CROOKS 1926
King William IV, 16 Harper Road, London SE1 6AD
Thursday 12th February – Sunday 29th March 2020
Plunge deep into the gritty, criminal underworld of 1920s London at COLAB’s new immersive experience, CROOKS 1926. This innovative company will be staging their most ambitious project to date; game mechanics collide with a pulsing, hair-raising narrative giving audiences the chance to throw themselves into one family’s brutal battle for supremacy in the heart of Elephant and Castle.
In a world where nothing is certain, violence is rampant, and bargains are made to be broken, the audience will have complete autonomy to shape their own thrilling experience. While some might to choose to orchestrate a grand territorial takeover of London or broker an alliance with The West End Boys, others might ‘go it alone’ by scheming with a devious traitor. The choice lies solely with the audience meaning that no two shows are the same.
Boasting over ten years of experience, the veteran immersive theatre company will be debuting CROOKS 1926 at their brand new, permanently dedicated space in South London. Lead by COLAB’s artistic director Bertie Watkins, their venues have hosted some of the biggest names in the industry such as Coney, Parabolic and most recently, The Great Gatsby Immersive Experience. With this newest venture and production COLAB continues to innovate and influence the genre with unique, exciting and truly interactive experiences – the hallmark of their work.
Bertie Watkins comments, Because we have just opened our new, purpose-built space, we have been able to construct an immersive world the reflects the narrative perfectly. COLAB Theatre continues to pioneer its own brand of immersive experience, Action Theatre. By combining complex game mechanics with a multi-linear story, the audience can engage in a way that genuinely affects the outcome of the show at the same time as feeling the emotional weight of those decisions.
A carefully crafted microcosm of thuggery and drug smuggling. The small scale allows the audience to get to know the characters and, chatting and improvising, they get to know us too (Tim Bano, The Stage).