Adrenaline levels through the roof. Heart racing. So stressed at one point it was laughable, and second guessing everything I think I know every step of the way…of course I’m, talking about another immersive theatre show.
So yes, once again, I was so invested and lost in an online immersive theatre show that I was fully convinced that this was a matter of life and death. Truth needed to be discovered. Justice needed to be served. And I was more than happy to play a role in that.
Jury Duty is another show brought to you by Jury Games – the same creative minds who also run the show The Inquest, the show I previously tried out and thoroughly enjoyed. (If you missed that post, find it here). Jury Duty was actually the first online show that Jury Games put out into the world during this pandemic, but I did not book it initially as I was unsure if I was sharp enough (yes, I know, I say that a lot and always prove myself wrong but that doesn’t stop me worrying), and then I wasn’t even sure if it was still running. But after playing The Inquest, I was assured the show was still running, so I eagerly went and booked it for as soon as possible.
By this point, Jury Duty has been running for a while, so I am so late to the party, I don’t think I can even say I’m fashionably late anymore. But I do still wish to share how much I loved this show, and getting to play the role of a juror once again, and as the saying goes – better late than never!
I think what I love about shows such as Jury Duty and The Inquest, is that it pays off to really look into and analyse absolutely everything. As the famous saying goes, the devil is in the detail, and this is more than the case with both of Jury Games’ shows I have played. I enjoy the fact that when you first look at something at face value, all might seem perfectly fine, but then when you pay closer attention, there may be hidden clues, or something that may lead to something else, which in turn brings you one step closer to the truth.
Within Jury Duty, for the first part of the show, the jurors are split into two groups to examine evidence and question the defendant, after which the two groups of jurors come together, exchange what you have all found, and then continue to collate evidence and question the defendant, prior to you deciding if you think they are guilty or not, and on what charges. Something else I really enjoyed about the vote of guilty or not, is that you do not need to come to one unanimous decision as a group, and you vote entirely of your own accord…and it can take only one persons difference to tip the scales in either direction.
This is another show which also will pan out different every time. Of course, the defendant will always be either guilty or innocent, that is black or white, but jurors can vote for the wrong one. I will not say which the defendant is (spoilers! You’ll have to play it yourself to see!), but I can firmly say that I voted very much the wrong way when I played; I was in fact mistaken, and knowing you can get it wrong adds to the stress and drama, and makes for great entertainment.
Whilst it is very much black or white whether the defendant is guilty or innocent…that is pretty much the only thing that is black or white. I cannot speak for everyone I played with, but the more I played, the further into the show we got, the more evidence I read and questions I answered that led to more questions we couldn’t find answers to…suddenly I was suspicious of anything and everything. Anything I read, whenever I spoke to the defendant, whatever we learnt, whenever we discovered something…I was second guessing it, until nothing was black and white anymore, it was all just grey area. With this complexity, and thinking of different versions of events that could have happened, this makes it harder (and a lot more stressful) to think and decide what the real version of events was, what the truth is, who you can trust even, and wonder if anyone is ever telling the truth, how much of the truth you can believe…again – even writing this, I can think of hundreds of things that you could consider and ask yourself and your fellow jurors as you play…it’s enough to make your head spin! You can see how easy it would be to end up going in circles not knowing what direction everything is pointing towards, really feeling the pressure, and not even knowing whether you’ll vote the defendant guilty or innocent until the very last second.
Similarly to The Inquest, some evidence is provided to you at the start, the rest you have to hunt for. Some is easy to encounter, but if you think it will all be easy to find, and easy to spot the clues within the evidence…think again. Some clues are a lot more subtle than others. However, don’t worry about not spotting everything – I am more than certain I definitely didn’t spot everything, but at no point did I feel inadequate. This is a show that seems to be able to cater for anyone and everyone, and no idea or suggestion is ever rejected, but always considered. It’s almost like there’s an unwritten agreement from all your fellow audience members playing, and the two cast members, that anything anyone says within the context of the show is acceptable, and no one’s input will ever be laughed away or ridiculed. This is actually something I’ve noticed through every immersive theatre show I’ve done, and especially as someone filled with self doubt, I really appreciate it.
