David Byrne And Writer Mala Gaonkar To Premiere New Immersive Theatre Experience THEATER OF THE MIND

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts Off-Center has announced a world premiere immersive production, Theater of the Mind, coming to Denver in August 2020 co-created by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar.

Theater of the Mind will be a 15,000-square-foot immersive experience taking just sixteen audience members at a time through a journey of self-reflection, discovery, and imagination, inspired by and grounded in neuroscience. Led by a Guide whose stories are inspired from the creators' lives, audiences will explore how they perceive the world through sensory experiments that reveal the inner mysteries of the brain.

"We are so pleased to be premiering Theater of the Mindin Denver with such wonderful partners at the DCPA. Off-Center is nationally admired for its immersive work, and they have the skill and experience to bring this complex production to life and the committed audience who will appreciate it," said co-creator David Byrne. "I have long had an interest in creating something that incorporated the sensory experiments we often read about in a way that was entertaining and engaging, but still gave people an experience that was visceral and profound."

"As a theater producer, I always hope that a production can positively impact an audience and give people a new perspective, but that's often difficult to achieve," said Charlie Miller, Off-Center Curator. "Theater of the Mindallows every audience member to experience the world in a new way through its groundbreaking combination of science, design, and storytelling. I am delighted that Off-Center gets to bring this one-of-a-kind project to life and can't wait to share what's cooking in David and Mala's brilliant minds with Denver next summer."

"For a few years, David and I partnered with several cognitive neuroscience labs to see how some of the most basic human intuitions determine how humans react," stated co-creator Mala Gaonkar. "What we concluded was the experiments and ideas of the labs we partnered with, several of which we embedded in our narrative, seemed as engaging as any piece of theatre. Theater of the Mind will challenge the ever-changing reality written in our minds and I am thrilled for audiences to think of science and theatre in a new way."

"It is incredibly rewarding to have the opportunity to work alongside creative visionaries like David and Mala and to present with DCPA Off-Center, a national leader in immersive theatrical experiences," said Theater of the MindProducer Nate Koch. "Theater of the Mindis a true multi-disciplinary piece - one that seeks to push the immersive form and hopefully ignite deep conversations between our audience members - and I am so excited to collaborate alongside our creative team in bringing the project to life in Denver."

Theater of the Mind will open in August 2020. Full performance schedule and ticket on-sale will be announced at a later date. To sign up to receive more information, visit theateroftheminddenver.com.

Inspired by both historical and current lab research, Theater of the Mindtakes you on an immersive journey inside how we see and create our worlds. Co-created by Talking Heads frontman and artist David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar, the show stories from their own lives to shape a narrative you'll see, feel, taste and hear.

Witness the wonders of your mind for yourself as you follow The Guide through a spectacular 15,000-square-foot installation with 16 fellow audience members. As you explore intriguing environments, participate in a narrative and try a series of sensory experiments, your Guide will question how beliefs, memories and even our identities are less fixed than we think.

Caution: the brain may wander. Side effects may include a distrust of your own senses, a disorientation of self, and a mild to severely good time. You may not be who you think you are. But we're all in it together.