EMURSIVE presents PUNCHDRUNK'S "Sleep No More"

Sleep No More, Photo by Yaniv Schulman.

I really wanted to start this article with a short summary of the show in my own words. However, still to this date I have no clue what happened in the show thanks to the great creative team of Sleep No More who were fabulous at messing (I am being polite here by not using the F word. But trust me, they truly F'ed up our minds!!!!) with our heads. I feel like an idiot but based on what I read online I know I am not the only one who is still clueless to some degree of this show!!! Lovely!?

But in short... EMURSIVE, collaborated with London’s award-winning PUNCHDRUNK, rented and reinvented the McKittrick Hotel to present Shakespeare’s classic Scottish tragedy, Macbeth, through the lens of suspenseful film noir.

As a side note... McKittrick Hotel was built in 1939 to be New York City's finest and most decadent luxury hotel of its time, which unfortunately condemned and left locked six weeks before the opening and two days after the outbreak of World War II.

 

All I could tell you is that this game of immense mystery starts as soon as you step into the reception area, right after the coat check. You’re given a playing card and based on what card you get you are sent to your journey of this one of a kind experience with the group of people who hold the same card as you. 

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Why white masks?

We were given white masks to put on and asked never to say a word during the show. This did not only separate us from the characters but also allow us to care less about who was watching our actions, thus, we were more selfish and adventurous as we were exploring the space “alone.”

From an interview with Directors Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle on the creation of the Sleep No More…

Q:
“Why do audience members wear masks?"

FELIX:
“Handing out the masks is like assigning seats in an auditorium. It establishes each individual as part of an audience, and creates a boundary between them and the action.”

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The light work

The light work, influenced by the Son et Lumière tradition, created dramatic narratives in this abandoned McKittrick Hotel, which invited audiences to rediscover the childlike excitement of exploring the space of wonders as it creeps around corners.

In that uniquely created dim-light accompanied by thrilling sounds, we chased characters, looked through their letters and journals, and investigated many different rooms in many different floors at the McKittrick Hotel.

At the end of those three hours of immense mystery, consisted of pitch dark rooms, thrilling sounds, frightening decors, lots of blood, dancers, naked people, religious statues and crucifixes, I finally met with my friends at the bar where the “game” all started.

As my friends and I started to analyze and discuss what we had just witnessed, we realized what we individually had experienced did not 100% match with what one another saw.

From an interview with Directors Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle on the creation of the Sleep No More…

Q:
“The show feels very fluid and spontaneous. Is any of it improvised?”

MAXINE:
“Well, the dancers are very responsive to the audience, and there are interactive elements that do change in relationship to experience the action as they would real life; it should feel spontaneous, as if it is happening from moment to moment. Life is full of stories, yet we don’t experience them in a linear way.”

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On a side note, what I personally experienced was something ONLY a few people in the entire show had experienced. I don’t want to spoil the show so I am not going to say anything publicly about it but if you did see this show, email me and I will tell you what happened!!!

I feel like I need to go back to NYC to see this mind-blowing show once again, hoping to piece together everything from start to the end!

If you want to experience something like you’ve never before, don’t even think twice and see this show!

For tickets, please visit sleepnomorenyc.com.