“I have irrational exuberance about the future of immersive.”
Whether you work in the immersive theater space, or have more than a passing interest in the immersive arts, chances are you’ve seen Noah Nelson at an immersive event, or listened to his coverage of it on the No Proscenium podcast. Or maybe you’ve read about it on their weekly newsletter. Whether it’s reviews of immersive theater shows, thought pieces on the term “immersive” or articles on how to break into the immersive industry, No Proscenium has it covered.
After attending Sleep No More and Then She Fell, Noah he came out of these experiences with his mind on fire. He started compiling a list of upcoming immersive shows to share with his friends, which eventually became the No Proscenium website, an incredible resource for all things immersive.
On the podcast, Noah shares insights from his decades long coverage of immersive, including how immersive theater and escape rooms can learn from each other. I especially appreciated hearing him talk about teaching immersive at the college level and hearing about the passion that his students have for the medium.
“They’re obsessed with the idea of telling stories this way. They want to figure out how to make a good immersive experience, right? It’s not cynical at all. They believe in the power of the form. And that’s what takes all of this from being a fad and becoming a medium and industry is that the love of the form is such that people pursue it at any cost.”
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out the No Proscenium Podcast.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: Morty App, Buzzshot, and COGS. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.
Morty
Morty is a free app for discovering, planning, tracking, and reviewing your escape rooms and other immersive social outings.
Morty News:
- Morty now features haunt attractions!
- Morty for Android is here and in public beta.
Special Badge for REPOD listeners:
You can learn more at MortyApp.com/REPOD to sign up and get a special badge for our listeners. (This works for existing users too!)
Buzzshot
Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.
COGS
COGS by Clockwork Dog is an easy to use software/ hardware platform for running interactive events, including escape rooms, and other immersive experiences. They have plug & play hardware that seamlessly integrates with their software so you can create a show with lighting and sound cues without having to write a single line of code. Map all kinds of inputs to outputs by building up simple logic steps which determine what you want to happen and when.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners can get the COGS Starter Set for only $130 + free shipping to the USA. This bundle is usually valued at $257. You can learn more and purchase your Starter Set at cogs.show. Use code REPOD at checkout.
RECON – The Reality Escape Convention
Our convention, RECON, will be in Los Angeles, California at the Hilton Los Angeles/ Universal City on August 18th & 19th, 2024.
RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.
Tickets are on sale now at RealityEscapeCon.com
Topics Discussed in this Episode
- 00:00 Welcome to the Reality Escape Pod!
- 00:12 Sponsor Break: COGS by Clockwork Dog, Interactive Show Controls
- 02:03 Introducing Noah Nelson, Founder of No Proscenium Covering the Immersive Space
- 03:00 The Origin Story of No Proscenium
- 04:15 Exploring Transmedia and Noah’s First Experience of Sleep No More and Then She Fell
- 07:13 The Immersive Theater Newsletter and Early Coverage of Escape Rooms
- 12:17 The Evolution of the Term “Immersive”
- 18:13 Immersive Experiences and the Future of Escape Rooms
- 21:20 Sponsor Break: Morty App, Discover and Track Escape Rooms
- 22:33 Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
- 24:07 Can’t-Miss Immersive Experiences in Southern California
- 27:33 Sponsor Break: Buzzshot, Escape Room Marketing Software
- 29:07 Cross-Pollination of Ideas: Escape Rooms and Immersive Theater
- 29:20 The Power of Performance and Connection
- 30:32 Immersive Theater Insights for Escape Room Design
- 31:46 Immersive “Snake Oil” and The Willy Wonka Immersive Experience: A Case Study
- 32:45 The Dangers of AI in Creative Industries
- 35:51 Navigating Hype Cycles in Immersive Arts
- 39:52 Preserving the Ephemeral: The Importance of Documenting Immersive Experiences
- 48:18 The Future of Immersive Arts and Education
- 52:09 Future Projects
- 1:00:27 Bonus Story: The Jungle Game
Leave us a voicemail
Got a question or thought for the podcast? You can submit a voice recording by calling the Room Escape Artist not-so-hotline that always goes straight to voicemail (551-227-7273).
Resources Mentioned in this Episode
- No Proscenium Website
- Everything Immersive Website
- Immersive Experience Website
- Noah’s early coverage of escape rooms for NPR
- Recommendations for SoCal
About Noah Nelson
IG: @no_proscenium
X: @noproscenium, @noahjnelson
Noah Nelson is the founder of No Proscenium, a publication dedicated to exploring the immersive and experiential arts, its sister site Everything Immersive, and the non-profit organization The Immersive Experience Institute. As a producer he has led multiple immersive industry events including The Next Stage (2023), the Los Angeles Immersive Invitational (2019 & 2022), the Denver Immersive Gathering (2022), and the Immersive Design Summit (2018 & 2019). His extensive experience consulting on immersive work includes Camp Christmas (Denver Center for the Performing Arts), and working with Tender Claws to develop initial casting protocols for The Under Presents (Meta Quest). He holds a bachelor’s in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University. His reporting has been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered and APM’s Marketplace. He is proud to join the faculty of CalArts School of Theater.
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