Audiences Step Into THE BLACKWELL ASYLYM Alongside Nellie Bly In New Immersive Theater Project This Winter

Infinite Variety Productions, a theater company dedicated to spotlighting women who have gone unnoticed in history, and Wildrence, an immersive design studio and New York's dynamic storytelling space, will collaborate to present the immersive non-fiction production of Nellie and the Women of Blackwell, January 30-March 7, 2020. The first of a series of fully immersive, guided theatre experiences that focuses on women's history, this world premiere breaks the barrier between history and present day and provides a space for the lives and words of the Blackwell Asylum's lost women to live on in a purposeful way.

Based on Ten Days in the Mad house, the exposé that shocked the world, Nellie and the Women of Blackwell follows 23-year-old journalist Elizabeth Cochran, penned Nellie Bly, undercover into one of New York City's most notorious "insane asylums" in 1887. From unlawful overcrowding, and unsanitary living conditions to harsh and brutal treatments that caused tremendous mental and physical harm to patients, many women were beaten and sexually assaulted by vicious and tyrannical staffers. Following Bly through her investigative research, she discovered that many of the inmates she shared her close quarters with were not insane at all, but immigrants unable to communicate, or those that simply fell through the cracks of a society that didn't consider mental health a priority. While audiences walk in the shoes of Bly, inmates interact individually with each guest, divulging secrets, observations and sharing experience with a meaningful script that gives the women of the Blackwell Asylum a chance to have their voices heard more than a century later. In the spirit of immersive theater, each ticket holder will have a fully unique experience, perspective, and relationship with the women of Blackwell.

"The play is based on history and based on a true story, but what the play is really about is human connection through generations and moments of time" explains Ashley Adelman, founder of Infinite Variety Productions. "What will our audiences see? Who will they meet? And more importantly, how will they get out?" she continues.

With 30 performances, only 16 audience members per performance will intimately follow Bly on her assignment. All patrons are encouraged to explore the space, either on their own or in groups, and ask the inmates questions to help further Nellie's quest. Through audience participation and interaction, theatergoers will gain a better understanding of women's lives in this period of history.

Nellie and the Women of Blackwell will be performed from January 30- March 7, 2020. Performances will take place every Thursday at 7:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday at both 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

General admission tickets are $68, and are available online at https://www.wildrence.com/events/nellie-and-the-women-of-blackwell

Wildrence is located at 59 Canal Street between Allen and Orchard Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side neighborhood, and accessible by the B, D and F trains.

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