Episodes
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At the end of every year we pull together a roundtable of journalists covering immersive to look back on what was and this year we’re talking with our colleagues in London, starting with NoPro curator Shelley Snyder, the Voidspace’s Katy Naylor, Immersive Rumors' Graham Fitzgerald, and Franco Milazzo stage critic for Broadway World UK.
SHOW NOTESVoidspaceImmersive RumorsFranco Milazzo, Broadway WorldThe Next Stage Immersive SummitNoPro's Best of 2024: Immersive Moments Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week Ilana Gilovich, Chief Storyteller for Emursive Productions, joins me for our first-ever conversation and yes, we get into just what the Chief Storyteller for the production company behind Life And Trust and the McKittrick Hotel – home of Sleep No More in NYC — does and nerd out as only two theatre kids meeting for the first time can do.
Happy Holidays: it’s one of THOSE No Pro episodes and a good one at that.
Plus: the latest updates on The Next Stage Immersive Summit including HASBRO & DISNEY LIVE ENTERTAINMENT. –Noah
SHOW NOTESLife And TrustSleep No MoreSpeakeasy MagickEmursiveThe Next Stage Immersive SummitContact Noah about that thing he mentioned. Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week Shawn Kittelsen SVP Creative at Skydance Interactive, the creators of the just released Skydance’s Behemoth (available now on PSVR2, Steam VR, and Meta Quest) joins us to talk about the game which puts players into the role of Wren, a lone hunter who sets off for the Forsaken Lands to lift a terrible curse. The only way to do so is by saying the towering gods known as Behemoths.
In this talk we get into storytelling in VR, the way dynamic, spatial games systems lead players to embody characters, and a whole lot more. It’s another very fun conversation about VR at the precise moment when the medium is hitting a stride on narrative focused experiences that rival the best traditional video games can offer.
SHOW NOTESSkydance’s BehemothAnn Morrow Johnson, of Gensler, Joins Board of The Immersive Experience InstituteThe Next Stage Immersive Summit: Speakers & GuestsThe Next Stage Immersive SummitThe Next Stage Immersive Summit: BadgesNo Proscenium Gift Subscriptions Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we have a delightful doubleheader.
First up we have Ryan Payton, director of Batman: Arkham Shadow. I’ve been following Ryan’s career since he founded his studio Camouflaj back in 2011 back when I was doing stories about the rise of crowdfunding and here we are on the cusp of 2025 talking about the greatest game to be released on the Meta Quest platform so far.
In this conversation we get deep into the storytelling that drives the action of Batman: Arkham Shadow, which is some of the best I’ve encountered in any video game in years. With that in mind, we avoid spoilers for almost half the conversation. Spoilers start at 19:23 of the pod and end at 37:20. We get into some of the big character beats. So consider yourself forewarned.
Then we settle in for a long chat about the state of XR with friend of the show Alex Coulombe — chatting it up about everything from the Unreal Engine classes he’s teaching to folks who are working with the Apple Vision Pro to the recreation of the Halcyon — aka the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser — an open source project in Unreal that he’s been helping to lead pretty much since he got back from visiting the ship.
SHOW NOTESBatman: Arkham ShadowCamouflajRépubliqueGet Cast In A Dream Role In ‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’ (The NoPro Review)A Christmas Carol VRGitHub - AgileLens/HalcyonVRAlex Coulombe (@ibrews.bsky.social) — BlueskyAlex Coulombe Presents Unreal Engine TrainingThe (Unofficial) Unreal Engine Podcast - YouTubeThe Weeknd’s ‘Open Hearts’ Drops On Apple Vision ProThe Next Stage Immersive Summit Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we have a doubleheader as first we are joined by Third Rail Project’s Co-Artistic Director Jennine Willlet and musician Coyle Girelli to talk about their new collaboration True Love Forever, which has just opened in NYC.
Then Immersive Experience Institute co-founder Kathryn Yu joins me as we break down just how next year’s Next Stage Immersive Summit — coming up Jan 17-19 in Pasadena, CA — is going to work as the event evolves some new forms and formats.
SHOW NOTESTrue Love ForeverThird Rail ProjectsCoyle GirelliLove KillsThe Next Stage Immersive SummitThe Next Stage Immersive Summit F.A.Q. Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On this episode: a preview of our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide with Kathryn Yu, Kevin Gossett, Patrick McLean, and Noah Nelson. Find the perfect gift for the immersive fan in yourself (even if that's just you).
SHOW NOTESGIFT GUIDE LINKSBox TWO by Neil Patrick Harris and Theory11Clue: Treachery at Tudor MansionThe Morrison Game FactoryStar Trek: ResurgenceAlan Wake 2Star Wars: OutlawsLife & Trust Gift ExperienceMcKittrick Snow GlobeStar Wars Etsy UniverseMeow Wolf Vista Boss2120NOT GIFT GUIDE LINKSDenver Immersive Invitational Accolades (Facebook Post)The Next Stage Immersive Summit Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The last time British-Iranian theatre maker Javaad Alipoor joined us was way back in May of 2021 when we talked about Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran — which at the time we said was “an incredible multi-media theatre piece that links a constellation of Big Ideas into an incredibly human story.”
