Secret Thing II – Can You Keep It To Yourself?

Psssst… Wanna know a secret? A secret thing?

Did you know that anything can happen in Hollywood? People come from all over the world just to catch a glimpse of its magic, or arrive in hopes of making their dreams come true. One minute you can be walking down the street checking out the Walk of Fame, and the next you’re turning a corner to find a pirate flag placed in your hands and an invite to climb aboard a ship from the future. Just at that moment, on this particular Friday night in Hollywood, is where we discovered what this secret was all about.

Photo by Shayne Eastin

Secret Thing is a series of shows happening at different venues across Los Angeles. However, you will have no idea what it’s about until you arrive. Hints of what’s to come are teased by Secret Thing creator Shayne Eastin (who was recently in the wonderful Bedrumplai) via their Instagram page, and here you can message them your email address to receive an invite to come and uncover the secret for yourself.

Although the experiences are shrouded in mystery, there are some common themes that you can look forward to in the upcoming sequences. There will be ample opportunities for socializing over cocktails, which in this case, bookend the show itself. You can also anticipate a lovely blend of immersive elements along with traditional theater for you to observe and experience.

Photo by Shayne Eastin

The second installation of Secret Thing invited guests to join in on an exciting sci-fi adventure in the year 3035. When entering the venue, audiences boarded a ship filled with a careful curation of pirate paraphernalia, including gold doubloons, treasure maps, and an iconic skull and crossbones.

As we settled in and waited for the performance to begin, the quaintness of the space we were in became increasingly obvious. The majority of the room was made up of chairs with a small stage at the front, and the numerous bodies inside made for a stuffy beginning to the experience. However, the cast behind this presentation quickly turned this small, warm space into a room full of laughter and excitement.

The wacky S.S. Scavenger Crew (including Jason Britt, Dasha Kittredge, Amaka Izuchi, Daniel Palma, and Lena Valentine) and intoxicating robo concierge, D-1000 (Alyssa Weldon), did a fantastic job of commanding this tiny area as they moved from stage to floor and spread out around the audience. Without props or much set design, this team used wonderful costumes, humor, music and sound (by Kevin Van Cott including additional songs by DatsiK and the Gotan Project) to portray this playful tale of futuristic space pirates. The audience was fully engaged while laughing along to incredibly clever jokes, some that even poked fun at the immersive community itself. The play ran for about twenty minutes and had everyone caught by surprise in the end! Who doesn’t love a good twist ending? There was nothing but smiling faces among this rowdy pirate space crew.

Photo by Brian Erzen

With a combination of incredible acting and storytelling, it is safe to say that you’ll want to be in on all future secrets that this group has to tell. Follow their Instagram or Facebook for more information and keep an eye out for Secret Thing III. This will surely be something you’ll still be whispering about long after the secret’s out.