This week a double feature double dip with two segments on Neotropolis, the cyberpunk festival in California's Mojave Desert that invites revlers to shed their mundane lives and embrace a neon soaked, cybernetically enhanced alternate reality. We kick things off with a panel featuring NoPro’s own Anthony Robinson, Reality Escape Pod co-host Peih-Ge…

This week: Chip Giller and Amy Seidenwurm of AGOG: The Immersive Media Institute a new organization whose mission is to helping creators and nonprofit leaders harness the power of extended reality (XR) to imagine a better future for all. Then we pivot from XR to IRL as Adipat Virdi, the creator of I AM OTHER — which is headed to the Edinburgh Fring…

Life & Trust – the upcoming show from Emursive, the NYC presenters of Sleep No More & proprietors of the McKittrick Hotel – is the subject of much rumor & speculation, something our Review Crew is not immune to! Join NoPro's NYC curator Allie Marotta, East Coast Editor at Large Blake Weil, NYC correspondents Nicholas Fortugno and Penelope Ray along…

A double header! First: What If...? — An Immersive Story Design Director Ian Bowie of ILM Immersive and Director & Executive Producer Dave Bushore of Marvel Studios join us to talk about the new release for the Apple Vision Pro. Then: the first of our Hollywood Fringe 2024 shorts as Jacob Zorehkey & Ashley Busenlener of LAST CALL THEATRE pop in to …

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus Show from S7E12 with Tommy Wallach and Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp of Hatch Escape. In this clip, Terry talks about the qualities that intrigue him the most when playing Escape Rooms and how Immersia and Escaparium, located in Montreal, Canada, fit the bill. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show n…

"Where Terry and I live is between games and theater." If you ask any escape room enthusiast to recommend a must-play game in Los Angeles, you'll hear about Lab Rat. When it first opened in 2018, it was ranked #8 in the world on the TERPECA list. It has maintained a ranking in the top 100 games ever since, which is no small feat. Hatch Escapes' hig…

This week we’re joined by Cesar Hawas, producer of Particle Ink: House of Shattered Prisms, the spectacular creation of the Light Poets that has moved into the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and is wowing audiences in this follow up run to Particle Ink’s fabled run in Vegas’ Arts District. SHOW NOTES Particle Ink Particle Ink: House of Shattered…

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E11 with Noah Nelson of No Proscenium. In this clip, Noah and David discussed the exposition dump and why writers should prioritize the audience's relationship with the characters first and foremost. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.c…

“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…

This week we are joined by the dynamic Achinta S. McDaniel, Founding Artistic Director of Blue13 Dance Company whose all new work Soliloquy: Immersive Experience comes to LA's Heritage Square Museum May 31 - June 2. This marks Blue13's return to Heritage Square after the triumphant Shaadi in 2021, a highlight of that year. We get into the themes of…

This is a teaser from this month's Spoilers Club. David Spira & Peih-Gee Law take a deep dive into iconic or impactful escape rooms. The creators join us to share exclusive behind the scenes, commentary and insights about their games. This month explored Stay in the Dark; a remarkably enormous game of cat and mouse played through a five story aband…

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E10. In this clip. David and Lee-Fay Low discuss the art of crafting a great convention talk and what they look for in speakers at RECON. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and to gain to access our library of over …

“It's remarkable what happens when you stop practicing and spend a little bit of time teaching people.“ Do you own an escape room? Do you have a skillset that applies to immersive gaming experiences, such as game designer, prop maker, or tech expert? Are you an aspiring escape room creator? Are you an escape room enthusiast looking to take a deep d…

Michael Epstein, founder of Walking Cinema, joins us to talk about The Fillmore Eclipse. While Walking Cinema is well known for their intricate audio based walking history experiences, this is their first fully staged immersive performance based experience… one that like all of their work taps into the local history of the setting. SHOW NOTES The F…

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E9. In this clip, co-host Peih-Gee Law talks about rat park, a psychological experiment run by Dr. Bruce Alexander in the seventies, and the impact of creating connections through play. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapea…

"I think being silly is really important." Playing pretend together is powerful stuff, and Andy Crocker knows this better than anyone. If you’ve experienced heartfelt shenanigans at Ghost Town Alive, or exchanged thrilling secrets in the engineering room aboard Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser, chances are you’ve come across Andy’s work. As an Immers…

This week on the show Rory Mitchell of The Mercantile is here to talk with us about his new Augmented Reality narrative experience The Tent, which made a splash at SXSW this year and is now on the festival circuit. SHOW NOTES The Tent The Mercantile Broken Bone Bathtub Documentary/LA Meetup BBB Doc NoPro Patreon Backer Discount Info Meow Wolf super…

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E8. In this clip, co-hosts David Spira and Peih-Gee Law talk about Activate and Time Mission, which are both different types of challenge arcades. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and to gain to access our library…

