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ALL EPISODES
ALL EPISODES
By now, we all know, It’s all about connection.
So why am I coming back to this topic here?
Because connection can be manifested in so many different ways. It struck me when going through the first section of this interview. It seems like the way Ross cultivates connection is by seeing a spark in someone else, and lending himself to that spark in order to meet that person where they are – to speak to that person in their language…
This is a season of the surreal.
On some certain, inexplicable terms we find ourselves drawn to the ethereal, the supernatural, the unknown, and the misunderstood. At the intersection of all these things lies The Cutting Room Floor.
A door has opened with the rise of immersive experience. Immersive experience can be fun, and wondrous, mind bending, but it can also aid incredible empathy in a way that very few other things can.
The Privilege of Escape is an escape room and an experience that uses this fact to address the real world problems of privilege and social inequity.
Why is play important? What is the value of play?
Today’s episode of the immersion Nation Podcast is a little bit different. This is the first in a series of mini episodes that we’re going to be releasing periodically in place of our normal interviews.
We’ve been asking guests of the Immersion Nation podcast why play matters.
Also, we want to know what you think!
On May 18th, 2019, Ikantkoan founder Jessica Creane took the TED stage, under unusual circumstances, to give a talk about chaos theory. She explained that as a game designer, she takes complex systems and turns them into “playful interactive experiences” Today, Jessica joins the show to talk about leaning into chaos in daily life, learning how to harness it, and of course how one turns a haiku into a full contact sport.
On a humid August night in Williamsburg Brooklyn, Melinda Lauw, cofounder of the genre creating asmr experience, Whisperlodge, took the stage at New York Immersive Night. Melinda explained that she thought of immersive experience as a kind of wellness practice. At that moment I was sitting in the back of the room, utterly fascinated.
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sitting just off the bank of the Mississippi river is The 13th Gate. A repeatedly nationally acclaimed haunted house and escape room. The founder and owner -an understated multi-medium master- Dwayne Sanburn joins the podcast to discuss the experience that has repeatedly set the bar for each of his respective categories.
Stories are trust. They create understanding and shared meaning. Stories are the fabric of culture so it is befitting that Billy Angel has carved his path through the world with his stories. From the Netherlands to the UK, to the co-founding of Story Works in the United States.
Identity is a complex topic under the best of circumstances. We are often defined by the invisible scripts we learned so long ago we forget we’re even reciting lines. The Severance Theory casts you in the role of someone contending with DID. Dissociative Identity Disorder, commonly known as multiple personality disorder.
Imagine if human touch were a felony. What would that world look like? Ben Cox of Trailblazer Productions is exploring this question in his productions of TOUCH & TOUCH: INCARNATION. Ben joins the Immersion Nation Podcast for an adventure through dystopian futures, cultural change, and the presently evolving idea of human connection.
Any who have truly lost themselves in an immersive experience have glimpsed the potential of immersion as a whole. Caroline Murphy co-founder of Incantrix Productions discusses this potential, and the cause behind the…
Amy Rubenstein is in many ways the metaphorical tip of the spear within the burgeoning world of immersive theatre in Chicago. As the artistic director of Windy City Playhouse, Amy explains the path to creating a bracingly lifelike visage of…
Any One Thing, can be thought of as similar to the futuristic Netflix series, ‘Black Mirror’ (excluding episode 1, for any who stopped there). Subtracting a heavy portion of darkness, ‘Any One Thing’ (or A1T) explores the edge of what could be possible with technology, today, or in the very near future.
It’s rare that you find an actor in an escape room. It’s even more rare to discover that the actor doesn’t detract from you an experience, but helps create it. Cameron and Haley, are masters of this very thing. Madame Daphne guides you through a seance in attempt to contact the ghost of Harry Houdini.
While many escape rooms warship at the altar of the clock, Strange Bird laughs in the face of convention…
Fable Studios has created a piece of Immersive storytelling that is pushing the boundaries of both technology and immersion as a creative medium; Wolves In the walls.
For 7 years Artistic Directors Genevieve Gearhart, Julianne Just, and Matthew Bamberg-Johnson of the Speakeasy society have shown LA’s immersive community the evolution of an artform. With more experience than…
An immersive experience based on memory and scent. Christoff Visscher has learned how to harness the link between nostalgia and our sense of smell to create emotionally resonant stories, worlds, and perspective. Through Cantrip Candles and Tales By Candlelight, he is exploring the way a candle can represent a place, rather than just a thing. Perspective is invaluable but…
Ep. 5 extended:
Spencer Williams has followed a common thread. From documentary, to haunted corn mazes, to boutique immersive experiences for only 1 to 3 guests. The desire to watch a story, a world, a new perspective unfold brought him to the front edge of immersive entertainment. Creating Walk the Night Immersive, Spencer has developed ‘Tales by Candlelight’, The ‘Guest and the Host’, and…
Spencer Williams has followed a common thread. From documentary, to haunted corn mazes, to boutique immersive experiences for only 1 to 3 guests. The desire to watch a story, a world, a new perspective unfold brought him to the front edge of immersive entertainment. Creating Walk the Night Immersive, Spencer has developed ‘Tales by Candlelight’, ‘The Guest and the Host’, and…
Monica Miklas and Lauren Ludwig travel through the fringe, to the front lines of immersive entertainment. Encountering overzealous onlookers, confused law enforcement, and a lifelong frustration with the 4th wall; they solve the problems that come with being on the front edge of a new wave. Based in LA, they are the skilled weavers of wonder that co-founded Capital W
Marcia Angel, Cofounder of Story Works, has been working in both drama and psychology for more than 3 decades. Her staple event, Playback Improv, is one of the oldest most personally impactful vehicles for immersive experience. Originating in Nepal, playback mirrors the stories of…
Ian McNeely & Austen Anderson are the shakespearean trained, co-founders of Broken Ghost immersives. Deploying a seemingly infinite supply of creativity, they create experiences that cater to any type of player. They have created The Bunker, and Rogue’s Gallery, and formerly the wake…
Scott Cramton is the founder of American Immersion Theater with over 1,000 immersive shows under his belt. Over the course of 15 years Scott has developed and refined socially immersive experiences.
Where the nation explores
the world of immersion.
New fronts and big movements in
Immersion Nation.
The closest you can get to immersion,
before going in.
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