The well-dressed man looked me dead in the eyes, a hint of malice in his otherwise cheery demeanor.

“Do you know what love is? Do you love, Cara?”

I stood in the middle of a parking lot, life going on around me on all sides, while this scene unfolded. I shook my head yes, too afraid to say no. It was then that the girl in the dress took my hand, and they lead me to my first date with Cara.

Sure, typical Thursday night for me, but for most folks, I’m sure it looked slightly out of the ordinary. But it was all part of Shine On Collective’s latest show, Forever.

Since late July, people have been introduced to Cara, a lovely, if not over-bearing, young woman who loves you, and only you. We first met at Midsummer Scream during Always, where she first told me how she admired me from afar. We met again a week later at Together at ScareLA, where she told a story about how one gets close to another…and then proceeded to make me drink her blood.

Learning from the past

Forever was the third installment in Shine On Collective’s Devoted series, continuing young Cara’s obsession with you, and only you. This show was by invitation only, for people who attending shows during the haunt conventions.

While the interactions at the haunt conventions were fantastic, they were brief, and didn’t allow for us to get really immersed in Cara’s story. However, with Forever being a stand-alone show, I was able to spend more time with Cara during our “first date,” and learn a bit more about her.

While most immersive theater in the Los Angeles area tends to stray into the realm of horror, Devoted takes a much different route. While the story itself overall is dark, it is much more grounded in reality, allowing you to plunge into the depths of Cara’s obsession, and her murky past.

This came to light when I first arrived for my date, in a small apartment, and was left to my own devices and told to “search”. A laptop and desk sat before me, so of course, I did what I was told. The laptop, open to Cara’s e-mail account, showed dozens of unsent messages…all addressed to me. The open Facebook tab was looking at my photos. The desk’s drawers contained photos of Cara’s family members, their faces whited out, notes and prescriptions from her psychiatrist, and her personal diary, detailing some of her struggle.

While I only had seconds to see all of this, it was immensely powerful to have that much detail about Cara all at once, so I could really see the extent of her love…or her obsession.

But soon, Cara was there. Behind me, in fact, the entire time, watching me go through her things, learning more.

And then the date truly began.

Awaiting Cara’s call…

I won’t give anything else away, but I WILL say that it was an immensely powerful and emotional piece overall. The show truly excels with its interactions between you and Cara, and the credit for that relies entirely on the actress who plays her, Trish DeLuca. With the entire shows based around her, and the majority of your time spent with her, Trish plays Cara in such a way that makes her entirely believable. She absolutely sells the “love” that Cara has for you, and is fully committed to bringing her to life. I was incredibly impressed with the way she is able to show Cara’s psychosis, and could switch between the vulnerable young girl and the smiling, happy, obsessive one at the drop of a hat. She does an amazing job of never breaking eye contact during those intimate, and intense, moments, and really brings you into the story.

While you may not see them clearly once the date begins, the lovers (Eric Vallante and Sharon Savene) and the victim (Taylor Thorne), do a fantastic job of expressing their emotions, even without being able to see it on their faces. The scenes that play out with them while you explore Cara’s past are powerful, more so than I ever could have thought for not being able to truly “see” them.

Anna Mavromati once again wrote a wonderful show, which was expertly directed by Marlee Delia. These two talented women are the heart and soul of Shine On Collective’s success, and make Shine On a theater company to watch in the coming years. As their shows expand, I have no doubt that they will continue to make a name for themselves in the scene. Mavromati’s writing is haunting to begin with, but her she steps it up even further, writing Cara’s monologues in such a way that they plant themselves deep within your mind, and stick there, even hours later. Delia’s excellent direction also extends to her amazing use of the space in which the show unfolds. Even though I knew I was in an apartment, her guiding hand made me lose sight of that several times during the course of the production, and feel like I was somewhere else entirely.

A rose from Cara

In the end, the date was over, and I was left alone, huddling on the floor, exposed and vulnerable; just like Cara was.

Really, the entire show was an amazing experience, and one I wish I could experience again. Though the run is over now, I really wish Shine On Collective would consider running it longer; that’s how damn good it is.

However, we do have one last chance to see Cara again, during the final installment of the series, aptly titled Devoted. This show is open to the general public.

Tickets are now on sale, and are going fast, so if you want to see Cara, now is your chance. Though it does continue the story already set forth, you do not need to have seen the previous shows to enjoy it. And trust me, I highly recommend you meet Cara.

You can find tickets on their Event Bright page here.

For more information on Shine On Collective, you can visit their website at: www.shineoncollective.com