A participant in the immersive production Assemble listens to the recordings that guide the viewer through the show.
Assemble is an immersive theater experience that includes secret locations, apps, audio tours and choosing various paths for each member of its audience to pursue a unique adventure. The journey begins when the rendezvous point is sent to ticket buyers the day before the performance. Some technological know-how is required, too, since audience members must download a custom-made app to their cell phones, listen through earbuds, and record actions they have performed during the show. At the check-in, a code is given to participants to enter into their phones. From there, the performance begins, and viewers are off to the clandestine space—a box store big enough to accommodate shifting locales—in Brooklyn.
At the venue, the audience is “introduced” to Jane (Jen Taher) on her 40th birthday—via audio only. Jane is reflecting on the choices she has made or wished she’d made in her life. A friend has given her a game that may help her “get clarity” with the future, so Jane embarks on a survey of the paths of her life. She confronts the questions: “This is the picture I imagined. What choices have made so far? If I were to write out my life, what would be the major turning points? Did I choose wisely?”
Audiences at Assemble use cellphones to follow directions and participate in assigned tasks during the experience. Photographs by Talya Chalef.
The audience follows Jane as she travels through her past. Throughout the performance, directed by co-writer Talya Chalef, Jane and the audience are guided by a woman’s voice, that of Sigrid (Sophie Sorensen). Jane travels through rooms that reflect the trajectory of her life. Taher’s voice is clear and inviting, and her performance grabs the audience through her emotive delivery. One room represents Jane’s career and work choices. Another depicts a family room that has her reflecting on her childhood. Jane realizes that “this is nothing like I grew up. I can’t really relate.”
The family room also reflects the expectations Jane had for herself—marriage, with a home and children. She ponders the “kid’s painting. Does that equal a home? Do I need to have one of my friend’s kids make me a painting?” But Jane’s musings also require the audience to reflect on what the same room, as well as family, means to them. They are asked to record their thoughts into the app.
One of the most stirring rooms captures Jane’s heartache after losing her partner. Taher stays quiet in this scene, as information is conveyed via text messages from her friends and family. (In the rest of the play, the dialogue is primarily delivered by audio.) This scene examines what heartbreak looks like and the way people maneuver through sadness. Jane has isolated herself; staying at home and bingeing on the Internet and social media. Her loved ones are trying to get her to come out to eat, or partake in a quick getaway, or to simply get a manicure.
“The audience is ‘introduced’ to Jane (Jen Taher) on her 40th birthday—via audio only. Jane is reflecting on the choices she has made or wished she’d made in her life. A friend has given her a game that may help her ‘get clarity’ with the future, so Jane embarks on a survey of the paths of her life.”
Not all choices are available to all audience members, since the play is designed for participants to select which scene comes next for them. The app displays either items or a room for participants to select. Where one ends up depends on the choice. In addition, the rooms have activities that need to be completed by the audience. In an office scene, participants have to choose a desk and then find items they would like on their desk. Afterward, the items need to be arranged and photographed. This picture is then recorded by the app and emailed to participants the next day as a souvenir of their journey. This is part of the intrigue and uniqueness of Assemble.
The app, designed by David Blackman, gives clear instructions on how to navigate the scenes and plot choices that come up during the performance. The visuals are streamlined and modern. The sounds by Christopher Ross-Ewart, who also composed the music, work well with the structure of the performance. The music and audio narrative give directions and set the tone as participants travel through the various scenes.
Assemble provides an original look at how spaces and birthdays can affect people. The anonymous but site-specific venue reflects a challenging, but increasingly popular, style of theater that here incorporates technology to tell its story.
Part of the Exponential Festival, Assemble runs through Feb. 2. Small groups of ticketed patrons meet at a secret location and begin their journey every 15 minutes. Performances are available to be scheduled between 6 and 7:15 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, and between 5 and 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. The performance runs approximately 75 minutes. Tickets ($20) are available at projectassemble.org. Meeting point and complete instructions will be sent to attendees.
