Stage West To Offer New Virtual Events!

Stage West is one of several theatres nationwide to offer In the Box Entertainment, a unique set of virtual experiences, created and produced by Adirondack Theatre Festival and Bloomington Playwrights Project, beginning September 10-12, and running through February 9-20, 2021.

The first ever of its kind, these experiences include a from-your-couch cruise, hands-on-insane magic shows, an interactive hunt for a criminal, and a "wine and canvas" night gone wrong. All shows are ticketed live performances that will entertain audiences from the comfort of their homes.

Producing Artistic Director Chad Rabinovitz says, "Our goal from the start was to create entertainment that isn't a consolation prize for not having live theatre, but instead to develop an iteration of live theatre that benefits specifically from being digital. We're not putting our art form on Zoom, we're creating an art form for Zoom. Imagine signing up for our Living Room Cruise Lines where we send you a Cruise in a Box," explains Rabinovitz. "It'll arrive in the mail (the real, physical mail) prior to your scheduled departure. In it you'll find things like a pocket fan, a Hawaiian lei, a tiny umbrella to put in your drink, a passport, an ocean-scented candle and other important items to set the mood. Your ticket is your boarding pass to an exclusive live Zoom room where our ukulele-playing Cruise Director welcomes our guests and gets you ready for travel.

As you set sail for your first tropical destination, you might find yourself tasting a local delicacy from your upcoming port. Along the way, there's plenty of shipboard entertainment to experience as our Cruise Director introduces you to singers, magicians, comedians, jugglers, and more. Or perhaps Shipboard Bingo is more your speed, where you can relax and stamp those bingo cards (which we've provided) as the artificial wind blows across your face. It's an experience you won't soon forget, especially since there'll be a towel animal (that we'll teach you to make) waiting on your bed later that night!"

The full season of performances will be branded as IN THE BOX ENTERTAINMENT presented by ATF & BPP. All shows will include a box mailed to the ticket holder prior to the show which will fuel their at-home experience.

Each show is $50 for the box and the Zoom event, and $35 for the event only.

In addition, In the Box includes an option for Film Festival in a Box, in which audiences can choose from over 100 short and feature-length films to see, and the box includes typical film festival swag. This "film fest experience" schedule will exist from Thursday through Saturday. For those wanting to watch whatever they want, whenever they want it, the full catalogue of films will be available "on demand" for Sunday. The cost for Film Festival in a Box is $75 for the event (includes all films) and box, and $45 for the event only (includes most films, but not headliners).

The full lineup is:

MAGIC IN A BOX: VIRTUAL REALITY

September 10-12, 2020

You'll take part in this ground-breaking LIVE Show from the comfort of your own home, where world-renowned mentalist (and current contestant on America's Got Talent), Max Major, will literally get inside your head through the screen. With an uncanny ability to predict thoughts and control the actions of others, this "real-life Sherlock Holmes," leads at-home audiences through an intimate and fully interactive journey - together they discover the power of virtual connection made possible through hypnosis and mentalism.

The intrigue kicks off before the show even begins when each participant receives a special package in the mail - the contents of which cannot be revealed until Max gives the word...

FILM FESTIVAL IN A BOX: ADIRONDACK FILM FESTIVAL

October 15-18, 2020

Film selection is currently underway, led by Programming Director, Jessica Levandoski, and will be announced in early September. Festival blocks will be created for the short films, as in previous years, by theme (e.g. Laugh Therapy, Sweet & Sour, A Shot in the Dark, Tasting Menu, etc.) But this year these blocks may be combined with box items to enhance the experience. AFF Kleenex may accompany a drama block or a scented candle will help set the mood for a romance block.

CRUISE IN A BOX: LIVING ROOM CRUISE LINES

November 4-14

Set sail for an unforgettable, high seas staycation on the world's first ever Cruise in a Box! Your ticket doesn't just buy you passage on this not-so-nautical adventure, we'll also be mailing you a special "SHIPment" - filled with everything you'd expect from a luxury cruise liner; plush towels that we'll teach you to transform into animals for your cabin, ocean-scented candles, a little umbrella to shade your favorite tropical drink, and so much more! Then, you'll join your Live Virtual Cruise Director for a night of world-class Shipboard entertainment and variety performances as you sail across the globe - all from your own couch!

MYSTERY IN A BOX: MANHUNT

January 12-23, 2021

You buy a ticket. You're delivered a box. Inside the box, you find a variety of objects, along with an invitation... beckoning you to solve a mysterious puzzle. You accept the invitation, and are connected online to a detective who needs the clues in your box to start connecting the pieces... but... the pieces to what? As the plot unfolds into a night of twists and turns - along with virtual live performances that plunge you deeper into a world of noir and intrigue - you realize this is about much more than random items in a box. You begin to wonder: in this virtual game of cat and mouse... who's chasing who? And why is one of your objects a clock that's slowly counting down? And... perhaps most importantly of all... what happens when it hits zero?

PAINT IN A BOX: PAINTING FOR ONE

February 9-20, 2021

It's time for Andy and Laura's Painting for Two - the BEST paint-by-numbers instructional show on public access WBPP! By signing up for this week's show, you've received your canvas and paints in the mail, and you'll be following along with Andy and Laura to make it a masterpiece in a night where wine and canvas meets live theatre. One small change: Laura isn't here. She's gone. But... Andy's here, live... from the living room they once shared... and he's ready to make this blank canvas into a stunning piece of art with YOU! Also, due to budget cuts, we may need him to host a few more shows throughout the evening... also the future of the station may be at stake. But... it'll be fine, right? Yeah... yeah it'll be... fine...

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