Go South-West For A House Repeated

After being dealt a wicked hand by fate earlier this year, the Battersea Arts Centre is now staging A House Repeated which allows the audience to choose their own destiny. The venue suffered considerable damage last March when a fire broke out in the roof and led to severe structural damage and the destruction of the Grand Hall and Lower Hall. Some of its shows — like Gecko’s Missing and Back in Biscuitland by Touretteshero — were moved to other venues and the restoration is still ongoing.

If you’d like to read more about what happened in March, CLICK here, here and here.

If you would like to know about the latest show A House Repeated, READ ON.

Battersea Arts Centre has a reputation for some brave programming, not least when they let Punchdrunk take over most of this Grade II* listed venue for their seminal Masque Of The Red Death. A House Repeated follows in this tradition with something that turns the concept of immersive theatre on its head. Led by two storytellers, the audience depart on a journey through a dark and mysterious building that is riddled with riddles. Somewhere in there, they will find danger, answers and possibly someone else…

If you’re already getting restless feet, READ up on our tips for the great outdoors or sport around the capital.

If you would like to know more about A House Repeated, READ on.

The audience is split into two and the storytellers — creator Seth Kriebel and colleague Zoe Bouras — each work with one half. After lyrically describing a room or a place and the directions available, our guides invite suggestions on what should happen next in a style typical of Choose Your Own Adventure. Whether the audience choose to wander around the ever-so-familiar building or look under a table or pick up an item they come across is entirely up to them and Kriebel and Bouras are happy to entertain even the silliest or most surreal of notions. Collaboration is the key to solving the puzzles.

If there’s an urge within you to do your own exploration of non-fictional rooms and artefacts, have a look at Londonist’s section on museums and galleries.

If you would like to know more about A House Repeated, READ on.

So far, so Dungeons & Dragons albeit without dice and dwarves. The real genius — and we do mean genius — comes in the final third. Having completed the quest, we come face-to-face with the other occupants of the building and together take on a surprising new role and start a very different journey. It’s a twist which could only work in a live environment and is stunning in both its simplicity and its power. Quite fitting for a tale based on storytelling, we would expect this show to sell out by word of mouth. A show which is theatre for people who hate theatre, it is also a tribute to the creative power of the mind.

If you would like to PURCHASE a ticket (£12/£9) to A House Repeated, be quick. The original run has sold out and a new show has just been added for 24 October. More information can be found on the BAC website.

If you miss out on a ticket or would prefer to see something else, CHECK OUT our latest reviews.

If you would like to listen to Seth Kriebel talk about A House Repeated, LISTEN to our latest podcast.

Londonist attended on a complimentary ticket.