His most recent work Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World is just about to wrap up it's tour of the US and is the final part of a trilogy of plays – after The Believers Are But Brothers and Rich Kids – that interrogate how technology, global politics and fracturing identities are changing the world.
Exploring the themes of the trilogy is exactly what we do in this wide ranging conversation with one of our favorite artists to talk with.
Warning: there is a description of a fairly gruesome murder, but we do not dwell on it for long. We do dwell on geopolitics on this episode which was recorded before the election in the United States.
SHOW NOTESThings Hidden Since the Foundation of the World - Washington D.C. DatesThe Javaad Alipoor CompanyThe Denver Immersive InvitationalLA Fall Immersive MeetupThe Next Stage Immersive Summit Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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After our annual break we are back this week on a double header.
First up, the one and only Nick Moran of Phantom Peak will be joining us to talk about the London favorite, which has conjured a Wild West town not far from the Canada Water station. What is in that Canada Water and why are there so many platypuses involved?
We WON’T learn the answers to those questions but we will learn all about Phantom Peak and why it’s taking so long for it to make it to the United States in this dynamic conversation with Nick.
THen we have a visit with Rita Orlov of PostCurious to get the details on the game at the center of their latest Kickstarter Campaign: Ministry of Lost Things: Lint Condition - A Puzzletale which has just 12 days left in its already successful campaign.
SHOW NOTESPhantom PeakMinistry of Lost Things: Lint Condition - A Puzzletale The Denver Immersive Invitational ShowcaseLA Immersive Meetup for Fall '24The Next Stage Immersive Summit Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on the show we gather the Review Crew to chat about our various Spooky Season and Autumnal Escapades. Nick Fortugno, Blake Weil, Katrina Lat, Laura Hess, and Patrick McLean join host Noah Nelson as we go coast to coast over to London, and into the wilds of VR in search of chills and thrills.
SHOW NOTESThe Next Stage Immersive SummitDenver Immersive InvitationalBeetlejuice Beetlejuice: The Afterlife ExperienceJimmy Fallon's TonightmaresHouse of Exquisite Corpse IV: SuperstitionsPhantom PeakShadow Traffic (Lost Horizon Night Market)You Can't Scare Me Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on the show we’re joined by Wesley James and Dallas Nichols of Phoenix based design + build firm LINE LAB for a conversation about building unique immersive environments for places like The Nemesis Club, and Platform 18 and the UnderTow Tiki Bar at Century Grand - all of which have received glowing reviews and accolades.
But before we do that we’ll we kick things off with Tia Shearer Bassett, organizer of The From Home Fest to tell us all about this immersive festival which you can experience from your own home starting on Oct. 26th.
SHOW NOTESLine LabThe Nemesis ClubCentury GrandThe From Home FestThe Next Stage Immersive Summit Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we’re joined by Carmel Clavin of Spectacle & Mirth, who just wrapped a tour of two immersive works — Journey to the Kingdom of Hypnos and City Liminal — to talk about the challenges and opportunities of touring immersive work around the globe through the network of Fringe Festivals and beyond.
And we break down the Badge Pricing and On-Sale dates for the 2025 Next Stage Immersive Summit.
SHOW NOTESSpectacle & MirthBadge Pricing & On Sale Dates for the 2025 Next Stage Immersive Summit Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we’re climbing The Ladder of success with Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp and Tommy Wallach of Hatch Escapes in Los Angeles as we talk about The Ladder, their long in development new game that turns escape game conventions on their ear and establishes itself as a new can’t miss immersive attraction.
SHOW NOTESThe Ladder
Hatch Escapes
The Immersive Industry Report Surveys
The Next Stage Summit Scholarships
GhostRave (Use code GRPG for 10% off)
Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we heading to heaven and a galaxy far far away… sort of.
The Heaven is Cowboix Hevvven, currently being built inside Meow Wolf’s RADIO TAVE in Houston, and we’re talking to Cole Bee Wilson, the creator of this new space which is Meow Wolf’s first fully functioning dive bar inside one of their exhibitions.
We talk to Cole from just outside the worksite, in the middle of a busy build, and it’s a fantastic chat.
Then we connect with Mike and Emily Hyde of Hyperspace Props, the popular crafters of cosplay elements and replica card game decks from Star Wars.
We get into how this literal mom & pop operation got started, and how they've become a lynchpin for a fan community that has found their own way to immerse themselves into a galaxy of outlaws and scoundrels.
SHOW NOTESMeow Wolf's Radio TaveCowboix Hevvven Hyperspace PropsThe Immersive Industry Report SurveysThe Next Stage 2025 Scholarships Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Another double header!
First up, today is iPhone pre-order day, and that makes it a great day to drop my interview from July with Adam Lisagor, the man behind Sandwich — the firm that got its start making ads for apps and companies big and small because of the the original iPhone and has gotten BACK into the app development game for the Vision Pro with the apps Television and Theatre — with the later being used to broadcast a live event captured in 3D and Spatial Audio at this June’s Apple World Wide Developer Conference.
