David Byrne has co-created a new immersive production with writer Mala Gaonkar called Theater of the Mind, which will premiere via the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Off-Center in August 2020. Audience members will be led through a journey of self-reflection, discovery, and imagination, grounded in neuroscience, using stories inspired from the creators' lives. "I have long had an interest in creating something that incorporated the sensory experiments we often read about in a way that was entertaining and engaging," says Byrne, "but still gave people an experience that was visceral and profound."
David Byrne—who is starring on Broadway in David Byrne's American Utopia through February 16—has co-created a new immersive production with writer Mala Gaonkar called Theater of the Mind, which will be given its world premiere via the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Off-Center in August 2020.
Theater of the Mind will be a 15,000-square-foot immersive experience taking sixteen audience members at a time through a journey of self-reflection, discovery, and imagination, inspired by and grounded in neuroscience. Led by a Guide whose stories are inspired from the creators’ lives, audiences will explore how they perceive the world through sensory experiments that reveal the inner mysteries of the brain.
“We are so pleased to be premiering Theater of the Mind in Denver with such wonderful partners at the DCPA. Off-Center is nationally admired for its immersive work, and they have the skill and experience to bring this complex production to life and the committed audience who will appreciate it,” said Byrne. “I have long had an interest in creating something that incorporated the sensory experiments we often read about in a way that was entertaining and engaging, but still gave people an experience that was visceral and profound.”
“As a theater producer, I always hope that a production can positively impact an audience and give people a new perspective, but that’s often difficult to achieve,” said Charlie Miller, Off-Center Curator. “Theater of the Mind allows every audience member to experience the world in a new way through its groundbreaking combination of science, design, and storytelling. I am delighted that Off-Center gets to bring this one-of-a-kind project to life and can’t wait to share what’s cooking in David and Mala’s brilliant minds with Denver next summer.”
“For a few years, David and I partnered with several cognitive neuroscience labs to see how some of the most basic human intuitions determine how humans react,” stated Mala Gaonkar. “What we concluded was the experiments and ideas of the labs we partnered with, several of which we embedded in our narrative, seemed as engaging as any piece of theatre. Theater of the Mind will challenge the ever-changing reality written in our minds and I am thrilled for audiences to think of science and theatre in a new way.”
“It is incredibly rewarding to have the opportunity to work alongside creative visionaries like David and Mala and to present with DCPA Off-Center, a national leader in immersive theatrical experiences,” said Theater of the Mind producer Nate Koch. “Theater of the Mind is a true multi-disciplinary piece—one that seeks to push the immersive form and hopefully ignite deep conversations between our audience members—and I am so excited to collaborate alongside our creative team in bringing the project to life in Denver.”
Theater of the Mind will open in August 2020. Full performance schedule and ticket on-sale will be announced at a later date. To sign up to receive more information, visit theateroftheminddenver.com.
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