“Bait for the Curious”

 We’re no strangers to covering secretive experiences. Escape rooms continue to guard their mysteries closely, because a large part of the joy is in the discovery. And yet, because escape rooms generally follow a relatively standard structure, we have a framework when it comes to discussing them. 

Interviewing Yannick Trapman-O’brien was a bit of a gamble. We knew that we couldn’t explain how any of his immersive shows worked. As Yannick puts it in the episode:

“It’s the quantum problem. You change the result by measuring it. By defining what the thing is, you change what the thing is, because it is responsive.  It’s a Rorschach test, because it is ultimately a piece that you have to come and complete.”

And yet, even though we can’t tell you how Yannick’s shows work, we can tell you a few things. They are usually designed for an audience of one. They are deeply personal, with a strong sense of agency and co-authorship between the audience and the performer. There is an invitation to be vulnerable, all within a structure carefully designed to earn that trust. 

Solo moments and theater for one are intimate experiences fraught with both excitement and risk. I deeply enjoyed hearing Yannick explain how to craft shows in a manner that honors the vulnerability of the participant. There is something profound and inspiring about his design philosophy. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

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.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

• 00:13 Sponsor Break: Buzzshot, Escape Room Marketing Software
• 03:17 Entry Point Through Performance Art at Night Circus
• 05:45 Jeff Worth and Interactive Play Lab
• 12:56 Concept of Creative Reps and Experience
• 15:23 Sponsor Break: Morty App, Discover And Track Escape Rooms
• 18:18 Choosing to Focus Immersive Work on Small Audiences
• 21:43 The Appeal of Being Seen by a Stranger
• 26:21 Why Yannick Focuses on Interpersonal Connection Over Location and Setting
• 31:46 Sponsor Break: Cogs By Clockwork Dog, Interactive Show Controls
• 33:51 Telelibrary
• 35:05 Responsive Theater
• 41:25 The Experience of Agency and Co-Authorship by the Audience
• 46:18 Undersigned
• 47:33 A Purposefully Designed Risky Payment Plan
• 50:36 Advice for Attending Undersigned
• 55:07 Games as Practice for Living
• 58:30 What Makes A Good Venue For Undersigned
• 01:05:36 The Quantum Problem When Explaining Undersigned
• 01:07:32 What’s Missing From Immersive Work
• 01:11:45 What Comes Next
• 01:16:53 Credits 
• 01:20:17 Bonus Story: A Toddler Playing Paintball With a SWAT Team

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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

• Yannick Trapman-O’Brien Website
• Monument Lab Website
• You Were So Lucky Night Circus (YouTube video)

About  Yannick Trapman-O’Brien

Instagram: @lil.janjohn

Yannick is a Performer, Theatermaker, and Creative Hand for Hire. His practice centers on exploring the exchanges and spaces we are willing to make with strangers, and the exploration of unorthodox applications for performance. He is the creator of a series of critically acclaimed immersive experiences, including the award-winning and long-running telephone experience The Telelibrary. His works have been official selections at La Jolla Playhouse’s Without Walls Festival, as well as the Denver, True/False, and Overlook Film Festivals, and cited as a “North Star” in the industry for creating responsive and deeply personal encounters for audiences of one at a time.

People pay him to act, which he has done in Shakespeare, devised work, performance actions and immersive works, as well as amphitheaters, basements, historical mansions, forests and one time on a bike. Yannick received his BA in Theater from NYU Abu Dhabi, training at The Experimental Theater Wing in New York, The Studies in Shakespeare program at RADA in London, and The International Theater Workshop in Amsterdam. The process was needlessly complicated and overly optimistic, as are most things he ascribes to and enjoys.

As a consultant, he helps organizations shape engagement and think critically about the exchanges they make with their constituents, from single events to workshops to BFA programs. He is a Project Specialist at Monument Lab, recently serving as Programming Coordinator for the Pulling Together Exhibition, part of the Beyond Granite initiative on the National Mall.

Past credits include include training and work with Theater Mitu, Witness Relocation and the Interactive Playlab, collaborations with Al-Bustan, Guerilla Science and NYU Open Arts, and consulting with The Temple of the Stranger, along with appearances at The Walnut Street Theater, The American Czech Theater, New Light Theater, the Franklin Institute, and Morris Jumel Mansion, and collaborations with Public Movement (2016) and Amalia Pica (2017) at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Occasionally, he sleeps.

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