Room Escape Artist

“The Show is the Game and the Game is the Show”

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is often described as a play in which nothing happens, twice. There is something about theater of the absurd to which escape room enthusiasts can relate. We are, in fact, locking ourselves into a room for the sole pleasure of letting ourselves back out. When Jeff Crocker joked to his wife and creative partner Andy Crocker about turning Waiting for Godot into an escape room, she replied “That’s absolutely ridiculous. We have to do it.”

Escape from Godot is a wildly experimental experience that’s half theater and half escape room. This is a show that asks a lot of everyone involved. The multiple actors must be word perfect. The guests vacillate between audience and player. The human element brings an intensity and complexity to this production. As Andy notes in the episode, “It’s very bespoke technology, these humans.”

Together as Mister and Mischief, Andy and Jeff Crocker have a zeal for storytelling and bringing to life well-designed interactions. I especially loved hearing about the intentionality of their design. Every single thing that happens in the show happens for a reason, from the size of the notebook, to the way they handle onboarding… to every single thing that happens in the show. (Those who’ve played this will understand.)

Because this production is rarely mounted, this Spoilers Club can provide insight into an incredible experience that is hard to get tickets for. It won a Golden Lock Award during its inaugural run in 2018. It recently came back in August 2024, in conjunction with RECON Los Angeles. If you think you’ll have a chance to play Escape from Godot in the future, however, I highly recommend waiting to listen to this episode until after you’ve played. You never know… someone just might write a play about it.

How to Listen

When you support Room Escape Artist on Patreon at $15 per month (or above), you get access to the Spoilers Club, our exclusive podcast where hosts David Spira and Peih-Gee Law chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!