{"id":15903,"date":"2019-01-29T15:39:36","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T23:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/Becomeimmersed.com\/?p=15903"},"modified":"2019-12-11T16:09:10","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T00:09:10","slug":"willows-jfi-productions-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/becomeimmersed.com\/willows-jfi-productions-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"The Willows Welcomes You Home – An Interview with JFI Productions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The team at JFI Productions<\/a> has consistently been upping the ante for immersive entertainment. With their massively popular Halloween series \u2013 CreepLA<\/em>, Entry<\/em><\/a>, the Amazon-branded Lore<\/em><\/a>, and Awake<\/em> <\/a>\u2013 JFI Productions strives to touch upon all forms of fear and horror through atmospheric eeriness and emotional interactions. Beginning in February, JFI is bringing back their smaller and more personal, yet still enormously successful, show The Willows<\/em><\/a>. A modern twist on a murder-mystery evening, The Willows<\/a><\/em> welcomes guests to an intimate gathering to celebrate life; the mystery unfolds over the course of the two-hour experience.<\/p>\n

Immersed sat down with the team behind The Willows<\/em> \u2013 founder\/director\/producer Justin Fix<\/a>, writer\/artistic director Daniel Montgomery, artistic director David Ruzicka, and creative supervisor\/choreographer Stephanie Turek \u2013 to discuss where the show picks up, how it evolves, and what new and returning guests can look forward to in February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"JFI<\/p>\n

A Modern Murder-Mystery Dinner for Everyone<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Originally inspired by films like Clue<\/em>, The Willows<\/em> is at first glance a dinner celebration with the peculiar Willows family in their sprawling 10,000 sq. ft. mansion, but the psychological mystery runs much deeper than that.\u00a0 It is a lavish night of mystery, personal connections with characters, food and drink. Guests are encouraged to ask questions and get involved in the narrative presented, but The Willows<\/em> also allows guests to take a more passive approach and just enjoy the surroundings. \u201cI feel like there\u2019s a little bit for everybody. So, whether you like to engage or just sit back and watch, you\u2019re going to walk away with a real memorable experience,\u201d says Turek.<\/p>\n

Ruzicka calls The Willows<\/em> \u201ca show that\u2019s perfect for someone who may be apprehensive about horror elements; they\u2019ll have a good experience, but they\u2019re not going to be terrified.\u201d Montgomery explains that the Willows family welcomes guests into their home, but of course \u201cevery home has dark corners and hidden secrets.\u201d Since The Willows<\/em> relies on atmospheric tension instead of traditional haunted house jump-scares, \u201cthe scariness of the show comes from you yourself, not the characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Willows<\/em> \u201cis a gateway drug for those who\u2019ve never been to an immersive theater show before,\u201d Ruzicka chimes in. Fix agrees, \u201cyou have to get people to take that jump into this space. Once those people have a true moment of connection and amazement in an immersive space \u2013 then they are hooked. So, ultimately, that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do \u2013 create a memorable night out for people.\u201d JFI recommends this appropriately unsettling dinner party to both loyal and dedicated fans, as well as those brand new to immersive entertainment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"JFI<\/p>\n

Dynamic Family Relationships<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Borrowing from Clue<\/em>, JFI takes archetypal characters and injects them with a sense of unease. Montgomery states, \u201cwe wanted to take the archetypes of a bumbling maid and a drunk widow and make them feel very real \u2013 but also very weird.\u201d The JFI team works together to turn those archetypal characters into something more interesting and complex, with their own touch of the uncanny. Montgomery continues, \u201cWe built from those archetypes to create the family backstory. Once we had those characters, it was a fun process to develop what made them tick and who they are to each other and what their secrets are.\u201d<\/p>\n

The success of the scripted yet improvisation-heavy The Willows<\/em> lies in the capable hands of the impressive cast, some reprising characters from the original run, some new to their roles. As the titular family, the actors come together with the creators to \u201ctake this thing that works and continue to adapt it, and let it grow, and let it breathe, and let it feel more real.\u201d Montgomery goes on, \u201cwe are constantly working on making sure every last detail is figured out, and everything makes sense for the story, makes sense for the characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cast and creators build these cohesive family relationships and a united history. With so many people involved in the creative process and world-building within the narrative\u2019s structure, Montgomery calls it \u201ca lot of play time and it\u2019s a lot of making sure we all feel like we\u2019re the same family.\u201d He especially enjoys the excitement of \u201cgetting some new people in and seeing what they bring.\u201d JFI always strives to improve the show, and make it both as enjoyable and as authentic to the characters and story as possible.<\/p>\n

The push and pull between the characters not only evolves from day to day, but also in between the two nightly performances. The show is constantly in flux based on what works and what doesn\u2019t during a given show. The behind-the-scenes notes can range from \u201clet\u2019s try this\u201d all the way to creating a new shared history between characters on the spot. Montgomery says the show is \u201calways keeping you on your feet \u2013 always, always, always,\u201d but the most important aspect of The Willows<\/em> is \u201call about relationships.\u201d For him, a successful show is \u201cwhen guests leave knowing the family members\u2019 names. We created these characters and then let them live.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"JFI<\/a><\/p>\n

