A Wild Game of Pretend Starts Tuesday

By Amber Lester Kennedy Monday, May 02, 2011

Fans of “The Thomas Crown Affair” or “Ocean’s 11” will have their chance to join an art heist on Saturday, as part of a revolutionary multimedia theater collaboration between the city of Williamsburg and AVAdventure.

From Tuesday to Saturday, the city will host ArtVenture, featuring an opening night gala, a music showcase, a spoken word event, a film screening and finally, an interactive theater experience called “The Heist.” Attendees will have a chance to become actors in the event, which falls somewhere between improvisational theater, a flash mob and a scavenger hunt.

AVAdventure (the AV stands for audio-visual) is a unique storytelling format that marries theater and film to mobile technology and social media. The first experiment took place in 2007 on the campus of The College of William and Mary, where founder Adam Stackhouse recruited friends to shake off finals-induced stress by engaging in a wild game of pretend.

Since then, AVAdventure has staged six adventures and in March, the team gave a presentation on interactive storytelling at South by Southwest Interactive, an Austin, Texas-based tech conference. The team works together to create a plot and characters that will drive the storytelling experience – in this week’s adventure, a renowned thief is planning to steal the signature art piece from an art gallery in town, and will recruit help to pull off the heist.

On the day of the event, participants visit the AVAdventure website to download a media file to their mobile device of choice (mp3 players or smart phones) and at 9 p.m., will press play to begin their adventure. Team member Liz Sykes said the format puzzles some participants, who want more of an idea what they will experience. “We have to just say, ‘It will become clear when it starts,’” she said.

The Heist is scheduled for 9 to 11 p.m. Saturday, but planners have not yet revealed specific details about where it might start or what participants will be doing. Sykes said one AVAdventure attracted 800 participants, all working together. Cast members, who are recognizable to participants from a video introduction, are strategically placed to interact with the audience.

The nontraditional theater format turns the concept of theater upside down. Where traditional theater gives its audience members a shared experience, an AVAdventure is entirely unique for each participant, even though the story and actors are the same. The “audience” is further isolated because each participant has to wear headphones to follow the story.

“Everyone presses play and of course there might be seconds of delay, so sometimes people get out of sync and it’s led to interesting unplanned events,” Sykes said. The crowd plays off each other, she added, because some participants delve into the activity fully, while others hold back.

Similar experiments in theatrical storytelling have been popping up around the world. British production company Punchdrunk is currently presenting an immersive adaptation of “Macbeth” called “Sleep No More,” staged in a former New York hotel. Participants wander through the hotel’s rooms and witness scenes happening, sometimes getting pulled into the action. Sykes recently saw the play, and said it was completely engrossing, and yet completely unpredictable.

The AVAdventure team believes their brand of multimedia immersive storytelling could be the next frontier for live performance, and the idea could be applied to museum education programs, promotional events, film premieres and college campus events. Sykes said they particularly would like to work with Colonial Williamsburg to develop a kid-friendly exciting activity that would immerse families in the action of the Revolutionary City.

When they approached the City of Williamsburg about co-hosting a week of events, they were amazed at the enthusiastic reception to the idea. “We are thrilled to feature this cutting-edge digital storytelling format,” said Michele DeWitt, economic development director for the city. “The opportunity to showcase local artists through this innovative medium is significant not only for our art community, but as a way to highlight one of the city’s creative economy businesses.”

Watch promotional videos at AVAdventure’s Facebook page.

ArtVenture Schedule

Opening Night Gala

Tuesday, May 3: 7-11 p.m.

Williamsburg Community Building

Enjoy speakers from local arts organizations, free food and beverage, music, and the opening of the featured ArtVenture collection.

Music Night

Wednesday, May 4: 6-10 p.m.

Williamsburg Community Building

Local artists will perform a variety of musical sets within the ArtVenture exhibit.

Spoken Word Night

Thursday May 5: 6-10 p.m.

Williamsburg Community Building

Local spoken word artists, storytellers, and poets will perform within the ArtVenture exhibit.

Film Night

Friday, May 6: 6-10 p.m.

Multiple Locations

• 7 p.m.: W&M Short Film Festival at the Kimball Theatre: A showcase of shorts directed by, produced by, and starring members of the William & Mary Community ($5 tickets)

• 10 p.m.: Interactive showing of the cult film The Room at Kimball Theatre ($5 tickets)

• 6-10 p.m.: ArtVenture Gallery in Williamsburg Community Building open for visitation

The AVAdventure™ presents: THE HEIST

Saturday, May 7: 9-11 p.m.

An interactive outdoor theater experience utilizing iPods and other mobile device technology. Note: this event is free, but requires an iPod or other audio device and downloading the event file in advance. Additional information will be posted on the event’s page on May 5 by 12PM.

For more information and details about Williamsburg ArtVenture or “The Heist,” call 703-362-9577.