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Nocturnal Fandango, a premiere Los Angeles immersive theatre company, has extended their Fall 2019 production schedule due to popular demand. Take Me, a long form two-hour solo audience experience, has added performances October 26 and 27, now that the October 18, 19 and 20 performances are completely sold out.
Producer Jason Davidson says, "For the third year in a row, Nocturnal Fandango retools the Halloween experience into something wholly and uniquely their own. Veering away from anticipated Halloween tropes, Take Me sends audience members on a completely enveloping journey through a fractured urban fairytale of waking nightmares, emotional encounters and elusive and actual hope. Always focused on theatre as social change, Take Me is not just another Halloween show, we are seeking for the audience to have a life affirming piece of theatre."
In addition, Dr. Rocket's Twilight Carnival, a festival of short form immersive theatre pieces, returns November 15 through November 17. Through eight distinct one acts, Dr. Rocket's Twilight Carnival explores the human drive to connect. From dystopian landscapes to worlds of magical realism, each of the eight experiences places the audience members in circumstances both fantastical and wholly human. All of these shows will be staged at the same location.
Dr. Rocket's Twilight Carnival features eight different shows. Remounted and reimagined shows include: The Museum of Mostly Human Oddities, The Underground Electric Love Conundrum, Good Times at the Tumbleweed Drive-In and The Blood Comedies. There are four new shows making their premieres: The Centrifugal Force of Lemon Peel, Your Very Own Wishbone, A Deliberate Act of Care & Feeding and Wonderland's Whirpool Eye. All shows will be experienced solo and are half-hour one acts.
Nocturnal Fandango productions are written and directed by Kevin Davidson, Chelsea Morgan, and Jason Davidson.
To make a required reservation for Take Me or Dr. Rocket's Twilight Carnival, and for more information, please visit www.nocturnalfandango.org; to go directly to ticketing please visit https://squareup.com/store/nocturnal-fandango. Audience members are given instructions for exact time and venue location for the experience following booking a reservation.
Most of the productions - including Take Me and the one- acts in Dr. Rocket's Twilight Carnival -- are performed for an audience of one person. Even if an audience member books several experiences during the course of an evening, any given audience member is not aware of other audience members.
Nocturnal Fandango productions have been staged in warehouses, mountain inns, and hotel rooms, and actual homes. Some are single one-acts of about 30 minutes, most are full productions spanning an hour or two, and the longest are staged overnight where each audience member experienced hours of content. One even more elaborate production involved audience members going on a road trip with characters from the narrative.
Nocturnal Fandango explores the myriad forms of Immersive Theatre with a central company of actors. Jason Davidson said, "We believe in the power of play and imagination. As audience members take their thoughts about these experiences back to their own communities, we believe that these immensely involving live theatre interactions can act as powerful agents of personal reflection. We are always seeking ways to have our narratives inspire audiences to consider important social justice themes."
A Nocturnal Fandango experience can combine scripted and improvisational materials with actors that are deeply rooted in character and story. Rarely is the audience member a passive observer or the listener to the story being presented. In the majority of cases audience members become active participants and are allowed agency in the experience helping drive the story line or the circumstances of the characters.
An audience member said, "Stepping into a Nocturnal Fandango show is the equivalent of being thrown into a fever dream of laughter, heartache and love."
Nocturnal Fandango is performed by an ensemble: a central company of actors return show after show and are continuously developing their acumen in this genre. This acting company is supplemented with single-show casting for specific productions, introducing new performers interested in this form. The performers come from a variety of backgrounds, including classically and experimentally trained theatre actors as well as those with backgrounds in film and television.
Kevin Davidson said, "Nocturnal Fandango approaches the work and the audience with sensitivity and narratives of Inclusivity. We work to treat audiences, team members and the marketplace with unconditional positive regard and a high sense of social justice. And while we are pushing the boundaries of the genre through innovation, we are always mindful to meet audience members where they are actually at and entertain them with respect."Chelsea Morgan said, "As Nocturnal Fandango continues to redefine and expand the possibilities for an Immersive Theatre experience, a committed core group of talented performers is key to our success due to the unique nature of this work. A wide range of skills are both required and extended including communication acumen, operational and logistics excellence and a deeper understanding of the company's thematic material."
An audience member said, "Nocturnal Fandango has created an environment that has allowed me to self-reflect in a way that most people only dream about. Their rich focused storytelling - in my case with LGBTQI thematic material -- has had such a profound impact in my life and has allowed me the ability to come to grips with my sexuality, learn from my past mistakes, have deeper connections with friends, and become a better person all around."
Dr. Rocket's Twilight Carnival Itinerary
The Museum of Mostly Human Oddities (Friday, Sat and Sun)
They travel the country from city to city, and no matter what it takes, they promise you a show. A visit to the museum finds the performers getting ready for tonight's gig. Their story is both bittersweet and tender.
The Underground Electric Love Conundrum (Sunday)
Willa and Ed have asked you to meet them. They need your help. Ultimately, the choice is yours. Personal and reflective.
Good Times at the Tumbleweed Drive-In (Friday, Sat and Sun)
It's the last night at the Tumbleweed and you have a ticket to the show. You see, sometimes something just blows on through, on the wind, and you don't know where it came from or why it's there. Emotional, character driven and thematically intense.
The Centrifugal Force of Lemon Peel (Friday, Sat and Sun)
And, as the tree grows, so do we. While you are not a member of their family, you cannot look away and you cannot leave. Visceral, disturbing and immediate.
A Deliberate Act of Care & Feeding (Friday and Sat) They wanted to ask you: how is love supposed to feel? What are we supposed to be doing? What are we doing wrong? Absurd, raw and troubling.
Your Very Own Wishbone (Friday and Sat) And so, he asks, what is it that makes you extraordinary? What is it that you'd like to leave with after your time together has ended? Speculative, physical and intense.
The Blood Comedies (Friday, Sat and Sun) And so, he asks, what is it about me that makes me anything more than average? His name is John Miller and he's pleased to meet you. Intense, emotional and physical.
Wonderland's Whirlpool Eye (Saturday and Sun)
Perhaps we go through this again, just as we always have. It doesn't much matter whether or not you believe me: I just want you to listen before it's too late. Raw, intimate and physical.
About Nocturnal Fandango
Since their inception in the fall of 2016, Nocturnal Fandango (a 501c3 non-profit organization based in Southern California) has produced 68 works of original immersive theatre. Using the power of the imagination, these works have explored themes ranging from life, death, identity,mental health, trauma, and grief, to more topical material including America's gun violence crisis and LGBTQI relationships.
During the first three season, Have You Seen Jake?, The Sudden Loneliness Gift, and Do You Know Jasper? were structured as long-form narratives. Over the span of several months each, audience members attended a variety of productions and experienced theatre that interwove with their daily lives. In addition to attending productions, audience members can interact with characters over various platforms, building relationships that drove the thematic importance and theatrical arguments of each season.
