In the wise words of that one guy on the History Channel, “aliens!” However, they may not be the wisest words, as I quickly learned that they preferred being called “extraterrestrials” or “ETs” for short. Oh, and those ETs are into some hardcore stuff. The Observation Room’s FIRST CONTACT introduced me to some outlandish friends in this fun blend of kink and immersive theater!

FIRST CONTACT, Observation Room’s third immersive experience, took place online prior to the experience and in-person in West Hollywood. The physical show ran almost two hours and involved being transported to a second location. Essentially, the audience members were members of a forum that discussed aliens and various sightings. This online forum was seen as the pre-show experience. While it was entertaining to explore, participants did not need to peruse it to understand the show, which is always a positive! The show consisted of about 12 audience members with a potential of 2 one-on-one/two-on-one encounters. As an Immersive Pick Me Girlie, I was thrilled to be picked for the first one-on-one moments. This portion of the show ended up being my favorite part of the entire experience. Both actors in this scene were incredibly strong and created a delicate, lovely piece of theater. Since the personal interactions were so stellar, the show could have definitely contained more opportunities for others in the group to have them.

Another area FIRST CONTACT excelled in was set design. I was incredibly impressed with how they transformed the space into one that truly felt like ETs truly took over the building. From lights and cables to an entire medical-esque room, Observation Room went above and beyond to visually flesh out the world they created.

The combination of kink practices with immersive theater was a fun melding of worlds. While there are quite a few similarities between each, this immersive experience provided a different look at how the two could be combined. While one scene could be considered as more intense, I really enjoyed how it pushed a boundary artistically.

Overall, FIRST CONTACT proved to be a fun jaunt in a world we typically do not see in immersive theater. While the ending felt quite rushed and was similar to a handful of other shows, I found this experience to be entertaining and quite promising. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am looking forward to watching the Observation Room grow within the immersive community. 

For more information and to stay updated on future events, check out Observation Room on Instagram!