A Luxurious Night Out
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Willows family home is an authentic, early 20th-century Los Angeles 10,000 square foot mansion. As beautiful as it is haunting, the house inspired JFI to write The Willows<\/em> and is itself as much a character as any of the individual family members. From the front gate to the lived-in furniture, the home aids in transporting guests into a fully-realized environment, providing its own energy more than JFI could achieve through production design. Fix says of the house, \u201cIt is such a character itself. It\u2019s such a huge part of the story. The house has such history, it\u2019s recognizable. It\u2019s in the heart of L.A., but you might never know it was there. It is sort of a mystery… all these trees… and it acts like it never ends. It is so strange. People should see it. It\u2019s… magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

To add to the grandeur of the house, the two-hour Willows<\/em> treats guests to dinner and drinks, and a maintained level of hospitality. \u201cYou are told to dress in casual cocktail attire for a night where you celebrate life,\u201d Fix explains. \u201cWe want things to feel opulent, beautiful, and luxurious. You drink, have a meal and snacks and dessert. You are catered to, and you can ask for anything. You are with the family, and we are also here to serve the guests. It should feel like an elegant night out.\u201d The show is comparable to a date night, a birthday dinner with friends, or a team-building event for businesses, all of which JFI has catered to in the past.<\/p>\n

As the house is a character in the show, it has evolved and grown over time just as much as the characters who reside there. The family exists, and continues living there even though the guests are gone. To add to this element of growth and evolution, the JFI team has actually moved into the house to continue uncovering its secrets and adding more to the narrative. Ruzicka explains further, \u201cwhile the guests have been away, the house has continued evolving too. Conrad has done some more art. For people who are the really eagle-eyed guests, who may have been with us before, there are definitely things that they\u2019ll notice are different, even just in the way that the rooms they\u2019re familiar with look.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

\"JFI<\/p>\n

Digging a Little Deeper<\/h3>\n

In remounting The Willows<\/em>, JFI has the added challenge of expanding upon the world they\u2019ve built, and making return visits desirable. During the hiatus, JFI has figured out ways to use even more of the mansion than they did before, deepening both the characters and the narrative. Montgomery is especially excited to show off more of the Willows\u2019 world: \u201cBefore, we kept certain parts of the house locked away or hidden from guests. Now, we open up the whole house. In showing more of the house,\u201d he says, \u201cwe could also show more story and get to know the characters a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n

The remount of The Willows<\/em> includes getting to see places in the house that weren\u2019t previously available to guests, including \u201cone character\u2019s room that no one has seen before,\u201d Montgomery continues, \u201cand they get to spend time with that character in that particular room for a good amount of time.\u201d By opening up more of the rooms within the narrative, returning guests can look forward to learning more backstory, more of the characters\u2019 secrets, and perhaps tie up some loose threads from previous encounters. Some of the characters\u2019 \u201cbedrooms and their little hidden hideaways are now open,\u201d teases Montgomery.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"JFI<\/p>\n

With almost every living space in the mansion open, guests can dive deeper into this anything-but-shallow story. Fix adds, \u201cif the narrative really starts to be investigated, I think people would be really delighted\u2026 We have comprehensive backstories for each character, detailing where they were born, who they are, what their role in the family is \u2013 it\u2019s so much more than just dialogue in the script. Over the course of two years, we have truly filled out this family tree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the structure of The Willows<\/em> remount is very similar to their last run, \u201cthere\u2019s still plenty of content for [returning guests] to experience that they haven\u2019t before,\u201d Montgomery says. Returning guests can marvel at the newly uncovered rooms and dive deeper into the characters and their evolving relationships, while new guests experience the strange Willows family and their beautiful home for the first time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"JFI<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As beautiful as it is creepy, The Willows<\/em> is a stunning immersive production that everyone should experience. The narrative depth, intrigue, and opulence of the event expand far beyond one visit, always evolving and bringing something new to visitors. Come join the family for dinner, and perhaps dig into their mysterious lives to see what you can uncover. The Willows family welcomes you home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"JFI<\/p>\n

Find out more about JFI Productions and their upcoming shows on their website<\/a> or Facebook page<\/a>. Buy tickets to The Willows<\/em>\u00a0here<\/a>, and keep up to date on all the immersive entertainment around L.A. with our Events Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Special thanks to Taylor Winters<\/a> for his help transcribing and editing this interview, and to Jeremey Connors for all photography.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The team at JFI Productions has consistently been upping the ante for immersive entertainment. With their massively popular Halloween series \u2013 CreepLA, Entry, the Amazon-branded Lore, and Awake \u2013 JFI Productions strives to touch upon all forms of fear and horror through atmospheric eeriness and emotional interactions. Beginning in February, JFI is bringing back their…<\/p>\n

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