Owen Kingston is a screenwriter, dramatist, theatre-maker, and artistic director of Parabolic Theatre. He’s the creative force behind London based Bridge Command, the critically acclaimed sci-fi immersive experience which allows you to be part of the bridge crew of a classic science fiction style starship and go on missions. We caught up with Owen to find out more.
How did Parabolic come to be?
About a decade ago I got fed up of making conventional theatre and started experimenting with highly interactive immersive work, inspired by companies like Punchdrunk and Secret Cinema. We started small with a single-performer show. Now we’re running Bridge Command which is a multi million pound project with a cast of over forty people.
How would you pitch Bridge Command to fan of the Marvel Movies?
It’s about working together with a bunch of people to be the bridge crew of a starship. A bit like the Guardians of the Galaxy, but less scrappy.
And how would you pitch it to someone who has never seen Star Trek?
It’s about working together with a bunch of people to be the bridge crew of a starship. Like in Star Trek. What do you mean you’ve not seen Star Trek. What’s wrong with you?!?
How different is this show from your previous productions?
It’s got a very expensive set. Genuinely, the set cost over 3.5 million pounds. Previously we’ve made very cool shows in found spaces for a fraction of that, but it’s hard to do sci-fi well without spending big money.
In a world of VR headsets and interactive consoles, what makes something like Bridge Command so unique?
It’s very tactile. We’ve built two complete starships that you can fully explore, and there isn’t a single fake button or control – everything does something meaningful, and we’ve built something that is the closest you can get to flying a starship while keeping your feet on terra firma. You also interact with live actors, and your decisions matter – we pivot story events around the decisions players make in a way that’s just not possible in a computer game.
Can you call it Live Action Roleplay, or is it something else?
It’s similar to LARP, but there are distinct differences. LARP can have quite a high bar to participate – there can be a lot of prep for participants beforehand. We’ve worked hard to make sure that Bridge Command is as easy to access as possible for members of the public. We also don’t require you to play a character – you can just be yourself, in space.
Is this the future of entertainment?
Yes. The most impressive thing Bridge Command does is break out of the decision tree model of interactive story telling. In a computer game, you would be limited by design to choice A or B or C – the writer of the game is not going to come to your house and re-write the game on the fly because you thought of a cool option D. Bridge Command is powered by live actors who are able to make those sorts of pivots on the fly. If you come up with a cool way of solving a problem that fits the world of Bridge Command and makes reasonable sense, we’ll find a way to make that happen if we possibly can. The unplanned option D should always remain possible.
What’s the zaniest thing you’ve done to get this show made?
Convince a multi-millionaire to fund it (it didn’t take much convincing – he wanted to build a spaceship as much as we did).
Is there any chance Bridge Command will travel, or is it very much tied to it’s London venue?
We can’t tour it – the set is integral to the show. We have a touring setup which allows us to demo the computer game element at expo shows, but for the full experience you need to come to our venue in Vauxhall. Maybe one day we’ll get to open sites elsewhere – we’ll have to wait and see.
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
Most of Parabolic’s shows are for small audiences where we work hard to make the decisions of the audience meaningful. In that sense, it’s very similar.
What is your favourite show prop?
Dr Greene’s medical kit. I love all the little details.
What’s next?
More Bridge Command.
Kirk or Picard?
Picard
Vampires or Werewolves?
Werewolves
Truth or Beauty?
Truth
Bridge Command can be found at Vauxhall in London, England. Book now to avoid disappointment.
