Overview
They're the masters of immersive thrills, such as smash-hit shipping container installations Seance, Coma and Flight, also known as the Darkfield series, but not even the folks at Realscape Productions are immune to the realities of pandemic life. They're currently locked down with the rest of Melbourne, putting their nerve-jangling real-life projects on hiatus until later in the year.
Luckily, in the meantime, Realscape and Darkfield (UK creators) have teamed up for a brand-new audio experience fans can enjoy from the comfort of home. This one's called Double and, while it's delivered remotely, it's geared to be every bit as creepy and unsettling as its IRL predecessors.
Launching this Friday, July 17, Double is being presented via the producers' new digital project Darkfield Radio. Like its siblings, it plunges participants deep into an immersive experience by perplexing the senses — this time, with the use of a 360-degree binaural sound, played through your own headphones.
Double requires a two-person set-up, with players seated across a table from each other. The pair of you will then tune into a special 20-minute broadcast, at the exact time as hundreds of other players across the country. And there's just one rule to follow: everyone has to be who they say they are.
True to form, the exact details are kept vague until you're living the immersion, but we do know Double pulls inspiration from the Capgras delusion, a condition which sees a sufferer convinced that a loved one has been replaced by an imposter (sometimes an evil-intentioned one). Prepare to have your truths shaken and the familiar warped, right there at your kitchen table.
If you live in metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire, do remember that you're not allowed visitors in your home — unless it is to deliver care or essential services — but, you can visit your partner if you don't live together. For more information on the stay-at-home orders, head to the DHHS website.
Tickets for Double are $10 and on sale now through the website. Early-bird tickets are available for $7 for the first week of shows, starting Friday, July 17.
Images: Alex Purcell