During both Halloween conventions in the last two weeks, attendees who stopped by the Shine On booth were introduced to their latest show, Devoted, which features Cara, a love-sick young woman who was obsessed with you.

Yes, with you. You, reading this article. She loves you. She has watched you from afar, and has loved you since the moment she set eyes on you. Over the course of the four shows, more and more of her psyche will be revealed, as she has a harder time hiding her own, personal demons.

Both of the mini-shows (Always and Together) were 3 minute vignettes, focused heavily on one-on-one interaction, in which Cara reveals a bit more about herself, and her love for you. Despite the short time span, both shows were incredibly impressive, in both their writing and how intense the actress portraying Cara (Trish De Luca) is in her portrayal.

Those two shows were but a small taste of the dark, twisted world awaits you in Devoted, the overall experience in which you get closer to Cara. The third installment of the show, Forever, will take place this September, while the final installment, Devoted, will be in October.

I spoke to Anna Mavromati, writer, and Marlee Delia, director, to try to learn a bit more about the show overall, and what people can expect to see in the next two installments.

“We’re trying to do something interactive, but theatrical and performance-based,” said Mavromati. “I love haunted houses, but that isn’t exactly what this show will be. It’ll be more like an interactive, immersive and site-specific play.”

“For those that saw our previews at Midsummer Scream and ScareLA, there is an intensity and a desperate feeling that will be thread throughout the shows,” said Delia. “The next two shows will start to become darker, more surreal.”

Mavromati went on to explain that there will be a lot of hands-on elements and moments of intensity to Forever, their next show, but she wouldn’t consider it an “extreme haunt.”

“Still, guests will be touched, moved and may be disoriented at times. Most of the intensity will be psychological,” Mavromati said.

Forever will also be a 30 minute, exclusive show, since it is running for only one weekend, and is by invitation only. Only people who saw either of their two mini-shows at the conventions and signed up for more information were sent information on how to attend.

However, October’s show, Devoted, will be open to everyone, and will run for much longer.

Though Always and Together were single-character performances, people can expect to see others show up in the next two shows.

“The elements of what drives Cara, and her obsession with love, what (or who) frightens her enough to be obsessed with finding something to save her, begin to be revealed,” said Delia.

Though not overtly horror at first, Mavromati explained that there are definitely elements of that coming in the next installments, as well as some dramatic bits.

“It gets increasingly surreal and strange as it goes on. Some of it, assuming we pull this off the way we want to, should be pretty nightmarish. But there’s an underlying sense of tragedy and emotion behind it as well,” she said.

Mavromati and Delia have worked together before, staging The Truth during the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and One of Us at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theater. While both were interactive in some way, Devoted gives people more of a one-on-one experience, as opposed to being with an audience.

“When it’s a one-on-one experience, the audience is the scene partner, and has legitimate influence. That can be a very powerful experience. When I approach a show, whether it’s on stage or immersive, my goal is to find the depth in it, the truthfulness. With Anna’s writing it’s really easy to do that,” said Delia.

Delia even admitted that Devoted is probably the most disturbing show she has ever worked on.

“There’s a story and a world that you’re stepping into that will show you the depths of despair that Cara holds. We didn’t want to create something scary for the sake of scary. The frightening moments come for true honest places which I think makes them more real and in turn more haunting. And maybe a little bit beautiful. You could say that we’re each holding up a mirror to our own desperation for love, our longing for admiration.”

As someone who has now experienced Cara twice, I am very excited (and nervous for my own safety) as to where the story goes!

You can learn more about Shine On, and their upcoming shows, at www.shineoncollective.com