123 - Sleep No More (feat. Dara Swisher)
Dara Swisher (Sovereign Candle Collective) and the lads grab their masks and book a stay at the McKittrick Hotel as they dive into the deep secrets and complicated legacy of the industry-defining immersive theater piece: Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More. Topics include the history of immersive theater, the seductive appeal of tracksuits, and the eternal battle between the production of theater and the monolith of real estate.
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Dara Swisher: Twitter // Instagram
Media Referenced in this Episode:
Sleep No More. Punchdrunk. Dir. Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle. 2011.
On the History of Immersive Theater:
Dionysis in ‘69: Full Film by Brian de Palma. 1970.
“Drag, Disco, and the Donkey” by James Montaño. Howlround Theatre Commons. October 23rd, 2019.
“In 1901, you could pay 50 cents to ride an airship to the Moon” by Ron Miller. Gizmodo, May 31st, 2012.
“So Long Ago, I Can’t Remember” Review by Neil Genzlinger. NYTimes, April 20th, 2001.
Sleep No More Resources/Articles:
Felix Barrett on Sleep No More by BUILD Series.
“Meet Emursive, The Company Behind 'Sleep No More,' The Off-Broadway Production That's Been Sold Out For Three Years” by Hollie Slade. Forbes. March 19th, 2014.
“Performers and Staffers at ‘Sleep No More’ Say Audience Members Have Sexually Assaulted Them” by Amber Jamieson. Buzzfeed News. Feb 6th, 2018.
“Sleep No More: From Avant Garde Theatre To Commercial Blockbuster” by Alexis Soloski. The Guardian. March 31st, 2015.
“Sleep No More to Close in January” by Alexis Soloski. NYTimes. November 8th, 2023.
“‘Sleep No More’ Venue Gets $27M Refi From Signature” by Matt Grossman. Commercial Observer. May 8th, 2018.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “An Evening at The McKittrick Hotel with Detective Rupert Cadell”
Comments (23)
Is there any writing anywhere about the unpublished New York Times article they mentioned at about an hour 48?
As someone from the rural south... Yes, this sounds like something that would very much still blow my mind.
Where could that cur have gone? This case is really dogging me but I've got the trail now. Once I got the scent I'm like a bloodhound, can't shake me like you would a flea from your golden fluffy fur.
Just got around to listening to this one, and I gotta say (aside from unpacking my childhood trauma every Whit's Endless Summer), this might be my favorite episode you guys have done?!? It's always nice when y'all bring Dara on (hello, fellow Mercyhurst Dance alum), and delving into a dancey show just made me so incredibly happy. I've somehow managed to live under a huge rock and hadn't actually heard of Sleep No More until now..... but y'all had me fascinated. Sounds like a nightmare to manage, but super incredible to experience, I'm sure. Thanks so much for introducing me to it!
Just discovered this comment! Hi Em! *waves*
I love you Mickey Mouse
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Back in the old days a friend of mine had a small part in Sleep No More and told me not to come cause it would upset his performance so I just ...forgot it existed but hearing the description makes me realize I did attend a dinner party at the McKitterick Hotel in honor of the movie "Clue". It was a whole deal, you had to call a number to confess the thing you where being blackmailed for, they had a dress code (I was Professor Plum cause that's ...just what I dress like) and while it was way more money then I am willing to admit I have seen Clue like 300 times and figured it was worth it as a one off. The food was fine even if I was seated next to someone giving his partners MDMA and didn't even ask me - the floor show was singing telegram girls, Yvette maid burlesque, and crooning butlers. Liquor was free and very reliable. Afterwards we got whisked through what seems like a very abridged Sleep No More? we ended up on the candy store level with clues to figure out and Neil Patrick Harris appeared to do close-up magic at us for which I will never forgive him. In the end they just kind of funneled us into a nightclub space where MISTER BODY'S BALL was going on and suddenly you;re surrounded by hundreds of people crunking to a dubstep cover of "Life Could Be A Dream" wearing velvet and tweed . I barely made my way out only to find there was a local blackout and couldn't get a cab. Donald Trump became president two months later. I assume there is a connection. Anyway my friend did the murals for The Box nightclub so that;s my tentative connection to NYC nightlife
Wait what's wrong with steampunk? Trilbies are the work of the devil sure, but nothing wrong with liking a little bit of clockwork and brass
Most people see it as dated and a little bit over the top, linked too much with the early 2010s to be any bit cool
2 comments: 1) Teatro campesino comes from a much older theatrical tradition that is common in Mexican rural communities and shares roots with musical genres like the corrido (ballad), it's really fascinating and stems from a fusion of european and indigenous traditions. 2) the best staging of Macbeth I have ever seen was "cursed" by the dangerous working conditions which involved: Sand on the stage which had to be sprayed down so that the actors didn't suffocate from inhaling too much silica, real guns with blanks in a black box theater, actors rappelling from the rafters, blood raining down on lady M, and the music of Disturbed. That shit went so hard you would never have known that the play itself was a little mid.
That’s a weird way to find out Josh hasn’t seen Elvis edit: jinx
Josh has never seen a movie
Serious question for anyone who has gone. Is it worth the cost? I started out the episode being dismissive but it convinced me this is actually really cool. Now I really want to see it before it’s gone. But, the $300 price tag for me and my partner is holding me back. I have never experienced theater like this so I’m really unsure if I would be walking away saying it was worth it.
It's worth it if you get the 7pm admission. There are definitely ways to have fun in the show and ways to come out pretty disappointed. Best advice I can offer is to not stick together, and if a character interests you, just follow them for a few scenes as closely as is reasonable.
new york is a different universe
this was about immersive theatre advertising
Having worked as a black mask for the whole run of Punchdrunks recent London show I appreciate the black mask appreciation!
We Stan Stage Management ❤️
Yeah the 'no tracksuits' thing is often a weird unspoken rule from security at late bars/clubs which I've heard other non-UK people get caught out by before. It's a weird classist thing (we have a lot of those in the UK) where you're perceived as 'rough' or a troublemaker for wearing them. I have never known this be pulled out in a Maccies though which I find slightly insane and quite funny
yeah the security guard at the macdonalds only exists in areas where you get a lot of teenagers hanging around inside, and as this country hates the young, and theres no real place for them to go, when it gets rowdy they have full on lockdown modes, ive been locked in one near me that had someone playing up, the shutters coming down and everything
FIND HIM
Actually finished the ep, great work as always. As someone who only in real life experience of going to a theatre was being brought to Joseph and the technicolor dreamcoat as a kid and then like 6 years ago to that school of rock musical (also brought) these eps about theatre and plays that I haven't watched prior to pod, other than the film adaptations that exist, always sparks in my brain. In my experience in the uk were just now getting the meow wolf style immersive experiences lasting more than pop ups, but they are coming more from the photo op influencer experiences that have existed for a good decade or so , like the batman themed restaurant or all those ball pit bars. At least from what I can glean from not really looking at that stuff outside of what gets shared, there might of been cool art that I've missed from where I'm located and what I look at online.