suited for creating long term social change. Here's one we wish could be longer, and it pairs well with the conversation we just had on EXP*DSN. Mikhael Tara Garver has been directing and creating immersive work for 18 years. She is an experiential architect integrating live and technology for brands, social impact, and storytelling. Catch up with MTG on Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We sit down with the founder of Presence, which aims to be a kind of Patreon for experiential artists, Damian Madray to talk about his own life as an experience designer and why he decided to built a platform for other makers. Damian is also the co-host of the upcoming EXP*DSN, aka Experiential By Design, a live web show that features conversations between pioneers in experience design. The show kicks off on August 2nd, and will feature director Lynsey Peisinger who produces participatory work with The Abramovic Method. It will also have some weirdo named No Ha Nel son. Oh, wait. That's me. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Think Tank Gallery impresario Jacob Patterson invites Noah over to the studio to share the scoops on Think Tank's latest projects in LA. They've got three big shows opening in the next few weeks, including the Sea-Saw residency on the Santa Monica Pier which will feature local favorites like The Guest & The Host, #Metaforyou, and Lola Kelly. Plus it's Jacob and Noah, so you know the convo gets off the rails and into some ish. Brought to you by Meow Wolf and our generous Patreon backers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once upon a time Sean Stewart was a science fiction novelist. Then, one day, he got a call asking if he wanted to take part in a little world-building project. One based around a Steven Spielberg movie. That movie was A.I. and that project would become known as "The Beast," the first Alternate Reality Game. Now Sean works for Magic Leap, the secretive company in Florida that is working on augmented reality. But we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about making participatory stories. Sean plays Jedi Master to Noah's padawan learner. This is a very, very good episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week your host, Noah Nelson, was in Qingdao, China for the Sandbox Immersive Festival. This week he's back, solo, to talk about some of what he observed there and about the emerging thinking around XR -- the term being given to all of immersive technology -- and how that relates to live immersive. This being Noah talking into a microphone, you know that we get into a few tangents, including thoughts about what it means to become a bit jaded as a reviewer, and what incoming designers need to be thinking about when they approach immersive work for the first time. Show Notes: Jesse Damiani's piece on XR UI design. Room Escape Artist on tariffs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the heart of many an immersonaut's journey is #SOMEDND, the "DND" being Dungeons & Dragons, and as it just so happens that hashtag stood for a recent livestream extravaganza called the Stream of Many Eyes. Now, why is NoPro talking about live-streaming D&D? Well for one, the lead up to the stream was a multiverse hopping alternate reality game (#NoStoneUnturned) that called upon the powers of transmedia producer Emmett Furey and puzzle designer Elisa Teague, who join us on this week's episode to talk about the ARG, mixing tabletop gaming with escape room like puzzles, and the renaissance in roleplaying games. Look: we always knew it was going to come down to Dungeons & Dragons. It's almost a surprise it took this long to get here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our hard-hitting reporters have revealed a nest of bloodsuckers in the beating heart of Los Angeles. This den of the undead appears to the outside world as the lobby of one of those newfangled "escape rooms" co-owned by a woman named Rachel Foti. Our intrepid host dares to enter this lair of sin and uncover the secret origin of this nefarious gathering point for a "micro-community" of the vampire's mortal pawns. Follow us into The Count's Den if you dare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's something magical going on in Downtown Los Angeles. Something simple, and oh-so-needed in this day and age. It's called The Silent Play Experiment, and it is exactly what it says on the tin. Host Noah Nelson sits down with its co-creator Olivia Hamilton to talk about the experience, the company that gave birth to it, and the road to embracing play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Negin Singh has been a lot of things: founder of Cartel Arts Collaborative LA, leader of the Inspiration team at AR pioneers DAQRI, and now she's the Executive Director of the Santa Monica Pier. She's bringing her experience as a producer of immersive and interactive events to one of the biggest travel destinations in all of Southern California, and taking our friends at Think Tank along for the ride. This episode is a barn burner: art, augmented reality, and how theatre kids are stealth taking over the world. Okay. That last one is implied. We don't say it, but it's soooo