This conversation with Adam, whose work I have long admired, is one of the most philosophical I’ve had all year, and hopefully will give you a nice think about media and the tools we use to make and consume it.
Then, NoPro’s roving correspondent Martin Gimenez brings us an on-site interview with On Site Opera’s General Director & CEO Piper Gunnarson as its next and Artistic Director Sarah Meyers recorded at this year’s World Opera Forum and annual North American Opera Conference hosted by the LA Opera this past June. They dig into the past, present, and near future of the company, including the recently announced World Premiere of Lucidity which runs November 14-16 at Abrons Arts Center in New York City.
SHOW NOTESSandwichTelevision (Apple Vision Pro)Theater (Apple Vision Pro)Video: playing with dalle3 images, luma image-to-video, and suno music. (X)How Sandwich streamed The Talk Show Live in 3D on Vision Pro (six colors)On Site OperaLucidityThe Next Stage 2025 Scholarship Applications Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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We kick off our Spooky Season 2024 coverage with an LA double header.
First up: Justin Fix, Stephanie Turek, and Daniel Montgomery of JFI Productions are here with us to talk about the return of CREEP — the show that started it all for JFI and which has been one of the foundational rocks of LA’s Spooky Season for nearly a decade now.
This year’s CREEP is a collaboration with the CBS series GHOSTS, and we’ll learn how that teamup is making a difference with the 2024 show.
Then Matt Dorado — known to many in the LA scene for the Drunken Devil series of parties and the Live and DIne In LA supper club, returns with an all new venture: Monster Party. A more intimate affair than the days of Drunken Devil, Monster Party is set during the McCarthy Era Lavender Scare, as Dorado and his team weave together a horror tale from America’s LGBTQ history.
SHOW NOTESCREEP x GHOSTSMonster Party Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week a doubleheader:
Stephen Dobbie and Colin Nightingale of A Right/Left Project whose ORIGIN - A DEEP LISTENING EXPERIENCE is returning to London this September as part of London Design Week join us first. Stephen and Colin have been collaborators for two decades now, including their work with Punchdrunk stretching back to the early days of the storied companies. As a Right/Left Project they’re exploring new forms, iterating quickly, and have established their own signature style.
Then we check in with PostCurious’ Rita Orlov and writer Lauren Bello about how their collaborations are going, with Bello’s The Morrison Game Factory currently in print from PostCurious.
From high tech to the table top — we’ve got a wonderful spread this week for you on No Proscenium.
SHOW NOTESA Right/Left ProjectORIGIN - A DEEP LISTENING EXPERIENCEPostCuriousThe Morrison Game Factory Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we’ve got a really unique edition of the podcast because a year ago I messed up!
Last August I interviewed Doug North Cook, the CEO & Creative Director at Creature a new VR video game studio & label that draws upon the team's deep roots in both video games and VR, and is using a model that means indie studios can get the benefits of working with a larger publisher without giving up control over their work.
And then I forgot to share the interview!
So we're making up for it by sharing that one and a new interview where we catch up with Doug now to talk the label's releases and the state of video games and VR gaming in what has become an inflection point of a year.
SHOW NOTESCreatureStarship HomeThrasherSXSW Panel Picker: From Creator to Closer: Your Path to Greenlight Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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We’re celebrating this milestone the best way we know how — by getting members of NoPro’s esteemed Review Crew together to wax philosophical about the state of things in the immersive cosmos.
This time out associate producer Parker Sela, New York City correspondent Nicholas Fortugno, and New England Curator Leah Davis join host Noah Nelson for a discussion that touches on the notions of “immersive before immersive” and “immersive after immersive” — and while we’re at it there are bits about Plastic Bag Store currently at MASS MOCA, Hatch Escape’s The Ladder, and Emursive’s Life and Trust.
SHOW NOTESThe Plastic Bag Store at MASS MocaThe Power of Plastic Parody (REVIEW)Hatch Escape's The LadderLife And TrustNoPro's August CALL SHEET Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week: we’re back to the double header groove, first with a stop to chat with Aaron Blanton & Este Olivia, owners The Ghoulish Sanctuary, a Haunted Mansion inspired Airbnb in Kissimmee, Florida and then we look to the future with Corvas Brinkerhoff, one of the co-founders of Meow Wolf to talk about his new venture the in-development SUBMERSIVE, an immersive art spa that is planned to launch in Austin.
SHOW NOTESThe Ghoulish SanctuarySubmersive Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Listen in on host Noah Nelson's first conversation ever with legendary ARG designer Adrian Hon as they talk about game design, escape games, defining immersive, training actors and more. It’s a winding conversation between two folks who love this stuff more than anyone reasonably should.
SHOW NOTESAdrian HonEdinburgh Fringe Immersive Creators Meetup w/Adrian HonZombies Run!Perplex City Get bonus content on PatreonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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