‘Viola’s Room’ Immersive Theater Piece Lands at The Shed in New York


No footwear is required in order to experience the immersive set of “Viola’s Room.”

The theatrical experience is in residence at The Shed in New York, following its debut in London last year. Created by Punchdrunk, the theater company behind “Sleep No More,” “Viola’s Room” is an intimate audio-guided show that leans into sensory details. Audience members, in groups of six, navigate the “Viola’s Room” set barefoot, making their way through the experience  — walking, crouching, crawling — guided by light and sound.

“We touch what happens when the surface changes beneath your feet,” says Punchdrunk artistic director Felix Barrett, who’s also in the process of opening “Sleep No More” in Seoul this summer. “When you have a bit of sensory deprivation, you isolate one sense and you really tune into it,” he adds. “Suddenly the impact really is tenfold.”

Based on a Gothic fairytale, the show begins in a mid-’90s-era teenage bedroom, with the premise of the audience attending a slumber party. “You don’t often do that as an adult, so it really takes you back and you feel playful and adventurous — which is what you need, because you don’t stay in the bedroom for long,” says Barrett.  “Like all good adventures, you don’t quite see what’s coming around the corner.”

There are no actors and the audience is guided by Helena Bonham Carter’s narration, pre-recorded and delivered through individual headphones to plunge listeners deeper into the disorienting dreamscape. “Using binaural sound, it’s as though she’s there,” says Barrett of Carter’s distinct voice. “You can almost feel her lips touching your ear because it’s just so close and it creates a level of intimacy.”

The show, with a modest run time of around an hour, has been fine-tuned since its initial London run “so it’s got even more mystery within,” says Barrett. “My number-one goal in making shows is to flip the show on its head and give audiences something they’re not expecting.”

“Viola’s Room” runs through Oct. 19.

Viola's Room created by Punchdrunk.

“Viola’s Room” created by Punchdrunk.

Courtesy of Julian Abrams



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