there. Brought to you by the generous support of Meow Wolf (!!!!) and our amazing Patreon backers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This edition replaces the messed up original file. Lisa & David Spira of Room Escape Artistand Michael Andersen of ARGN.comjoin us to talk about how we talk about this immersive thing of ours. From how to handle spoiler discussions online to designing for discovery after the fact, this conversation is all about the unique problems that face immersive entertainment of every form -- from live theatre to escape rooms to Alternate Reality Games. Good thing we've got people who specialize in each of those on the show today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's no secret that we have LARP roots here at No Proscenium, specifically VAMPIRE LARP roots. So when we heard that there's a "blockbuster" (aka bespoke) Vampire LARP coming to Texas in November -- part of the relaunch of Vampire: the Masquerade which is happening all year long -- we got very, very intrigued. Which is how we ended up talking to Matthew Webb of Jackalope Live Action Studios, the company that is putting on this event called The Night In Question. That's not all Jackalope is up to, as they're working on the Cyberpunk license and more, looking to introduce an emerging style of play to brand new audiences. Break out the fangs, we're going in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just time for a real quick update about a few things. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Director Spencer Williams (Walk The Night) and music producer Andrew Heringer have created a unique music experience in the form of The Guest & The Host: Make Music, which will be debuting alongside the Hollywood Fringe Festival this June in LA. Plus: Noah's initial thoughts on the Oculus Go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when two immersive theatre companies meet at a bar in San Francisco? They make a show in LA, that's what. Rochester, 1996 is a collaboration between Capital W and DryCræft Los Angeles that will be hitting this year's Hollywood Fringe Festival. We talk with Lauren Ludwig & Monika Miklas of Capital W, and Thaddeus Shafer of DryCræft Los Angeles whose life as the son of a pastor provides the inspiration for the show. (They're raising money/selling advance tickets on IndieGoGo right now.) All that plus a touch of the usual shenanigans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every fan of immersive in Los Angeles know the name Jon Braver: he's the creator of the wildly popular Delusion interactive horror theatre company. Each instance of Delusion is an event into and of itself, and Jon has been creating his dark wonderland in our reality for years now. This week Delusion goes virtual, with the cinematic VR version of Delusion: Lies Within debuting at The Overlook Film Festival. We talk with Jon about that, the future of the LIVE Delusion shows, and just about everything else under the sun in this, our first full interview with Jon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Derek Spencer and Meredith Treinen of Ceaseless Fun drop in with beer and pecan pie to talk about their most recent show -- Agnosia -- and the upcoming They Who Saw The Deep in Los Angeles. Don't worry, we save the pie for afterwards. But it is one of THOSE episodes thanks to the beer. In fact, it's officially an NoPro After Dark. We get into process in this one, so you know I love it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John MacInnes and Remington Scott met while making Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, kicking off a collaboration (MacInness Scott) that is exploring the bleeding edge of photorealism. But these two are about more than brain melting tech that can turn Hollywood actors and politicians into digital humans: all that is just the groundwork for exploring the art of storytelling on the immersive digital frontier. Host Noah Nelson talks with John and Remington about the history of their collaboration, their work for Netflix on an Altered Carbon promotion, and just where all this is headed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The madmen went and did it. Last week the creative team behind The Tension & Lust Experiences announced that they were taking on new partners, a company called AGBO -- which is The Russo Brothers' new company. You know, the guys who are directing Avengers: Infinity War. So yeah, that's some big news. And Tension creators Darren Bousman, Clint Sears, and producer Gordon Bijelonic sit down with host Noah Nelson to talk about what all this means for The Experiences now and in the future. Oh, and Joe Russo calls in during the show to explain why and how he got mixed up with all this. Plus: a word about our editorial policy updates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our dear friend Bryan Bishop of The Verge has just come back from a once-in-a-lifetime experience at SXSW. There he was one of just two participants in an elaborate, four day long immersive experience called a "Simulife" by the creative think tank known as Interactive Deep Dive. Host Noah Nelson, who walks in clueless (What else is new?), journey's with Bryan into the heart of what made this so special. The answer: Soylent Green. (I mean, from a certain point of view.