by Noah J Nelson | Nov, 2023 | No Proscenium: I found out that Sleep No More was closing in the weirdest way. I was talking with two of my CalArts students, in the class I’ve been teaching this semester about immersive called Centering The Audience. I had thought of this odd place I had been to in Burbank a couple of weeks back and turned to Facebook to find pictures an acquaintance had taken later that week at the same spot.
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I was quite sad when a few days ago I heard the news that Sleep No More would be closing soon. I saw Punchdrunk’s newer show, The Burnt City, in London earlier this year, and I loved it. I had never experienced anything remotely close to it, and it is a show that I still think about very often. The ability of the show to create its own world was spectacular, and the effects and storytelling were incredible. I did not have the chance to see Sleep No More, and I unfortunately will not be able to before it closes in a few months. From what I’ve heard, it is very similar in format to The Burnt City. I was surprised that the creator of these shows wanted to move to another format. While I get that it is not economical, I know many, many people who have been inspired by these shows and I do think a market for them exists. As the author said, however, it is difficult for anything to be consistently successful in this economy. I wish I would have been able to see Sleep no more, but hopefully, Punchdrunk will unveil another concept soon that I will be able to experience.
During rehearsal the other day someone had mentioned that sleep no more was closing. Everyone was talking about how “you know you haven't seen Broadway if you haven't seen Sleep No More” and “you have to go see it before it closes”. As somebody who grew up 2 hours away from New York, I was surprised I hadn't heard about it before. So of course I clicked on this article and although I still don't know much about the production, at least I understand what it represents. It has been revolutionary for immersive theater that it has been Off Broadway for more than a decade. Also reading the article about Here Lies Love which is closing on Broadway and while it is closing, it's not the end of this show's journey it's probably going to tour. But how is that accomplished for immersive theater when the space is so integral to the experience. Is it just something you had to be there for?
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