Jeff and Jarrett are the founders of Scout Expedition Co.<\/a>, a new immersive theater company born in early 2017. But despite the relative newness of their company, they have been involved in the immersive theater community for years. Jeff and Jarrett met at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) during a student competition. \u201cWe were both finalists,\u201d Jeff explains. But Jarrett cuts him off, \u201cExcuse me, I was only a semi-finalist!\u201d We laugh at this, and the relative ease of these two friends is apparent. They tell me that they became friends through work and both experienced Punchdrunk\u2019s Sleep No More in New York, but at different times. They both connected to it, and \u201cimmersive theater perfectly captured [their] interest in video games, film, and theme parks. It brought everything together.\u201d<\/p>\n They took on a role for WDI showcasing the best ideas for the company. With a limited budget they built a 1950\u2019s camp theme and a traveling magic show. \u201cWe tried to add in elements of immersive theater where we could,\u201d said Jeff. When a set design class held by Punchdrunk was held in London, they jumped on the opportunity. This four day workshop helped open the doors of set design for them\u2014so when they returned, they emailed Jon Braver of Delusion<\/a>, offering their assistance on his projects. He connected them with his production designer and they went to work designing the sets for 2014\u2019s Delusion: Lies Within. This continued into 2016\u2019s Delusion: His Crimson Queen and various experiences from Third Rail Projects.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I stop them to ask what exactly set design entails, and Jarrett laughs. He leans forward and explains, \u201cWe start with an idea of what we want to be in this room\u2014we know it\u2019s a bedroom and we know who the character is. But it\u2019s all about what\u2019s available. It\u2019s all about wandering around flea markets and thrift shops.\u201d Jeff interjects, \u201cAnd Craigslist!\u201d Jarrett agrees and continues, \u201cFor Imagineering, we are required to map out an entire room and exactly what is needed. But for Delusion, you read through the script and determine what is essential for the scene (a hero prop) and what creates a mood. We look at color palettes, ambiance, and the general state of decay.\u201d Jeff takes over and adds, \u201cWe create the psychology of the room, how it should feel. It\u2019s more than just what\u2019s in the room though. When you come into the room, how<\/em> do you enter it? What mood do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe had helped all these great shows with great people, but now it\u2019s time we take what we\u2019ve learned from Delusion, from Third Rail Projects, from Punchdrunk, and from Disney Imagineering, and put our own twist on immersive theater.\u201d<\/p>\n So in crafting Scout Expedition Co., Jeff and Jarrett played to their strength: set design. Both admit that they don\u2019t have a traditional theater background. But that\u2019s what makes them wonderful. They are providing a different lens through which immersive theater can be experienced. They are approaching an experience from a set design perspective, which influenced their first show: how do you use just a set to tell a narrative?<\/p>\n They did comment that as they grow, they will incorporate more traditional immersive theater elements (e.g., actors), but for now, they are focusing on their strong suit\u2014the sets\u2014to tell their story. And narrative is just as important to them. Jeff cites story-driven video games, such as Firewatch<\/em>, Gone Home<\/em>, and Oxenfree<\/em>, as inspirations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Browsing the Scout Expedition Co. website, the first thing you notice is how striking their imagery is. It is reminiscent of nature, of camping, of discovery, and of adventure\u2014and there\u2019s a distinct reason for this. \u201cWe wanted it to be very obvious that our shows are supposed to be fun over anything else. That being said, there may be some tense moments and mature themes, but not outright horror. Overall, we don\u2019t take ourselves too seriously.\u201d I can tell this from their demeanor as well. Jarrett says most of this with a smile on his face.<\/p>\n I ask if there\u2019s a story behind their name. Jarrett thinks for a moment and explains, \u201cWe\u2019ve always loved that mid-century camping era; those feelings of exploration and discovery. Scout [Expedition Co.] just evokes that feeling to me.\u201d Jeff expands on this, \u201cWe are offering something a little bit different than what\u2019s out there. Our other shows could be a Wes Anderson type adventure\u2014and we didn\u2019t want to hold ourselves back with a branding or a name that took itself too seriously\u2026 because we don\u2019t.\u201d Jarrett adds one more point, \u201cthe name suggests that you will get your own individualize journey. Different expeditions that people can have.\u201d And I agree. The name is something unique\u2014and something very different from what\u2019s on the market, and their imagery supports that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Scout Expedition Co. knows their strengths and their tone, but what kind of stories do they want to tell? Jeff has a clear idea on that too: \u201cWe\u2019re telling stories about everyday people in everyday language, similar to games like Gone Home.\u201d They aim to focus on an approachable narrative that isn\u2019t lost in abstraction. Rather, they want to focus on relatable characters and give the audience something to connect with.<\/p>\n But even though the stories are approachable, they still want to provide individualized and unique experiences. \u201cYou won\u2019t see the whole picture; you won\u2019t be able to shine your light on the full object; you will only get a certain perspective of it. What you take away from it may be different from what someone else does. Someone else may have a different piece of the story that you never discovered\u2014and this may color their perspective or opinion differently from your own.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Nest is the first story that Scout Expedition Co. will present to the world. In this story, you receive the last will and testament from a woman named Josie. Jarrett makes it clear, \u201cYou don\u2019t know this person at all. You\u2019ve never heard of her. But for some reason she\u2019s chosen you to visit her storage unit.\u201d Jeff adds, \u201cYou\u2019re here to learn more about this woman\u2019s life.\u201d He elaborates, \u201cBecause our experience is narrative-driven instead of puzzle-driven, there isn\u2019t a \u2018winning\u2019 scenario. When you put that idea into someone\u2019s head, all of a sudden, the narrative no long exists to be absorbed, but rather, it\u2019s a device to get to the next puzzle.