When I was little, I believed that whenever someone dreamed, a star was formed. STARDUST proved that while our dreams may conflict with what others want for us, it is always best to be true to yourself and pursue precisely what we wish.

Alterea Inc. is an experience design company that prides themselves in human connection, exploration, and bold stories among other things. They boast two prior productions: Alohomora: Unlock The Magic and Ascend: When Myths Fall, Heroes Rise. With the latter being a finalist in the 2020 South by Southwest Innovation Awards. STARDUST, Alterea Inc.’s newest production, was directed by Alexander Whitover and held at the Sassafras Saloon in Hollywood.

Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I absolutely love the Sassafras Saloon. Along with the ghosts of the bar, I tend to haunt the spot often. So, I was thrilled to see how STARDUST utilized the space, and they absolutely delivered on that and many more fronts.

Upon arriving at STARDUST, I was given a drink ticket, wristband, and instructions to fill out a quiz that would help guide me to a starting place if I were unsure where exactly to begin. This was a nice touch, as it helps those who may be newer to the immersive theater format. As I crossed the threshold into Sassafras Saloon, I was seemingly teleported into the world of the Hotel Dion. I soon met the guests of the hotel who all were stuck in a sort of limbo between remaining at the idyllic hotel or returning back to their mortal lives. STARDUST boasted a large cast of over 20 actors who were prepared to work with an audience of up to 120. All of the actors were incredibly strong and portrayed enticingly dynamic characters. They were truly the driving force behind the show. While I am all for packing a venue with a large audience, the amount of participants in this venue at the beginning of the show led to a bit of a chaotic start.

After some brief mingling with the characters, STARDUST began with a scene up on the balcony that was meant to set up the show. It was a bit hard to follow due to the amount of participants who were still filing in and getting their drinks from the bar. However, I was able to piece together the general storyline by my interactions with the various guests of the hotel.

Once the scene concluded, we were then whisked into groups to follow the personal storylines of various characters as they got back their memories. I started in a group of about 6 of us, but ended up falling in with a smaller group where I remained for the rest of the night. I definitely favored the smaller group, as it allowed for more interaction with the actor and was overall, less chaotic. In our groups, we pieced together various puzzles and completed tasks to help progress the smaller arcs and ultimately influence the outcome for those stories.
One of my favorite parts of STARDUST was how the various individual plotlines intermingled and the various emotions that they invoked. The individual I ended up shadowing was navigating whether he would pursue his dream of being a wildlife photographer or stay with his sibling no matter what they decided to do. I really enjoyed my interactions with him and his sibling, as they were extremely emotional and effectively established urgency in helping them come to their decisions.

Due to all of the individual character arcs, STARDUST is highly replayable. I also later discovered that there are multiple endings, which encourages audience members to attend other shows to truly attempt to experience everything.

Overall, STARDUST was quite an enjoyable experience. The actors were the driving forces of the production and did an immaculate job in creating stakes and emotional investment. While the audience size was a bit too much at times, it was easy for me to shift to a smaller group to still have an enjoyable experience. I recommend checking out STARDUST, whether you are a newcomer or a veteran to immersive theater!
STARDUST runs every Thursday, Friday, and Sunday until November 20th. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Alterea Inc. on Instagram!