Style: Woke Escape the Room
Where: Royal Court Theate
When: Until 27th April
Rating: 3.5/5
Dismantle This Room is – in essence – an escape room. You solve puzzles and make decisions as you go through to get through a series of rooms built onto the stage at the Royal Court. However, there is a strong element of self-examination and social justice woven into the experience throughout that give this an added edge.
For example, ticket prices are not set based on where you sit in the theatre but where you perceive yourself on the privilege spectrum. I’m a white, middle class, well-educated city dweller but also a woman. How do I rate? I put myself high but not at the top. It is for others to choose for themselves and perhaps to judge me.
The storyline of the escape room is a little campy (and nothing wrong with that) but the edgy video and the interesting mindful thought experiment at the end add a frisson to the experience that did have us questioning the privilege of the theatre world and who gets to take part in its upper echelons.
The game itself was relatively straightforward despite the fact that my group between us managed to a. accidentally disable the computer and b. get so lost at one point we had to be radioed the message “there’s a pen in the safe”. #usepens folks. It was a little short overall but definitely showed the imagination that is required both for inventors of immersive experiences and those seeking to question the establishment from the heart of the Royal Court.
Overall this was an interesting, thoughtful experience. I’d like to see it further developed into its full potential, but it is definitely worth seeing now.
Soaked in Dreams 