Great care was taken to temporarily redesign Urbanite Theatre's lobby for this experience. From the moment the audience arrives in the parking lot, they look through the all-glass lobby and see a new, cold, corporate lobby. Regular patrons of Urbanite will immediately spot the difference, and everyone will feel the new coldness of the entryway.

Once an audience group's time slot begins, they enter through the lobby and are told to fully explore the space. The first room, intended to feel similar to a closed, dark back-room at an Apple store, sits in suspended animation, waiting for the audience to press play on the spot-lit remote. Once the commercial plays, they are fully embedded in the world and are taken on a ride of collusion and conspiracy, as a mysterious male voice enlists their help in finding his missing wife.

The narrative expands throughout the linear-designed space, allowing for full interaction along the way. Props are placed in select spots to enhance the story, such as letters written, diaries hidden in desks, voice recorders set aside to be discovered, among many other narrative devices. Eventually, the audience is presented with a choice: to aide the man, or to assist his wife in helping a massive Tech conglomerate in retrieving stolen data.

Depending on the choice, the narrative has two distinct endings. Eventually, the audience is pressured to exit the safe house through a hidden exit, which takes them out through a "hidden tunnel" and out a building alley into the parking lot. For the first time in Urbanite's history, audience do not exit the way they come in, but rather are taken through an entirely linear story.

Safe House - An Immersive, Interactive Experience

Urbanite Theatre
Sarasota, Florida

by Brendan Ragan

direction by Brendan Ragan

production & lighting design by Ryan Finzelber
charge art and props by Lupita Susarrey
sound design by Sean Ragan

production management by Ryan Finzelber
film unit production management by Shaun Greenspan
carpentry by Gene Alcorn
show control, audio, and lighting programming by Ryan Finzelber

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