Briarcliff Native Brings Role-Playing Game to Local Stage
When an audience goes to Arc Stages for a production, it typically sits back and waits to be entertained.
Next week local residents will have the opportunity to take the stage and shape a story, thanks to Briarcliff native and theatrical experience game designer Warren Tusk.
Tusk, 30, is the writer and designer of more than a dozen theater-style live-action role-playing (LARP) games. He will bring his most popular game, “The Dance and the Dawn,” to the Pleasantville venue this Saturday evening, May 2.
Theatrical LARPs evolved from table-top role-playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, said Tusk, although the theatrical experience does not mirror traditional games.
“It’s sort of like an improv acting exercise except that there is somewhat more in the substance of character for you to work with,” explained Tusk. “It’s not just ‘you are this sort of person, go,’ you’ve actually received some material explaining who you are and what’s going on with you.”
“The Dance and the Dawn” is a gothic fairy tale that revolves around six broken-hearted ladies who are sent to an island with seven lords to find true love. The story, which is capped at 15 participants, is framed around a sequence of dances, where the men and women pair off and talk to each other, ultimately picking the partner that their character falls in love with.
Based on the specifications for the game that he created, Tusk will then tell the participants whether they chose the person their character was meant to fall in love with. Participants will have the opportunity to create the story of what happens to their character after making that choice.
The concept was based on a game that a friend of Tusk’s created shortly after he graduated from college. After learning that the game’s concept revolved around dancing, Tusk felt that it would be a perfect game to bring to the stage.
“I took a look at it and said this is a really good game, it needs to be live action,” he said. “It’s sort of fun moving chess pieces around a board, which is how his game worked, but this is a game about dancing and interpersonal interaction. You should make a game that has people actually dancing and actually interacting with each other. ”
Tusk, who has previously hosted games throughout the world, noted that because participants have the chance to shape their characters and drive the narrative, the experience is different each time despite the characters and goals remaining the same. He said people often get into their character and are immersed in the experience quicker and easier than they expect, and find it to be an active and unique way of enjoying a story.
“It sounds hard, it sounds intimidating, but it’s not either of those things,” said Tusk. “To anyone who looks at the story…and says, ‘That sounds like a neat story,’ I would encourage you to experience it by coming to play the game. It’s not that much harder than watching a play or reading a book.”
Although “The Dance and the Dawn” has been performed multiple times, this is the first time that Tusk will bring the experience to Westchester. As of last week, four participants were on board. Local residents can join the performance for a $25 ticket by registering at www.paracelsus-games.com.
Tusk said once people sign up, they will be given a questionnaire asking which type of character they’re most interested in playing and what type of stories they are interested in telling. He will then cast each person in the role best suited for them and send them an overview as well as a series of documents providing background on their character and outlining the rules of the game.
The event is scheduled to run from 6 to 11 p.m. Arc Stages is located at 147 Wheeler Ave.
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