“We always want to make something that we haven't seen before.” There are few companies who have been as influential in the escape room scene as Cross Roads Escape Games. Not only are all their games highly polished with brilliant puzzles, gorgeous sets, and fun interactions, they’re also creatively experimental. The owners, Luke and Madison Rhoade…

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E7 with Michael Borys, creators of The 49 Boxes. In this clip. Michael tells us the story behind one of his most prized possessions and interactive sculptural Van Gogh head. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and to…

"There's absolutely no difference between Magic and the Magical." We shuffle slowly into the basement, careful not to bump into anything. This is harder than seems, because everywhere we turn, there are boxes and objects. Collections of items are spotlit, dust motes dancing in the air. Curious, we split up and start exploring. In one hidden nook, t…

David Rosenberg & Glen Neath, Artistic Directors of DARKFIELD return to the podcast to talk about their latest work, the interactive audio experience ARCADE. A twist on the company's signature immersive audio storytelling formula, ARCADE features a branching narrative as you guide your avatar through a world ravaged by endless war. SHOW NOTES ARCAD…

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E6 with Al and Stacy Delcome, creators of Confusion Escapes in San Bernardino, California. In this clip, Peih-Gee talks about playing her first jubensha, the larp-like murder mystery experience popularized in China. Content Warning: Please be warned that this segment does discuss…

"A delightful dream world" Imagine walking up to the lobby of an escape room, only to be confronted by an enormous semi-truck that has smashed through one of the walls. Maybe you’re climbing up a massive, sprawling tree and ducking into the treehouse of your childhood dreams. Local favorite Confusion Escapes engineer all their games to maximize fun…

This week on the show NoPro’s Chicago curator Patrick McLean hops into the host chair for a conversation with Miguel Angel Rodriguez, Co-Executive Director of Chicago’s own Albany Park Theater Project and Jennine Willett, co-artistic director of the NYC based Third Rail Projects about the two company’s ongoing collaboration over the years and its c…

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E5 with Blake Hodges-Koch & Thomas Meston, creators of Wild Heart Ranch outside of Joshua Tree, California. In this clip, we talk about Blake & Thomas' initial fear of seasoned escape room players finding Wild Heart Ranch and why David loving refers to a group of escape room play…

“The most Myst-like experience I have had in real life” You arrive at the Airbnb, ready for a fun-filled weekend with your loved ones. The ranch is gorgeously furnished with mid-century modern touches. Outside, the desert stretches off into the distance. You wander in after a soak in the hot tub and find a little piece of paper that says "Start Her…

We're joined this week by Robert Farid Karimi – whose work of late has included a series of interactive analog immersive game experiences involving topics such as community-police relations and the illegal detention of Central American immigrant youth – and who is the co-director of the Public Practice + Generative Play StudioLab and serves as Assi…

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E4 with Jason & Marketa Richard, creators of Steal and Escape in San Diego, California. In this clip, we talk about making escape room merch and making content for social media. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist an…

"Our love language is building together." “High on fun” is how David introduces the games at Steal and Escape, and that’s exactly how I felt after playing their creative and unique games. From popsicles to hilarious assessment tests, and challenges that gave me Survivor PTSD, the games created by husband-and-wife team Jason and Marketa Richard are …

This week it’s an AFTER DARK style episode featuring host Noah Nelson and NoPro Arts Editor Laura Hess as they have a conversation that covers the AI works in the LA Art show, the use of AI in Immersive, a bit on the Wonka debacle because we recorded this like three weeks ago, and the overall nature of immersive work particularly as it applies to t…

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E3 with Brett Jackson, creator of Imagi-Ne’er-Do-Wells. Brett talks about the need to consider the guests emotional safety, and how to be considerate in your experience design. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and…

Your palms are sweaty, but your body is filled with exhilaration. You’re still coming down off the high of pitching your ludicrous idea on stage to a room filled with your peers. Thunderous applause, whistles, and exuberant cheers fill your ears. You walk off, clutching your squashed penny prize. An hour ago, you walked in, nervous as hell, with no…

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E2 with Jared Butler, owner of Wasteland Weekend and Neotropolis. In this preview, Peih-Gee talks about some of the escape room-esque features of Neotropolis, and Jared discusses how the bars work. He also shared his dreams for the future of the event. Listen to the rest of the B…

This week on the show we’re joined by Ivan Carić and Emily Carding of The Key of Dreams, the follow up to the hit overnight immersive experience in the Welsh countryside which was reviewed for us last year by Ellery Weil, who also joins us on the pod for the first time. The Key of Dreams draws on the literary tradition of weird fiction to create a …

"The desert adds an incredible layer of realism that you're never gonna get in any polished one hour experience." You’ve been driving through the desert for miles. It’s nighttime, and you've seen nothing but scrub brush and rocks for a while. Suddenly, emerging from the darkness is the glimmer of lights… neon lights, and as you get closer you hear …

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S7E1 with The Ministry of Peculiarities. In this preview, David tells a story about an unexpected guest at an early escape room tour. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and to gain to access our library of over 60 bon…