Portal: A performance adventure in Boone happening Oct. 13 - Nov. 6
BOONE — Come together for an immersive performance experience unfolding along downtown Boone’s streets, parks, and other locales.
Tickets are available online beginning Sept. 23 at portalexperience.live, with limited ticket availability at the door.
Equal parts sci-fi, adventure, and mystery — Portal is an immersive performance experience designed to engage, surprise, and thrill audiences, leading them to a stunning discovery made in the heart of Boone. The show premieres Oct. 13 and runs through Nov. 6, taking place in the evenings on Friday and Saturday. An introductory presentation, free to the public, will precede the opening night on Thursday each week.
“The show invites people into an adventure where they are given the opportunity to seek out a lost artifact of antiquity hidden in the high country for decades. Along the way, they find that there is much more to this mystery than initially meets the eye. A remarkable discovery awaits those who fully complete the journey, one which we hope will challenge participants to reconsider what we collectively assume to be true about life on earth,” said producer Stephen Shelley.
In a surprising adventure full of wonder, participants embark upon a journey encountering performers, clues, mysterious objects, hidden maps, and other secrets in an attempt to unravel an ancient mystery — or, so it seems. This fully immersive performance takes viewers out of the theater and into a new version of reality where previous belief systems are suspended. Portal encourages participants to question the status quo and more deeply consider their choices and assumptions in life through a riveting, joyful, and adventurous experience.
About the Producers
Stephen Shelley grew up in Ashe County and got his start as an actor with the Ashe County Little Theater performing multiple roles in the early 90s. After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1994, he moved to NYC where he worked as a tour manager and longtime personal assistant for iconic choreographer Merce Cunningham. Throughout his decades-long career, Stephen has performed off-Broadway and produced and directed multiple shows and events. He is the founding producer of The BEAT Festival (BEATBrooklyn.com), for which he was named one of The 100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture.
Bryony Perkins trained as a contemporary dancer at The Place in London, toured internationally and choreographed for several dance and theater companies based in the UK. She danced for Punchdrunk, the world’s leading pioneer in immersive theater, and studied acting with clown-specialist Philippe Gaulier in Paris. As a singer-songwriter, she fronted folk/soul/rock band Sparky In The Clouds and produced a solo album. She is particularly interested in blurring the boundaries between art forms; improvisation; creating work that breaks down any false separation or unconscious hierarchy between audience and performer, and inviting the audience to participate more than they do in the classical theater setting.