Do you love staying up all night watching films like Night of the Living Dead, Resident Evil, or Zombieland? Do you eagerly participate in Zombie Walk every year? Are you a crazed fanatic about the things that go bump in the night, that don’t stay dead and subsist on human flesh?
If your answer to any of those questions is yes, get your ticket to Virtual Stage’s On Death’s Door: Plague of the Zombie Syndrome now! An incredibly interactive show, you’ll get to experience first hand what being chased by zombies in real life actually feels like.
On Death’s Door brings you on a whirlwind, high-stakes mission. All audience members are participants — part of a zombie fighting team — and are immersed from the get-go: no toilet breaks, no popcorn runs, and no intermissions.
This is not just mindless zombie chasing and non-stop running either — there’s an actual plot behind it. You become a character in the story, and every action you make, every word you say, shapes the story’s conception and brings it to life. Numerous possible scenarios could happen, and they are dependent on the choices both you and your team members make. The talented actors must adapt to the group dynamic on the spot. While there is a general script, specific dialogue is invented in the moment to make the storytelling experience run smoothly.
Participants are emailed their rendezvous point less than 24 hours before the show starts and the mission takes place on the very streets of Vancouver, amongst the uninformed, going-about-their-regular-business public. But how can zombies be prowling around on the streets, striking fear into participants’ hearts without scaring the bejeezus out of non-paying passers-by?
I had the opportunity to interview Andy Thompson, the artistic director of On Death’s Door, who’s been bringing successful interactive zombie productions to the streets of Vancouver for three years. Every year has featured a different plot and script, and the immense planning and preparation for each show starts more than a year in advance. Thompson is very interested in the metaphor of the zombie, using it in the show as a symbol for drug addiction.
“Having been fascinated with the topic of addiction and its impact on our society, I was very keen to dive into it. It’s really scary to consider that alcoholism, and other addictions, are everywhere in society, from the top judges to the lowest bottom drunks on Skid Row and everything in between. That, to me, is horror.”
The key to this production is to be low-key — Thompson would love to see excessively violent scenes with an overwhelming swarm of zombies, but such a scene would call too much attention to itself. As it already stands, each zombie actor has a bodyguard or other cast member in the near vicinity to make sure that they are protected in case they’re attacked.
Additionally, permits are needed to reserve sections of public space for the settings, and as always, safety for everyone — the performers, the audience and the public — is top priority. Thompson has to strike a balance between theatrical creativity and realistic limits, and from what I’ve seen, he’s a master at it. The show’s been a huge success, with participants showering the company with praise and requests for a bigger, better, and more badass show each year.
On Death’s Door runs until November 2. For more information, visit thevirtualstage.org.
