JOURNEY ON: UNLEASH YOUR INNER HERO Plays The Secret Theatre, 5/17-6/10

JOURNEY ON, presented by Playing with Reality and directed by Shea Elmore, runs from May 17 through June 10 at The Secret Theatre in Long Island City, New York (44-02 23rd Street).

This engaging interactive onstage experience is based on American mythologist Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, which is the basic pattern found in many mythical and popular narratives such as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. In this limited-run production, the professional actors will invite two enthusiastic audience volunteers to become co-creators of the presentation. The newly cast amateur actors will pick from four distinct imaginary worlds and play the protagonist in a story that is entirely improvised resulting in a thrilling theatrical adventure.

Tickets are $15, and on sale now, available at www.brownpapertickets.com.

JOURNEY ON: UNLEASH YOUR INNER HERO, is Playing with Reality’s largest production yet at the Secret Theatre, placing 16 performances in the Big Secret theatre space while the audience watches a live video stream on a large screen from the 50-seat Poco space. From the show’s call to action taking the actors and audience on an exciting quest, the actors will present a dramatic, yet fun, vaudeville-like exploration into a fascinating and surprising new realm of theatre.

Performances are presented from May 17 through June 10 - Thursdays through Saturdays at 7PM, Sundays (5-20 & 5-27) at 6PM, and Sundays (6-3 & 6-10) at 4PM.

Shea Elmore (director) is producer, director, and inter-actor at Playing with Reality. Creating and developing interactive performances and using narrative improvisation, Shea has brought together a company of actors to collaborate with audience members in theatrical engagements. Using professional applications, ordinary individuals are offered rare one-time theater experiences and/or potential actors are given New York theater moments. In addition to Journey On, Shea has directed other Playing with Reality productions, including This is Storybox (Shetler Studios), Properties of Play (Canal Park Playhouse), and The Choices We Make (Amsterdam, NL). Shea studied interactive performance at University of Central Florida’s Interactive Performance Lab, and also serves as a coordinator and assistant for the wildly popular Blue Man Group/Astor Place Theatre, NY.

Playing with Reality is New York’s premier interactive theatre company designed for audience members to perform on a professional stage. Supported by trained actors and improvisers, interested volunteers become co-creators as they embark on an exciting theatrical journey that is entirely unscripted. This style of interactive performance was originally developed at the University of Central Florida, Interactive Performance Lab (2002–2010) by Jeff Wirth. In 2010, former lab member Shea Elmore founded Playing with Reality in New York. Wanting more out of the field, Shea invited Jeff to conduct a weeklong interactive performance workshop in the spring of 2010. Following the workshop, Shea invited some of the attendees to join him in the company’s first New York production, This is Storybox. In spring of 2011, Playing with Reality held its second full workshop and added six full-time company members, along with 3 extended ensemble members. The group continues to develop the forms where the play steps off the stage and into the real world while creating interactive tools that contain benefits beyond pure entertainment. The unique approach to improvisation is conducive to building stronger teams and more aware, versatile individuals. The members of Playing with Reality are available for interactive training workshops teaching team building, leadership skills, and customer service & sales.

For more information, visit www.playingwithreality.org.

Photo credit: Adam Goldberg

More Articles by This Author...