The latest peak in the cultural zeitgeist surrounding Dungeons & Dragons has come, and it’s the announcement of a proper live stage show based on the game. Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern will debut in New York City at Stage 42 this May as the first fixed-location multi-show official Dungeons & Dragons stage play that I’ve heard of, perhaps the first ever.
The show looks like something of a mix of live-play style D&D storytelling, improv comedy, and a bit of audience participation to round it out. It stars three fixed actors, but the show aims to include the audience as a “fourth player.” The audience will be able to vote, using an browser-based app, on decisions like what paths or approaches the stage players take. There will also be, apparently, on-stage minigames such as fantasy beer pong.
It will be, at the very least, a fascinating experiment.
The Twenty-Sided Tavern is run by Curious Hedgehog, a group made up of David Carpenter, Sarah Davis Reynolds, and David Andrew Laws. It’s made in partnership with stage production group Showpath Entertainment and D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast. Previous one-off versions of the show have been staged in Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York, and Edinburgh.
In a press release, Carpenter said that “as passionate gamers and D&D players, the partners at Curious Hedgehog set off on a quest to redefine what a live interactive experience can be. What started as a D&D-style RPG onstage with folding tables and a box of props has grown beyond our wildest imagination.”
It’s a particularly strange thing to hear, isn’t it? Live shows based on popular games are quite rare in the United States and Europe, though somewhat more common in Japan.
You can find the show at its website, thetwentysidedtavern.com. Previews will apparently begin on April 19 before official launch on May 5.
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