Public service announcement -if you have not read my previous post – ‘What is immersive theatre?‘ you may want to go and do that before you read this one, or you may be a little confused about the content of this post, as I am going to be solely writing about an immersive theatre show I have recently seen. You can find that previous post here.
So, halloween is well and truly over now, but recently I was lucky enough to catch the final performance of Parabolic Theatre‘s show – ‘Bridge Command: Morningstar‘. Bridge Command is an immersive theatre show I briefly mentioned in my last post, but for more in depth context – it is a show where the audience makes up the crew of a ship navigating through space, and the whole show and how it is carried out is dictated entirely by audience members, and in episode two there isn’t even an actor present.
*Full disclosure – I am going to be as vague as I can about the content in the show because should this or anything similar come back, I want to avoid spoilers*
The show has developed so there are several episodes to do now, each following on from the other. I had done episode one and two, and then it was announced there would be a special episode that was running specifically for Halloween and based around Morningstar – something I know the bare minimum about – but Morningstar is one of the earliest shows Parabolic Theatre did (I believe – correct me if I am wrong!) and Morningstar is now a subtle running theme/character that can pop up from time to time in Parabolic shows. It is probably just a lot easier if you don’t try to understand it because…well how much do we really know about the supernatural?
So, the show itself. As horror/thriller/halloween shows go, I am in my element. I am a bit of a junkie when it comes to all things horror and thriller, ghostie and ghoulie and anything and everything in between. I have seen ‘The Woman in Black‘, ‘The Exorcist‘ and last year I did my first immersive horror show ‘Copycat‘. However, there is a very distinct difference between watching a horror/thriller play, and then doing an immersive theatre show with the same theme.
As I mentioned in my last post, immersive theatre is where you are truly immersed in the show – you’re no longer just watching from a seat as action unfolds on a stage in front of you. You are directly involved in the action, you are affecting the show, you are walking around in a set, and try as you might, you cannot run or look away and hide from what is happening. FUN, RIGHT?
Prior to this show, I had no idea what to expect. My friend had gone before me, but had been incredibly vague about the plot, what I would need to do, and what sort of scares I could expect. This is what I wanted, because especially with immersive theatre, going in blindfolded makes everything all that more fun, as you just have to throw yourself in head first and hope for the best.
Which is exactly what I did, and for the first time ever, in all the immersive theatre shows I have done…I was left completely and utterly alone for entire thing. No other audience members, and no cast member. Once I went downstairs, after the briefing, and the show had begun…the door closed and I was left alone. I hadn’t booked with anyone, just booked myself in, but was under the assumption that surely some other people would have booked for the same show as me, right? Wrong.
Now, had this been any other show – I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid and would have had a whale of a time exploring. A thriller/supernatural themed show, however? The show was incredibly tense, I was expecting at least one jump-scare (and was not left disappointed)…now this would have been scary enough with other people, but doing the whole thing alone takes scary to a whole new level. I was having heart palpitations. I had accepted my fate that I was going to die in this spaceship.
The magical thing about parabolic theatre is they truly leave no stone unturned. You don’t need to suspend your disbelief, as the incredible set and added effects of lighting, sound, and even a smoke machine, ensure that there is no evidence that an outside world even exists. I got so invested in the show that if you had told me I was on an abandoned space vessel, I would have taken that at face value and just instantly believed you.
The beautiful thing about the Colab Factory is that there is so much space to be used and it is so incredibly versatile. In every show I have seen in the building, they’ve maximised the space as much as possible, but particularly with Morningstar, every tiny space that could possibly be used, has been. What was even more impressive is that Morningstar was carried out in a building and a room I knew so well, had spent more time here than anywhere else in London, and the show was being run by the people I love and trust more than anyone else…and yet there I was, stood downstairs, trembling from head to foot, and I did not recognise where I was in the slightest or even had any idea which part of the room I was stood in.
When you are completely alone, in the dark, and it is nearly silent…your own imagination is both your best friend and your worst enemy. When you’re alone, in unfamiliar territory, it is extremely dark and silent, and you haven’t got the faintest idea of what to expect…your senses are massively heightened and you start to see and hear things that may or may not have happened.
I began to distrust every shadow, every doorway and I heard noises and instantly assumed something bad was going to happen. At one point I had to give myself a pep talk to convince myself to walk into a room because I could see a door ajar and was convinced someone was there and was going to jump-scare me.
I had a friend who was very dear to me who would famously tell me, almost on a daily basis that he thought it was good – healthy even – for a person to be scared on a regular basis. He booked me in for ‘The Exorcist‘ and ‘Copycat‘ in previous years, and when I did Morningstar, this was for him. It wasn’t until I was doing Morningstar, and until I had completed the show, that I realised why he said this.
With your heightened senses, the tense feeling in the room, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, could feel and hear my heart racing, and my mind was running a million miles a minute. In fact, it got so tense that at one point, I was literally gasping for breath because I was under the genuine belief I was going to die on an abandoned ship in the middle of space. And I absolutely LOVED it. Although I did feel rather sorry for Zoe who had to encounter that, whilst still remaining in character…despite what my appearance may have shown, I was in fact having the absolute time of my life, and never had I ever felt more alive than I had in that moment.
So, that is the incredible experience I had with Bridge Command: Morningstar I talk so often about theatre that moves me and makes me cry, and inspires me…so for the first time I have talked about theatre that had be scared out of my wits. I have never done an experience like that in my life, and I likely never will again. I would go so far as to say that was probably one of THE best experiences of my life and it is going to take a hell of a lot to top that. And I can safely say with my hand on my heart, Parabolic theatre have already done a hell of a lot for me, which I don’t need to go into, but during and after this phenomenal show they had created, I can safely say with my hand on my heart: I have never in my entire life felt more proud of myself. And if you ask me, THAT is the true power of immersive theatre.
Above is past Leyla who had her nerves tested and feels very proud of herself. Personally, I think the blue jumpsuit and Doctor Who mask are a vast improvement on what I normally wear…
(And if you want to know why that is the title…tough. You should have gone to the show and found out. It’s a Morningstar secret. If I told you, I’d have to kill you…)
Find out about Parabolic Theatre here.
Buy tickets for other episodes of ‘Bridge Command‘ here.
Buy tickets for Parabolic Theatre’s new show ‘Crisis? What Crisis?‘ here.
One Show at a Time 
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