When you think of Denver, what do you think of? The Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ (DCPA) exhilarating experience inside the mind of former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne makes a strong argument that you should think about immersive theater.
As an usher explains during the pre-show announcement speech, Theater of the Mind can’t be experienced in Las Vegas, New York or Los Angeles. The decision to premiere the much-anticipated work exclusively here on the Front Range is a remarkable show of strength for Colorado’s thriving and expanding theater scene.
Theater of the Mind was co-created by Academy, Grammy and Tony Award-winning artist Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar. The piece is set at the funeral of the world-renowned musician, who isn’t really Byrne but a rotating series of actors (depending on what time slot you sign up for) donning his mantle in an elegant white suit. This person acts as your guide through key moments in Byrne’s life.
Inspired by historical and current neuroscience research, your guide takes you on a 75-minute journey across an intricate, mesmerizing and surreal 15,000-foot warehouse installation. “Side effects may include a distrust of your own senses, a disorientation of self, and a mild to severely good time,” according to a cheeky warning on the Theater of the Mind website.
This one-of-a-kind theatrical project, running at DCPA’s York Street Yards through Dec. 18, achieves all of this and more through an immersive experience that is both profoundly human and technologically innovative.
Director Andrew Scoville, who specializes in hybrid-genre theater, crafts a captivating journey that defies expectations and demands attention. Although you never know where the guide will take you, Neil Patel’s scenic design never fails to impress. Each door opens to reveal a masterfully crafted room filled to the brim with set dressings specifically designed to immerse you inside Byrne’s memories and spur reflection on your own.
One of the most magical parts of the experience comes from watching grown adults exuberantly participate in elaborate science experiments together. The 16-person audience is shown an extraordinary scientific phenomenon in each of the rooms that calls common understandings of reality into question and demonstrates that our subjectivity is what makes us human. It is energizing to become immersed in an experience that encourages you to appreciate each attendee’s unique perspective.
Theater of the Mind is best undertaken with as little information as possible. Rather than spoil the fun or reveal the story’s emotional beats, just trust me and go grab your tickets to this show now. Given the small audience size for each performance, you might need all the time you can get to secure your place; availability is fixed and tickets are going fast.
ON STAGE: Theater of the Mind. Various times through Dec. 18, York Street Yards, 3887 Steele St., Suite 1221, Denver.
