The No Proscenium Podcast

In Sugar Land, Texas, just outside of Houston, a bold experiment that brings together performance, puppetry, creative technology, and interactive storytelling waits for the curious and adventurous. This is The Department of Wonder, and it looks to be bringing together all the elements we talk about on the podcast regularly all under one roof. This week we talk with Brandon Oldenburg and Limbert Fabian Co-Heads of Creative at The Department of Wonder about what their team has built, how they got there, and their plans for the future of the project.SHOW NOTESThe Department of WonderCall Sheet (January) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last January we told you all about the Black Immersive Creators Grant, which gives direct support to a Black maker who is launching original immersive work with a grant fund target of $10,000.This year the Grant is back and looking to do it all over again. Joining us on the pod this week is Maya Carter - Vice President of the Board of the Black Immersive Creators Grant — and Grant support team member Kendra Slack of Linked Dance Theatre.Show NotesBlack Immersive Creators GrantCall Sheet - Jan 2023Universal Plans New Family Resort in Texas, Las Vegas Horror AttractionReview Rundown for 1/13/23 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We kick off 2023 by talking with the creators responsible for one of our 2022 highlights: the NoPro Review Crew trip to The Ministry of Peculiarities: Hope End in Azuza, CA. This escape game is the talk of SoCal's immersive scene, as it blends the best of escape room sleuthing with dialed in performances and a game structure where story is the ultimate reward.We sit down with Adam Moody and brothers Jonathan & Benjamin Berk, the creative team who are Overlook Film Festival bound this Spring.SHOW NOTESThe Ministry of PeculiaritiesOverlook Film FestivalCall Sheet - January 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show — you’ve got two MIGHTY SEGMENTS featuring members of the Senior Staff of NoPro — Arts Editor Laura Hess, Senior Editor Leah Davis, LA Reviews Editor Kevin Gossett, East Coast Curator at Large Blake Weil all join us in part one [6:37], and then London Curator Shelley Snyder and Chicago Curator Patrick McLean join us for part two [57:23].SHOW NOTESNoPro's Best Immersive Moments of 2022NoPro's Best Immersive Experiences of 2022Telelibrary Public Auction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we sit down for one-on-one talks with members of our Review Crew to dive into their favorite moments & experiences of 2022. Each team member covers their favorite moment and one of their top shows of the year.You can find an expanded written, but not identical, version of this at our website.RUN ORDERShelley Snyder, London Curator [6:42]Kevin Gossett, LA Reviews Editor [19:06]Katrina Lat, Toronto Correspondent [23:23]Nicholas Fortugno, New York Correspondent [36:25]Patrick McLean, Chicago Curator [51:42]Danielle Look, Denver Correspondent [59:56]Blake Weil, East Coast Curator at Large [1:10:25]Laura Hess, Arts Editor [1:20:49]Leah Davis, Senior Editor/New England Correspondent [1:28:28]Noah Nelson, Publisher and Host [1:43:25] Show NotesThe Telelibrary Ticket Auction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show — first we take a trip out to the South Coast Botanic Garden the site of Moment Factory’s ASTRA LUMINA, where with talk with Jonathan St-Onge and Thomas Pintal of Moment Factory and Isabel Solano Global Vice President of Live Experiences at Fever, who are co-presenting Astra Lumina in LA.Then we chat with Andy Barnes of London's Immersive Experience Network about what this creative community centered group has on tap for 2023, including their current fundraiser for their Immersive Huddle series there in the global capital of immersive.Show NotesAstra Lumina LAMoment FactoryImmersive Experience NetworkIEN FundraiserBacker Exclusive: The Telelibrary Auction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show — we’re sharing with you the audio from the panel from the NYC Immersive Meetup hosted last month at Andrew Hoepfner’s GYMNOPEDIE that was moderated by NoPro’s New York Curator Allie Marotta.The panel features:Alex Chmaj - co-owner of Future ProofEvan Neiden - Candle House CollectiveAndrew Hoepfner - Houseworld ImmersiveJessica Creane - IKantKoanRisa Puno - Installation Artist, creator of The Privilege of Escape This is a frank conversation about the impact of the pandemic on their work, where the field of immersive is going, and includes questions from the audience. Note: the audio was recorded live, and we recommend NOT using headphones or earphones for this episode due to a few rare audio issues that are sprinkled through the recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show — we’re taking a quick trip through the 2022 NoPro Gift Guide with No Pro East Coast Editor at large Blake Weil. Blake and I have pulled seven items from the Gift Guide to talk about including video games, boxed experiences, and live events you should definitely treat you and yours to.Show NotesThe 2022 NoPro Gift Guide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up, Scarlett Kim, Associate Artistic Director of Innovation and Strategy, of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival joins us to talk about the QUILLS FEST — where immersive tech and live performance come out to play — which is running now until the end of the month. We dive into why one of the United States' best known theatre companies is commissioning XR performance works. (5:45)Then Greg Lombardo, Vice President and Head of Experiences at the one and only NETFLIX, stops by to talk about just why it is that Netflix has gotten into the immersive experience business and what Lombardo thinks is so special about the form. (34:40) Netflix, along with its partner Fever, is opening the Los Angeles tour stop of the Stranger Things Experience this weekend, and I have some quick thoughts on the show after the interview. (48:30)SHOW NOTESQuills FestStranger Things Experience: Los AngelesStranger Things Experience: AtlantaStranger Things Experience: LondonStranger Things Review (Leah Davis for NoPro)40 Watts From Nowhere Patreon DiscountRumble in the Jungle Patreon DiscountThe NoPro Discord Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show — Felix Barrett, the Artistic Director of Punchdrunk is here to talk about The Burnt City — currently playing in London — but that’s not all. We get into the state of the London immersive scene, LARPS, Punchdrunk’s own experiments with immersive gaming, that time they created a DOCTOR WHO event for school kids, video games, and the origins of Punchdrunk itself.I tell you straight - I was nervous as heck going into this and I shouldn’t have been. Not only is this the biggest interview of the year for us, it’s also one of our best in ages.Show NotesPunchdrunkThe Burnt CityInscryptionImmortalityQuills FestRematch: Rumble in the JungleNoPro Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.