Shine on Collective - The Ritual

The Ritual by Shine On Collective – The Mystery of Magic

I am standing in a circle of people that I only met half an hour ago on the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Although I began my night by walking into a squatter’s apartment with these individuals, this circle has been formed somewhere else in space and in time. The others turn to look at me as witches appear from around us. The witches clap in unison and it is my turn to step into the middle of them and dance… ritual

 

The Ritual is Shine On Collective’s new hour-long, group immersive experience about a coven of witches. Unfortunately, one of them named Fire has disappeared and we have been brought to the location to find her by Fire’s friend, Charlie. Why this group specifically? Because Fire mentioned each one of the audience members to Charlie previously and, even more importantly, all of us have been here before – even though none of us remember it.

 

Shine On Collective has made good use of putting audience members into dream-like states, such as in their previous production Sweet DreamsIn The Ritual, the Shine On team once again pulls audience members into a story where time and space break down in a fascinating way. Using the circular nature and repetitive movement/chanting of a coven’s magical traditions as its foundation, The Ritual takes the audience on a journey that ultimately solves the mystery of what happened to Fire. Through scenes that are equally circular and moments that are designed to intentionally repeat themselves, the experience works to weave up to six individuals into an interactive trip back and forth through the history and mystery of Fire’s story. It’s a wild ride, with visceral moments of sound, touch, speech and story.

 

This is one of those shows where saying too much about what happens will eliminate the surprise and enjoyment to be found within it. That possibility is especially true in this case, as discovering the truth of the story as you uncover it is the entire point of the show. Those who want to be completely surprised should skip the rest of this paragraph. For those who want some idea of the design of the show, read on. I found the elements of this production work very well together, as the structure of the show is a literal echo of the narrative that it delivers. The show centers on the title element: a coven’s performance of a ritual. Over and over again, audience members find themselves brought into that ritual, each time with more information that allows them a new perception on why it is happening. Some scenes involve all of the audience while others pull individuals away to one- or two-person scenes where they can learn more about the coven as a whole or Fire’s specific story. Audience members are taught aspects of the ritual that they then use, again and again, each time with better insight into how those aspects affect the larger coven’s history and future. And the ritual is not comprised merely of words. It’s one of the more physical experiences I’ve had as an audience member, not in an extreme, way but rather in how audience members are asked to utilize their arms, hands and bodies as part of the experience. Audience members repeat movements just as often as words, and do so until they can repeat them at will – much like real members of a religion do when practicing their sacred moments.

 

It’s fascinating to see how this structure of circular storytelling and repetition of movement and voice creates a truly intimate space in the 60+ minutes of the show. Watching audience members transform from solo individuals into a cohesive group has rarely felt so natural and so logically derived from what is happening to them in the experience. At the same time, the strength and commitment of the actors to their roles make the journey a grounded, emotionally enclosed encounter. They create a space where audience members can feel safe and empowered to create something of their own that can be added to the magic ritual. In the same way an enclosed circle is seen as a way to make magic safe, this experience creates that safety for its audience so they can express themselves as part of the show. It’s a different approach from many immersive experiences that I have seen, offering a sanctuary of tangible moments and physical expression where form and narrative function are in perfect harmony.

 

Midsummer Scream 2019 Immersives - Shine On Collective - The Ritual

 

Anna Mavromati’s narrative combines elements of a love story, depression and injustice in ways that caught me by surprise in the moment and took me a few days to fully process. Mavromati’s tale is a complex story that is as joyful as it is bitter. Fire’s disappearance has multiple reasons and, as each one is discovered, those reasons peel away like the layers of an onion until we finally see the complicated, terrible truth. Creating a story this complex could have been very hard to successfully navigate but Mavromati handles it with deft ease. Marlee Delia’s direction is equally potent. Throughout the experience, she deftly uses her ability to perfectly focus us on specific moments and ideas. She is also clearly able to bring out the very best in her entire cast, something that is often overlooked as being part of a director’s job.

 

The rest of the crew does some great work here, especially Lara Marcin and Celia Sutton. Marcin’s choreography is raw and primal, very fitting to the nature of the story and the purpose of the characters within it. Sutton’s sets and props could be a case study in how to create emotional moments and physical spaces through minimalistic but perfectly appropriate elements. Overall, every distinct piece of the production remains aimed at generating exactly the right response and they succeed thoroughly in that goal.

 

The greatest strength of this production comes from the actors themselves. Sierra Allison brings a desperate and ultimately frightened Charlie to heartbreaking life. Her choices are subtle from the beginning, with many of her earlier decisions only making terrible retrospective sense after audience members learn the full story of what happened. Hannah Faust’s Water echoes her character’s name in every scene as she flows through emotions such as caring, despondent and wistful with astonishing ease. Ellen Burr brings gravity to her character, Earth, while still finding moments where an absurdist nature seems to momentarily surface. Corinna Wagner-Smith is absolutely compelling in her portrayal of Air, altering emotions and even attitude in the blink of an eye. She more than holds the audience’s attention every time she appears in a scene – she demands it through her voice, mannerisms and approach. And when she finally arrives, Maya Schnaider’s Fire is well worth the wait thanks to the taut and harsh portrayal she unleashes, a depiction of anger and despair that nearly brought me to tears on more than one occasion.

 

Since the performance I saw was a dress rehearsal, there were a few elements that were not yet complete and a few moments that were still being tweaked. None of that mattered to me at all because what I saw was deeply compelling. The Ritual tells a tale of women and magic in a way that is both true and raw. Audiences are going to be spellbound by the cast and the experience. The Ritual is designed to help us realize how the things we do to remind ourselves of the past can also influence how we experience the future. It is a show that is lyrical in the same way a religious text or a sermon can be. It is an interactive, cooperative story where the narrative not only asks for the audience’s input but also demands it. It is a raw, potent, dream-like journey that is unfiltered in its desire to create real moments in a fictional narrative. The Ritual pulls you into its performance and – like all good magic – transforms you as you join it and make it your own. I do not think I will forget Fire or her coven for a long, long time.

 

Shine on Collective - The Ritual

 

The Ritual runs through September 29th; buy tickets HERE. Find out more about Shine On Collective on their website and Facebook page. Make sure to subscribe to our Event Calendar for more immersive and horror experiences throughout the year.

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