The Gunpowder Plot
Produced by Layered Reality & Historic Royal Palaces
Experienced in London, UK ~ 2024
By Eve Weston
The Experience & How it Works:
You enter a room with a small group of participants and are given a brief overview of the history surrounding the Gunpowder Plot and key information about the show. Once the introductory spiel is over, you’re told that once you go in the cell (the next room), you’ll be Catholics.
Most of the experience takes place in the real imagined world, but there are three times at which audience members don a VR headset and experience the story through in virtual reality.
#Spoiler
The first VR headset experience is a zip-line-like escape, the second is a journey by boat and the third is listening to the king. The first two are highly effective, allowing the audience member to do something they could never normally do in a theatrical performance space or historical venue. The third takes the audience member outdoors (the rest of the performance is inside); having a 360 view in this instance, where the main focus is a single person talking, may be more distracting than additive. In the other VR experiences, the audience member was taking action and moving through the environment and the immersion of the medium supported the feeling of “reality” in the experience.
Why it’s Interesting, IMHO:
The show is well-reputed, has its basis in historical fact, and has institutional buy-in — performed on-site at an historical location, it’s a co-production with Historic Royal Palaces, “a team of people who love and look after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world.”
Initial Impression & Critical Discussion:
It’s fun! This experience tells a good clear story and the audience role is also clear and consistent.
The performance and performers involve children well. And while personalization is used sparingly — for both children and adults — it’s used to great effect; there are a few moments where performers ask the name of an audience member and they remember to call back the names later in the show.
The production is definitely technophilic. It uses an abundance of cutting edge technology, from projection to VR headsets. The technology itself is used well, and it is used in some instances where it’s not needed, which is ultimately a compliment to the show.
The creators and performers of The Gunpowder Plot worked hard to recreate the world of 1605 and have done such a great job. In the room where Scarlett Thomas takes us to meet Lady Cecil, I really bought into being in the story world. I willing to believe that I was back in time. And that is no small feat. Kudos to Layered Reality! Then, all the sudden, red projections appeared on the wall depicting events happening outside the room and at times other than the moment we were currently in. It made me hyper aware that I was in a theatrical production and took me out of the immersive scene that had been created. It broke the spell.
Later, we’ve donned a VR headset, which gives us a very cool experience. We are traveling by boat with Guy Fawkes himself, who addresses us. This leverages VR to create a sense of immersion and reality… and it works. Then, as Fawkes is talking, we begin to see impressionistic images of the things he’s talking about appear over his head.
While there is certainly value of impressionistic imagery in theatrical productions, impressionistic imagery often serves to make up for a lack of or inability to create a realistic experience of the events unfolding. Given how much effort was put into verisimilitude — the show is taking place in the actual historical location! — it’s unclear why the show undercut its sense of immersion. Were the digital visuals an insurance policy of sorts meant to keep audiences engaged? Did the show not trust itself? That the narrative was strong or the performers engaging? Because to their credit, it is and they are. And if you let the audience see stuff, they’re going to give it their attention. Sadly, I found that the projection distracted me from what was going on between Cecily and Thomas.
On a somewhat related note, determined to take in the entirety of the 360 VR view of London while the King was giving his speech at the end, I got tangled in my headset cord and a missed a bit of what he was saying at the end. A kid in my group summarized it as follows, ““So we were forgiven but we watched the others die. That’s really hard to understand.”
The show also deserves kudos for doing one other thing that’s hard to manage: having an ambiguous ending that’s also satisfying. This show managed to resolve the relationship conflict in the story of Guy Fawkes and The Gunpowder Plot and simultaneously leave something up to the audience: namely whether Fawkes is a hero or a villain. Beyond that, the show also provides some post-1906 historical context to help viewers contemplate the question. A visitor leaves satisfied that they got a complete story and also has fodder for interesting and worthwhile conversation inspired by the show.
Hot Tips:
- Cape Caper. The temperature is generally comfortable, but it does get a little chilly after awhile. You wear a costume cape for much of the experience, however, if you’re sensitive to cold, long sleeves or a light sweater wouldn’t be unwelcome.
- Say Treason! There’s a photo app at the interval. Give them your best because the backgrounds are cool and you’ll have the opportunity to purchase pics at the end. If you’d like a magnet or keychain, purchase at the shop. Otherwise, the best value is to order online (for 10 pounds) and get the photos printed once you’re home.
Experiential Viewpoint Expression (E.V.E.):
Embodied, 1sr person narrative, 1st person visual, participant, mortal
Story Anchor:
When the crown offers you a way out of the Tower of London, YOU and your Catholic cell mates agree to smuggle a priest out of the Tower, earn his trust to learn The Gunpowder Ploy and act as spies for the crown, and then your double-agent status is uncovered (by a fellow double agent) who asks you and your cell mates to decide together whether to save the King or protect the plot and kill the King.
Pillars of Game:
Voluntary Participation — check!
Goal — to act as spies of the crown and uncover The Gunpowder Plot.
Rules — follow the performers/characters and their instructions.
Feedback — the performers may comment on how or what you do.
Conclusion: This may be a game. There is a choice that the group makes collectively at one point in the experience that ostensibly changes how the story progresses, though it may merit being considered a game even if that were not the case.
Who Should Experience This?
Everyone!
