“Let’s meet tomorrow at 5:30 pm in Union Station,” read a text message from a number I didn’t recognize. “I’ll be wearing a hat, purple scarf, and holding a newspaper. Sound good?”
The text reminded me not to be late, and I wouldn’t dare—after all, I had paid $57 for this encounter. The messages were coming from an actor in a new, immersive theater experience called Between Us, part of Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ “Off-Center” series. “These out-of-the-box adventures sweep you off your seat to connect with art on a whole new level,” explains DCPA. “Interact with stories as they come alive around you, travel to undiscovered places throughout our community and explore the possibilities of performance.”
Between Us is the umbrella over three separate hour-long experiences which attendees can choose between. The hook: each experience consists of only one actor and one audience member. Each of the three experiences has a distinct creative team of a writer, a director, 2-3 actors, and a stage manager.
All three stories in Between Us share a common theme: A stranger is waiting to meet you. You have a chance to connect, to converse, “to look a story in the face and become part of it yourself.” I passed on a story called “Whiskey Tasting,” as well as “Blind Date,” which takes its audience member to the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. I opted instead for “Deck of Cards,” which promised to open my eyes to the ways that “a single choice could change your future.”
…Which brings me back to my hunt for a purple scarf, a hat and a newspaper in Union Station. Once I found them, I was greeted warmly by donnie (his preferred spelling) and asked to take a seat. We chatted amicably about Union Station’s history—all of the trains and especially all of the people who have come and gone through that building—but it turned out that donnie was only my guide, pointing me to where I was truly headed. He handed me a simple map and a deck of cards, then sent me on my way.
The real meat of my adventure took place in the nearby Tattered Cover Book Store. Here I settled in with Kristen, a “Deck of Cards” actor perched in the travel section and holding a thick leather binder. After making sure that I felt comfortable and that I understood I was in complete control of my experience—donnie had emphasized the same thing—Kristen asked me to shuffle my cards and draw one. She then matched my king of spades with the corresponding page in her binder, asked me to take a few slow breaths, and posed a question.
What followed was deeply personal, an experience which, by design, no other person could ever have again. The prompts, ideas, and poems that I conjured from Kristen’s book lead us to discuss soulmates, heartaches, and my love for awkward wedding dances. Through it all, Kristen ensured that I stay present: it was important to her that I slow down, breathe, look around, take it in. Examine the choices that brought me to this table in the travel section. Truly connect.
Ultimately, this is what continues to baffle me about Between Us: did I connect? I had spent an hour speaking openly and honestly, not with two strangers, but with two actors. There would be no second date, no follow-up, no budding friendship. Can an engineered experience still be authentic? Can an audience member genuinely connect with an actor while they are playing a role? And what was true? I was moved by donnie’s story about his opportunity to interview a handful of Pullman porters before they passed away. Was that a memory—or was that a script?
Immediately following my experience, donnie texted me one final time, sending a link to DCPA’s digital program book. “Deck of Cards” was written by Christopher Gabriel Núñez and directed by Jenny Koons. Kristen Adele played Kristen and donnie was played by donnie l. betts —the choice not to give these characters any other names feels intentional and further muddies the waters.
After all of that, it might surprise you to find that I consider “Deck of Cards” a success. Theater as a whole is grappling with the definition of “immersive” productions—where are the boundaries, what are the rules? But as an audience member, I am grappling too, trying to understand what is real and what is fake when there is no fourth wall to rely upon. Productions such as Between Ushelp move that dialogue forward, playing and experimenting in a space that is still being defined, and leaving us chewing on the adventure for days afterward.
Between Us at DCPA: https://www.denvercenter.org/tickets-events/between-us/
(Runs through May 26)
Between Us digital program book: https://www.denvercenter.org/landing-page/between-us-program/?utm_source=post-show&utm_medium=txt&utm_campaign=between-us-1180687