Submersive Productions to Present PLUNGE: AN EXPERIENTIAL STORYTELLING LAB

Submersive Productions, the Baltimore immersive theater company that presented critically acclaimed The Mesmeric Revelations! of Edgar Allan Poe and Broken Bone Bathtub, announces its latest production, Plunge: An Experiential Storytelling Lab, with performances Feb. 2 to 5 at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Baltimore.

Plunge includes five stories and installations exploring the theme of "the other." Storytellers have paired with installation artists to present unique immersive environments and one-on-one experiences for audience members during this limited run of performances. Audience members will be able to experience three of the five stories during each 30-minute reservation spot.

With support from The Bad Oracle's Actors Need a Living (A.N.A.L.) Fund, Plunge was created as a series of workshops focused on storytelling and intimate performance with teams of "Makers" and "Tellers" creating individual environments to be experienced by a single audience member.

"Inspiration for Plunge came from our Mesmeric Revelations character The Stranger (originated by performer Martha Robichaud), who offered one-on-one encounters experienced by only six audience members each show," Submersive co-founder Glenn Ricci said. "Many audience members told me they were very moved by the experience, and we knew we wanted to explore further the possibilities of immersive one-to-one performance. These sorts of experiences are the foundation of our approach to immersive theater, and we think there is a lot left to explore as an art form."

The artistic team of Plunge includes storytellers and installation makers. "Tellers," who will be interacting with each audience member, include: Alisa Lashana Brock, Cori Dioquino, Abby Becker, Ashley Minner, Mike Smith and Kevin Griffin Moreno. The "Makers" of each installation environment are: Marie Claire Macadar, Samantha Callanta, Ada Pinkston, Submersive co-founder Ursula Marcum and Ashley Minner. Ricci and Josh Aterovis will be providing additional performance support.

Baltimore artists Ashley Minner and Kevin Griffin Moreno helped lead the workshops and are also storytellers featured in the show. "For me, art is at its most meaningful when it establishes a connection, a sense of intimacy between artist and audience," Moreno said. "Plunge creates opportunities for audience members to experience those moments of intimacy with art and artists in an interactive and hopefully profound way."

To reserve a 30-minute spot of Plunge, visit www.artful.ly/store/events/11015. Find out more at the Plunge Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/events/228545194260054.

Submersive Productions is a collaborative artworks company that combines artistic disciplines to create memorable and profound audience experiences. The company was formed in 2015 to produce the Spring and Fall editions of The Mesmeric Revelations! of Edgar Allan Poe at the Enoch Pratt House at the Maryland Historical Society. That production was the longest-running immersive theater experience in Baltimore history, and earned a Best of Baltimore award for "Best Theater Experience" from the Baltimore City Paper. Broken Bone Bathtub was named a Top 10 Stage Production of 2016 by Baltimore City Paper. Submersive seeks to create artworks that utilize unused, underused, or unusual spaces that reflect the architectural fabric of the city. Submersive was recently awarded a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation for their upcoming production, H.T. Darling's Incredible Musaeum, which will open at The Peale Center on April 1, 2017. For more information, visit www.submersiveproductions.com.

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