Candle House Collective wonderfully crafted a variety of emotionally driven remote experiences. This certainly helps fill a void that I’m sure many are feeling in these uncertain times of quarantine. With their storytelling taking place remotely, it allows any participant to safely be immersed into a story from their own homes. I personally had never done anything like this before and I did not know what to expect when the phone rang. I was able to experience two of their shows, but they do have a few running this month.

BLACK BOX

“This is your captain speaking…”

The following consists of salvaged audio recordings from the cockpit of New Horizon Airlines flight 1114.  (Due to its condition, please forgive any anomalies in playback.). This encounter lasts about 75 minutes, beginning at your selected time.  This is a partially interactive remote experience for one, taking place via phone call(s) and text messages.

The first show I experienced was BLACK BOX, and initially I fumbled getting used to the dynamic of when someone was speaking to me and not the other actor. I quickly understood my cues and from there my own anxiety of doing a show via phone melted away. This show has the participant interacting with and listening in on the captain and co-captain of a plane. From the very start, I was placed in a position of having to question rational thought and I was unsure what was or wasn’t really happening. It was incredibly fascinating to be in a role as both a fly on the wall as well as an active person in the story. This was a really new experience for me and it worked so well. BLACK BOX was an emotionally heavy experience and one of the most memorable performances I’ve ever been part of. The actors were phenomenal, and everything felt so real. I loved this show even though it left me feeling like someone punched me in the stomach. The way the story unfolds continually pulls you in and out of states of rising tension.

MISSING

“I still remember it, I think.  The story about spoons.” 

Some days are harder than others, and this is one of them.  She’s fine; she’d just like someone to talk to.  This encounter lasts 45-60 minutes, beginning at your selected time.  This is a highly interactive remote experience for one, taking place over the course of a phone call.

MISSING is the story of a mother dealing with the loss of her son who simply vanished 13 years prior.  My role was very clear when the phone call came in; I worked for a support hotline and my job was to help and listen.  This show was highly interactive.  It was just myself and the mother speaking to each other. Just like those in BLACK BOX, the actress here was very good.  There is an interweaving of uncertainty and some playfulness mixed in, which I found to be very enjoyable.  Since this was a more intimate show with a higher participation level involved, I was asked to share personal recollections of my own life throughout.  It was thought provoking, since I had to think of things I hadn’t really thought about in a long time or maybe even at all.  This was a far more intimate experience that asked for participants’ honesty.  MISSING ultimately leaves you with more questions and I’m still mulling everything over in my head.

Overall both shows were very different from each other.  My experience of doing these two shows has really broadened my horizons.  I would have expected that they might feel similar in structure to each other, but that was not the case at all.  They both stood independent.  In all honesty, I would never have opted to do a phone immersive experience had we not found ourselves in such a unique circumstance in the world of COVID-19. But I am so happy that I had the opportunity to be part of two of Candle House Collective’s shows, because there’s something really special about being part of something that requires the focus to be on quality of storytelling and great acting instead of depending on physical sensations and visuals.  I believe this narrowing of our focus is why the production is so much deeper emotionally.  There’s also the benefit to give individuals the opportunity to do an immersive experience even if they don’t live where shows normally occur.  If anyone ever doubted the efficacy of a remote experience, please set that aside and give Candle House Collective a try.

Information about Candle House Collective and their shows can be found on their website: https://candlehousecollective.com