Needless to say, there is huge amounts of evidence. Jury Games in both their shows have found the balance between not having so much it is overwhelming, not too little you’re left feeling like you’re falling short, but just enough to make you think about the many different possibilities and angles, and to really get the cogs turning. What adds to the stress you already have playing the show, is even if you have a feeling in your gut as to what the truth is, and what actually happened…you need evidence to back it up. You’ve got to find the evidence, and have it prove your theory – in a short time frame. When I played, we never did come to the correct conclusion, and even to the very last second before we were told our time was up, we were still collating and looking over the evidence to see if we had missed anything. We were literally racing against the clock to try and get to the truth in time!
The level of detail, not just in the evidence, but in the show as a whole is incredible and really quite mind blowing, in both Jury Duty and The Inquest. Jury Games really do leave no stone unturned and it all pays off for a completely believable story and show you can completely get wrapped up and very much invested in. Without saying how, Jury Games actually go above and beyond to immerse their audience members; technology is not a barrier for their shows, but rather, they use technology to their advantage, blurring the lines (for me, anyway!) between simply being part of a show online, and that merging into real life. This adds to the pressure and stress…it certainly gave me the adrenaline rush I needed!
The separation and re-joining of the two groups of jurors is a really good idea Jury Games have thought of; the two groups may have found the same or different evidence, and everyone may have entirely different opinions or come to contrasting conclusions. In my group for example, the second half of the jurors sent myself and my half, all down a rabbit hole. They had thought of a scenario and series of events leading up to the crime, that I’d never even thought of – and couldn’t have been further from the truth if we tried…but we somehow convinced ourselves this was in fact the truth, and there was no other way about it! I did this show alone, without knowing anyone else playing – the first time I’ve done that in a while – and it was really fun to meet new people and bounce ideas of each other.
This is another show I can wholeheartedly say that you can absolutely play more than once and never have the same experience; the different ideas people have, different ideas, opinions, conclusions – and of course it all depends on what evidence you find and what you make of it. Whilst I presume the general structure will be the same, the rest I imagine is pretty flexible and dependent on audiences, which in itself is not only hugely clever and must have taken a great deal of work and thought behind the scenes, but so interesting to think of all the possibilities that audiences may be able to think of.
Whoever you get playing the defendant (as there are – to my knowledge – two actors who alternate the role), they deserve the upmost respect. The defendant has to think on their feet and be able to answer whatever questions the audience members throw at them; and from experience with my group alone – you can get some bizarre questions. Of course, they will know the truth of the show, but there’s no way to predict the questions audience members will ask! I had someone in my group ask for his blood type…I don’t even know what my own blood type is! The improvisation and quick thinking, all whilst playing the character in a way that feels genuine cannot be understated. Whilst the show is very much audience driven, the acting within the show is crucial, and if it didn’t feel impactful, could potentially lead to the show not being as effective as it is; yet this is not a fault Jury Duty has, and the acting involved by whichever acting is fantastic. Especially when (again, I am being as vague as I can here so I don’t spoil), sometimes the show – and character – can very drastically change right before your very eyes.
Following on from this, whoever is making the magic of an online immersive theatre show behind the scenes also deserves the same level of respect. Anything audience members need to request – more evidence, any emails sent, any wishes to question the defendant…all of this, and the show as a whole is managed and coordinated by someone (again, to my knowledge, who it is that does this can change). And when the show gets more intense and slightly manic, someone is behind a screen managing all of this, and not only are they mastering the zoom call and making sure everyone is enjoying the show and experience the best they can, but controlling anything else being asked for within the show, all whilst making sure the show runs at all! It’s a lot, but there was never a fault in either of the two Jury Games shows I have done, so clearly, both shows are being managed flawlessly.
And that is Jury Duty. It may have been stressful, but it got my heart racing and my adrenaline pumping, and gave me the escapism I so badly need, at any time, let alone especially right now. If you love immersive theatre or have never tried it, and whether you play with friends, family or strangers – this is a show I can’t recommend enough. If you’ve played The Inquest and enjoyed that, then you’ll love this for sure. But if you’ve never played The Inquest, worry not – and why not give this a try? Jury Games have absolutely got you covered on the entertainment front. I’ve got myself all excited about the show again now just by writing about it, I may have to find a poor unsuspecting friend and persuade them to join me so I have an excuse to play again now..
If you wish to book for either Jury Duty or The Inquest, you can do that here: https://www.jurygames.com/home
One Show at a Time 