Dr. Lyle Skains, Senior Lecturer, School of Digital Arts, Manchester Met
Dr. Joe Reddington, White Water Writers
Helen Goss, Social Media Strategist & Interactive Artist
Roy Hanney, Department of Cultural Production, School of Media Arts & Technology, Solent University
Matt Wingett, author, script editor, publisher
Our third panel for the Evolution of Story symposium is intended as a ‘live case study’ for the Arts Council Funded transmedia story experience Cursed City – Dark Tide. The panel is comprised of two of the production team, Author Matt Wingett and Producer Roy Hanny. Alongside them is Joe Reddington who was involved in the initiation of the project and has been evaluating the collaborative writing aspect of the project. With Hellen Goss, who provides the audience or player perspective of the project. Chaired by Dr. Lyle Skains the aim of the panel is to offer an insight into the challenges faced by those stepping into transmedia production as novices.
Adapted from the novel The Snow Witch by Matt Winget the story world of Cursed City – Dark Tide took three characters from the novel and then, working with a team of local writers, spun out a new and dark tale of a dead girls spirit seeking vengeance upon her tormentors. The project fused street art, immersive theatre, puzzles, treasure hunts and a live, interactive, online story experience hoisted in a Facebook group. In this group, the audience could interact with new characters created for Cursed City – Dark Tide and work towards saving the city from an angry ghost.
The Cursed City – Dark Tide Story
Carys Llangibby is convinced that something terrible is going to happen in Portsmouth. She has had premonitions in the form of dreams and has compiled a dossier of missing persons, creepy events and strange goings-on. Others have joined her group on Facebook.
When a sign magically appears on her wall everyone is alerted and the story begins. The same image appears on a piece of art which appears on the streets left by the artist Lissitch, and the team works together to decode it.
They realise that the 9th of November will see the transit of Mercury across the sun, which will herald a moment of change and disaster. They must now set about to track down the cause of this disaster. Further visions and premonitions occur, pointing to the need to placate an angry spirit, otherwise, Portsmouth will be inundated by a ghostly army amassing in the Solent sea.
The team thus works together to try to stop this event, solving clues left by Lissitch at an art exhibition and on the streets of Portsmouth, in tarot cards left in shops and in puzzles and messages on phones by text.
The team themselves run through dark scrapes and adventures until finally, they realise they must call upon Donitza to enact a ritual that will release the Onryo’s anger and allow the spirit to pass to the other side.
The story experience included a number of immersive theatre experiences along the way and concluded with a spectacular ritual performance that brought all the story strands together through dance, theatre and music. You can see a little of what happened in the highlights video below.
Join us for the panel and find out more about Cursed City – Dark Tide.