\u201d In this experience, they want you to spend time with the set, with the narrative. They don\u2019t want anyone to rush through it.<\/p>\n To help facilitate this, Scout Expedition Co has \u201ccreated too much content for you to tackle in a single show.\u201d The show will focus on a set of audiotapes that Josie has recorded detailing milestones in her life\u2014and the medium of audiotapes were chosen for a distinct reason. This forces the audience to listen to the tape all the way through. \u201cThere\u2019s really no speed reading for a clue, you have to press play and you have to listen. You consume it exactly as it\u2019s delivered. This also creates a minimum amount of time to consume the dialogue in the show\u2014there\u2019s just no way to consume it all in one experience.\u201d Therefore, you have to pick exactly which part of her life you want to explore.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to provide the bookends of her life and reveal that something has definitely happened to her over the course of her life. It\u2019s up to you to find out what happened in between to connect those dots.\u201d You hear the beginning and the end, but the path in between is up to you. I ask further on this concept. \u201cWe\u2019re creating enough content in the core tapes, but secondary and tertiary storylines provide different avenues to pursue\u2014and this will ultimately determine how you view her.\u201d<\/p>\n So how do you choose which path to take? Well it\u2019s as simple as you follow the aspects of her life that intrigue you most. All of the information isn\u2019t available right from the start, so follow clues leading down a path or explore a different aspect of the room if it doesn\u2019t interest you. They will use simple puzzles to help guide you. They stress that this isn\u2019t on the level of an escape room, but there will be some \u201csecrets and hidden items that take some solving to figure out. You may be listening to an audiocassette and Josie mentions a clue and a set of numbers that leads you to a combination lock. Only some will follow that path.\u201d This also adds a level of repeatability. Come back and learn a different side of Josie\u2019s life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou create a subconscious image of someone as you assess and contextualize their belongings through the lens of your own experience.\u201d This is paramount to their first show. You\u2019re digging through the old trunks, the journals, and the photos of someone who has died. You\u2019re building a picture of someone through their things, through what\u2019s valuable to her. Jarrett shares, \u201cyou will get a much different picture of Josie if you find audiotapes one, three, and five than you would if you find audiotapes two, four, and six.\u201d Afterwards you digest the information, absorb it, and then meet with your friends, discussing your differing opinions of Josie will be a thought-provoking conversation. Things others may tell you will fit into your view of her based on what you heard, but others may surprise you. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to facilitate that dialogue,\u201d says Jeff.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Imagine the entire life of someone: the ups, the downs, the triumphs, the defeats. \u201cThis story is one of a normal person, but you are just witnessing it in a very condensed format. There is something about that that is very relatable.\u201d She\u2019s faced the same issues that you may have faced.<\/p>\n So what is Josie’s story then? Well,\u00a0Josie grew up in the 1960\u2019s. On her twelfth\u00a0birthday, she was gifted a tape recorder–and began documenting everything in her life. So, scattered throughout this storage room are audiotapes of her at different milestones in her life. But you’ll learn something when you enter the storage unit: In her old age, this once happy kid has changed into a shell of her former self. So what happened to her? Why did she change? That’s up to you to discover.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>As their first show, Scout Expedition Co. is not worrying about capacity\u2014it accommodates up to two people at a time. \u201cBut that\u2019s optional,\u201d Jarrett explains. \u201cIf you want to explore on your own, you can do so\u2014or if you want to go with two people, the price is the same.\u201d This makes the journey a personal one; it removes the possibility of being paired with someone you don\u2019t know. Further, the show will run forty-five minutes and is a self-contained story that bridges her entire life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>This show is a building block for Scout Expedition Co. Harkening back to Punchdrunk, their first show was not the current iteration of Sleep No More in New York City. They had to build up to that, and Jeff and Jarrett seem up to the task. With an exceptional background in set design, they want to continue to expand beyond \u201cThe Nest\u201d\u2014adding in narratives, actors, and other surprises. By building on what works and refining what doesn\u2019t, each show will be bigger and better than the last. Jeff comments, \u201cWe want to go through an entire project life-cycle. To handle all the things you don\u2019t anticipate.\u201d These wins will produce a credible brand for Scout Expedition Co.<\/p>\n For more information on Scout Expedition Co., check out their website<\/a> and follow their Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I meet Jeff\u00a0Leinenveber and\u00a0Jarrett\u00a0Lantz on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Despite the rain, we sit outside. A fire dances across the stones of a fire pit, and I can\u2019t help but recall the feeling of sitting in front of a campfire. The Origin of Scout Expedition Co. Jeff and Jarrett are the founders of Scout…<\/p>\n![\"Scout](\"https:\/\/Becomeimmersed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Scout_CircleLogo_highres.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Beauty of Set Design<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Play to your Strengths<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Imagery and Branding<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Their Stories<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Nest<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nThe Beauty of Choice<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Building a Picture<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Josie\u2019s Story<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Exploring The Nest<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Moving Forward<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n