{"id":16061,"date":"2019-02-19T12:25:56","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T20:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/Becomeimmersed.com\/?p=16061"},"modified":"2019-12-04T12:06:44","modified_gmt":"2019-12-04T20:06:44","slug":"escape-godot-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/becomeimmersed.com\/escape-godot-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Mister and Mischief & Escaping Godot: An Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a hit one-day run during 2018\u2019s Hollywood Fringe Festival<\/a> (that I went to and enjoyed tremendously), the company behind Escape from Godot <\/em>is bringing their unique escape room\/immersive production hybrid back to Los Angeles during the month of March. We reached out to creators \u201cMister and Mischief\u201d to get more details on both their production and the inspiration\/method behind transforming an existential play into an unusual and intriguing experience.<\/p>\n

Mister and Mischief is comprised of Jeff and Andy Crocker, who describe themselves as \u201cmarried creatives with complimentary talents and strengths.\u201d They have been working in theater, improv, film, television, and themed entertainment for a combined 15 years, bringing some of their collaborators from those varying experiences along with them to this new endeavor. \u201cWhat sets us apart,\u201d they say, \u201cis a prioritization of the silly and the playful. A reverence for irreverence. We like to say, \u2018Less Wes Craven, more Wes Anderson!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Escape<\/p>\n

While this is the first production the duo has produced under the \u201cMister and Mischief\u201d brand, they\u2019ve been producing interactive\/immersive entertainment for years. Andy, for instance, has done productions such as The Untitled Kip Williams Project<\/em>, which was a fake table read of a fake sitcom starring a fake pop star, and Playdate,<\/em> an improvisational benefit show cast with new parents whose babies were strapped to them. Jeff has built a history in themed entertainment with both fabrication and projection mapping projects.<\/p>\n

They take much of their inspiration from theming and interactivity and, as they say, \u201cthe warm, cozy center of that Venn diagram.\u201d After consuming a great deal of live entertainment around the Los Angeles area, they began exploring escape rooms. That was when they visualized the end result of what would become Escape from Godot. <\/em>In November of 2017, a friend of theirs – Mike Sablone – sent Jeff a text talking about a 13-hour escape room on a train through Finland based on the Agatha Christie story, Murder on the Orient Express.<\/em> Jeff responded by asking, \u201cDoes this mean we can get funding for our Escape from Waiting for Godot<\/em> escape room?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

It was meant to be a joke, but when Andy heard the story, she immediately said they had to do that show, especially as the idea came just in time for the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival.<\/p>\n

So, what exactly is this experience? Mister and Mischief describe it as exactly what it is – a strange, interesting hybrid of an experience that happens to be centered on a production of a play. \u201cEscape from Godot<\/em> is both a show and a game,\u201d they told me. \u201cA live puzzle mixed with classic theater where audiences get a chance to play with a play.\u201d And yet that description doesn\u2019t actually explain very much – and that\u2019s intentional. This particular production\u2019s excitement comes in part, after all, from not really knowing what you are getting into before you start.<\/p>\n

But they do have a few things they want audiences to know before they enter the performance space. First, audiences don\u2019t need to know anything about the original play – or even that such a play exists. They also believe \u201cthe show is fun and exciting to play with strangers. Just like when you see a play, you don\u2019t know everyone in the audience.\u201d And finally, while there are escape room elements, you aren\u2019t playing to get your name on a leader board. While I happen to know the show very well and think it may be a deeper, more amusing experience with that knowledge, they are absolutely correct in all of these points. Anyone can see this experience and enjoy it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Escape<\/p>\n

Before this new production at The Yard Theater<\/a>, Escape from Godot <\/em>has literally only been performed for two days, the first at the 2018 Hollywood Fringe. So bringing a longer run to a theater allowed for some new and fresh ideas. \u201cProducing Escape from Godot<\/em> for the Fringe Festival was a blast,\u201d they said. \u201cWe had sold out before we even finished writing the script so it was terrifying, but the most fun kind of terrifying. The kind of terror that inspires you to stay up all night at the kitchen table after your kid has gone to bed and giggle about puzzles.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also brought the show to Indiecade<\/a> 2018 for one day only. \u201cIndiecade was great because we got to play the show with people who weren\u2019t necessarily theater people. And the fact that they had a great time gave us a lot of confidence and motivation to share the piece with as many different folks as we could.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Escape<\/p>\n

So, did those two days generate any changes in the upcoming production? While they acknowledge that the show is 90% the same as the previous productions, there have been some alterations. \u201cThe Yard Theater offered us a good deal,\u201d they say, \u201cwith a like-minded crew and a wonderful theater that feels right for our show.\u201d They also made some changes to the production itself by focusing on creating a deep level of audience intrigue. \u201cWe have been able to identify elements that excite the audience,\u201d they say, \u201cand tweak parts of the show to highlight those.\u201d Finally, they\u2019ve added new actors to the production so that they can run the show for a month with a large and talented cast.<\/p>\n

Mister and Mischief are deeply inspired by the idea of creating shows that they want to see. \u201cWhen we get an idea that we keep coming back to, then we know we have to make it something we can share with others!\u201d With influences such as Geoff Sabelle, The Rude Mechs, and Shockheaded Peter, they want to build experiences that are a meld of form and function, of setup and payoff. \u201cAndy likes to joke that she only likes to see theater that makes her think thoughts and feel feelings,\u201d Jeff says. \u201cWe hope for all of our experiences to do that, but with the added bonus of having a heightened sense of presence and fun. That you just experience something that you can\u2019t quite explain. That it was awesome, but you just had to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for what\u2019s to come, they turn a little cagey. \u201cWe\u2019re working on a couple things, but if all goes well, we\u2019ll have a new show for the Hollywood Fringe Festival this year, which continues to be an excellent proving ground for immersive and interactive theater.\u201d And, in the meantime, if you manage to Escape from Godot<\/em>, they happily point out that there is a \u201csuper delicious\u201d pizza place across the street from The Yard Theater, a great bar around the corner, and even \u201ca very conveniently located Ukrainian Cultural Center, for all your late-night Ukrainian culture needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Escape<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly the sort of absurdity that permeates both this immersive production and the play that inspires it. So make sure you don\u2019t wait to see this production, whose remount was, paradoxically, worth the wait.<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

Find out more about Mister and Mischief on their website<\/a> or Facebook page<\/a>. Buy tickets to Escape from Godot<\/em> here<\/a>, and check out our Events Guide<\/a> for more upcoming events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a hit one-day run during 2018\u2019s Hollywood Fringe Festival (that I went to and enjoyed tremendously), the company behind Escape from Godot is bringing their unique escape room\/immersive production hybrid back to Los Angeles during the month of March. We reached out to creators \u201cMister and Mischief\u201d to get more details on both their…<\/p>\n

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