As a gamer, theater nerd and writer, it’s safe to say that I
have a healthy imagination. I simply
never outgrew playing pretend. So you can imagine how thrilled I am that a new
wave of immersive experiences is taking the theater world by storm lately. My
favorite among them? Third Rail Project’s Then
She Fell, an immersive theatrical dance performance which thrusts its
audience head first down the rabbit hole straight into Wonderland.
I’ve been following the company’s Steampunk Haunted House
productions for the past three years, which was my first experience into this
type of theater. They had me hooked from the start. Now, with Then She Fell, they’ve pushed the
envelope.
When you first arrive, you are given a ring of keys and
encouraged to explore by opening the various locked boxes and chests you will
find in rooms throughout the performance. However, you may not open any closed
doors nor may you speak unless spoken to. The reason? It is a guided experience
which has been carefully choreographed to provide a seamless, personalized
journey for each of the audience members. The no talking rule is a staple of
immersive theater and is in place for a good reason; eliminating your ability
to speak allows you to observe more acutely rather than forcing yourself to
make nervous chatter with other participants which can distract you from the heart
of the experience. To really get the most out of this event, you must surrender
to it. Do not resist, just embrace it. Give up control and just let it sweep
you up in the story. Of you are able to do this, you will not be disappointed.
With only 15 audience members per each 2-hour performance, the
show is designed to give participants a level of intimacy that many other, more
popular immersive shows, lack. This means that audience members will frequently
have one-on-one time alone with a number of Lewis Carroll characters such as the
White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, Alice, or even Lewis Carroll himself.
Throughout the show, you are guided through a series of vignettes
where you watch the narrative unfold in a disjointed, dreamlike fashion. The
order in which things occur and the things you witness changes from person to
person as each participant has a different experience, making it fun to catch
up with friends afterwards to discuss over coffee and compare journeys. For
myself, I got to be a guest at the Mad Hatter’s tea party, I scribed for Lewis
Carroll while he dictated a letter to Alice, I was tucked into bed by the White
Queen and told a bedtime story, I got trapped behind a looking glass,
imprisoned in a room full of roses by the Red Queen, had a conversation with
Alice about love while I brushed her hair, followed the White Rabbit from room
to room and ate and drank various elixirs and treats as they were given to me.
As a Kickstarter backer for the production, I also had a personalized medical
record hidden somewhere on the set which I managed to find. My diagnosis?
Catalepsy resulting from delusions and an overactive imagination. It seems they
know me well.
The show itself takes place at the formerly abandoned
Greenpoint Hospital in Brooklyn which has been transformed into a performance
art center. It is a site that was made for this show and adds another layer of
depth into the narrative of the story, by adding a cast of nurses and a doctor
shuffling throughout the environment occasionally coming to escort you onwards
or force characters to take their meds, which leaves you to question if this is
all just a shared hallucination of mentally ill patients after all. The story
itself is a beautiful merge of the speculative relationship between historical,
real-life figures of Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) and Alice Liddell and
Carroll’s beloved writings which have become a classic icon of literature for
adults and children alike. But make no mistake, with its heavily sexual themes and
connotations explored, this is performance is adults only and you must have a
valid ID with you when you show up.
In addition to the relationship aspect of the story, The She Fell also delves into themes
revolving around duality which can be found both subtly and overtly through the
show. And as mentioned earlier, the presence of hospital staff and interior
environment also adds a layer of subtext and thematics related to the idea of
imagination vs reality and the thin line between. It may seem like a number of
intense topics to present into one production, but Third Rail Projects’ cast
and crew pull it off with an unparalleled level of brilliance and masterful
integrity to their vision. The performers themselves wear the characters like a
second skin and convey a heartbreakingly beautiful depth of emotions in their
every movement and every glance.
With all their shows currently sold out, a lot of people are
unfortunately going to miss out on this gem, but they occasionally have last
minute cancellations and there is talk that the show might have an extended run
in the future, but whether or not the production will stay housed at its
current location or reinvent itself in a new location remains to be seen. If
this sounds like something you want to experience, I highly recommend subscribing
to the company’s mailing list and following them on Facebook. All in all, I
cannot praise this transcendent piece of theater enough. If you get the chance,
see it.
Then She Fell
Third Rail Projects
Then She Fell
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