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and director Edward Robles of Here Be Dragons drops by to talk about Dispatch, his episodic VR narrative for Oculus that debuted at Sundance. Well that and a wide ranging conversation about how he landed in the business, writing, and more. That plus a #NoProGoesPro campaign update. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may not know Justin Denton's name, but you certainly have heard of his work. He's the director of the much buzzed about LEGION FX activation at last year's San Diego Comic Con (which had an encore at FoST Fest in NYC) and part of the core team at Here Be Dragons, the production studio that has helped put VR on the map. Get ready, because Noah and Justin are about to have one of THOSE conversations. This is my favorite episode in a long while. Plus: we sing the praises of our SXSW crew, and detail the NEXT STEP in our March NO PRO GOES PRO campaign. (GIVE US YOUR MONEY!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aaron and Austin Keeling of E3W Productions join Noah to talk about their new show Bitter at the End and how their surprise debut -- the absolutely wonderful In Another Room -- came together in the first place. Keep an eye on these guys, they're got the touch. Plus: the first part of our NoPro Goes Pro campaign BEGINS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathryn sits down with Taylor Myers of Roll The Bones to talk about his storied career (Sleep No More, Then She Fell, Grand Paradise) and the upcoming narrative feature film Hamlet in the Golden Vale an adaptation of Shakespeare's play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor, poet, and entrepreneur Terence Leclere joins host Noah Nelson to talk about how he became an immersive person, and just what he's up to with his company Metaforyou, which offers immersive and interactive services for hire in the LA area. Philosophy with a side of business. Plus: Noah totally gives a reading list at the end of the show. What? I know. Join the conversation at the NoPro Slack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creator Nick Rheinwald-Jones & Creative Producer Lyndsie Scoggin of Safehouse '77 invite Noah to the safehouse for a chat about how the show came to be... and how it is returning to LA. That plus: a but about this week's LEIA Town Hall in LA, and a shout out to our friends at the A.R.T. Artist Real Talk podcast, who are kicking off their second season with a bang! Brought to you by our amazing Patreon backers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alison S. M. Kobayashi joins Kathryn Yu to talk about Say Something Bunny, a feat of theatrical documentary that draws audiences into the lives of a New York Jewish family in the 1950s. It is quite unlike anything else on stage in NYC, and it drew the attention of our New York team. Plus: Noah without his coffee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our friends from LA's Speakeasy Society return to talk about two -- or is it three??? -- upcoming projects including their take on The Wild Party, which is part of The Broad Stage's 10th anniversary season. Connect with us via Slack. This episode is dedicated to Prof. Mohammad Kowsar (1943 - 2018). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Surprise! Zay Amsbury returns to talk with Caitlin Cassidy and Geoff Kanick of Lubdub Theatre Company about The Doubtful Guest. Plus: Noah talks about the initial impact of the Immersive Design Summit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we turn to YOU, the NoPro audience (and our team), to find out what you're looking forward to in the coming year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ida Benedetto is the author of Patterns of Transformation: Designing Sex, Death and Survival in the 21st Century. That work came about thanks to years of practice as an experience designer, including being part of the legendary Night Heron speakeasy brain trust. She joins NoPro NYC curator Kathryn Yu to discuss her approach to experience design. This is one we've been waiting for. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tommy Honton wears a lot of hats: escape room designer, founding member of LEIA, and now the co-creator of The Museum of Selfies, a gloriously self-aware "Instagram Museum" which is opening up in the immersive-friendly SoCal city of Glendale. We talk with Tommy about the very real, and very tongue in cheek, themes of the Museum and about his upcoming escape room "Stash House," which is coming out of testing. Get ready for one of THOSE episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zay Amsbury, our man in New York City, is setting out for some traveling. Stepping into his shoes is Kathryn Yu, our not-so-secret-weapon. In this AFTER DARK episode that duo join Noah to talk about, well... whatever we want to talk about. It's one of THOSE episodes. (Which are a lot of fun.) Plus: what starts out as a media rant at the end of the show turns into something decidedly more, um, spiritual? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.