I have good news and bad news for you about Echo 1 / Inside My Soul, the latest show from Shine On Collective. The good news is that it’s fantastic. The bad news is that it sold out in less than a day.

The show is part of their new Echoes in the Dark series, which began with a short preview this summer at Midsummer Scream. During that weekend, guests were treated to two different stories (depending on what day they saw it). At only seven minutes long, it was a great introduction into this new world, and made me hungry for more.

Echo 1 / Inside My Soul was the first of many echoes of a memory that will make up the series. I took on the role of Victor Hamlin, and relived a vital memory in his life, to see where it all went wrong in this re-imagining of a classic horror story.

I have always praised Shine On for their innovative ways of telling stories, and Inside My Soul was no different. The show began in a very different way than most, taking on an almost “living audio drama” form. You’re tasked with entering a parked car and putting on a pair of headphones, while Victor’s recollection of the Echo begins to play. Joining you is an echo of Victor himself, whose actions and demeanor reflects what is currently unfolding. So, while the Victor before you is not physically speaking the words you are hearing, the emotional energy coming from him is uncannily good. Played both in voice and physical form by Larry Duncan, he did a fantastic job of getting his sentiments across with only his expressions and movements. It was pretty damn impressive!

Not only was their use of recorded dialogue and music a fantastic way to start the show, they also did a wonderful job of integrating the wearing of headphones into the story. Yes, it was used as a means to begin the tale, but with a simple, almost throwaway line later on, it explained the actual reason they were on my head. This is the attention to detail that I love to see. This point may seem silly to others, but it really stuck out to me as Shine On continues to show that they are devoted to their stories by addressing it.

From there, the story continues further, where we meet Elizabeth, and really take on the role of Victor. Learning more about Victor’s past, and Elizabeth’s struggles with it, hit all the right beats for me. Elizabeth, played by Karlie Blair, carries even more emotionally weight of the story, as she had to run the gauntlet of them during our short time together. Blair is incredible in every immersive show I’ve seen her in thus far and that is is no different here. You could see the pain in her eyes, and it even me feel guilty for Victor’s actions!

The excellent sound design continued during these scenes, and though my headphones were no longer on my head, their use of audio to further the story was fantastic.

In just that short, half-hour, Inside My Soul conveys a lot of emotions and story, and expertly so. This Echo is like a tease, with writer Anna Mavromati giving us hints of the larger story yet to come…and the monster lurking in the background of it. Her written words are always impressive, and I cannot wait to see where she takes this. Director Marlee Delia’s expert direction makes this almost like an impressive, choreographed dance; while we might be seeing this for the first time, these characters are re-living this echo again and again, forced to go through the same motions of their tortured past.

I did say at the top of this that the bad news was that the show is sold out, which it is. However, they are considering a remount later on in the season, and if they do, I urge you to go check it out.

Head on over to their website, and sign up for their mailing list so you don’t miss out on this, and future, Echoes of this story.

You can find them online at: http://www.shineoncollective.com/