In California, two Walt Disney Imagineers,Jarrett Lantz andJeff Leinenveber, are driving forward the escape room modelwith the creation of a new show, The Nest, in which storytelling becomes a huge part of the experience.
Escape rooms are a relatively new phenomenon and a significant trend in the attractions business. However,they are rapidly evolving, as illustrated recently with British operatorTick Tock Unlock debutingtheir new Hyper Reality Experience in Leeds.
Lantz and Leinenvebermet at Disney, both having worked on attractions atShanghai Disneyland Resort. With an interest in immersive theatre, they founded the Scout Expedition Co., the company behind The Nest.
Pooling their skills in set-design and storytelling, they createda show which is a fully immersive experiencedriven forward by a carefully crafted and detailed narrative. The familar escape rooms staples- lockers, an enclosed space, audio tapes, the collection of clues - are all presentbut they are not, essentially, whatThe Nestis about.
Narrative and The Nest
Employing serialised radio-play elements and their own experience as Disney storytellers, Lantz and Leinenveber tell the story of Josephine Annette Carroll. She has died and left a storage unit to her next of kin.It is at this point the visitors enter theunit. With a torch. Inside the unit they find a tape recorder and listen to the first of 12 (!) tapes. In addition there are secondary tapes which add a further layer of intrigue.
The Verge's Bryan Bishopdetails the experience and chatted toLantz and Leinenveber.
The Nest, in the Los Feliz suburbof Los Angeles,has been agreat success. Recently extending its run to June, tickets sold out in just 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, Lantz and Leinenveber do not intend to rest on their laurels. Scout Expedition Co.is therefore already considering other projects, including a Halloween experience. Making their work more accessible to a wider audience is key to further development. Itwill be fascinating to see how the company, at hearta creator of immersive theatre, tackles mainstream audiences.
One thing for sure is that if their next creation is anything like The Nest, it will be bothunique and highly immersive. There's no escaping from that.
