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Containment (Directors of the Extraordinary) – theatre review

Confession time…. I hate interactive/immersive theatre and I’m not much of a zombie fan. Yet I didn’t hate Directors of the Extraordinary’s Containment. This zombie adventure game sees the Brisbane Powerhouse transformed into a paramilitary-protected private research facility. Scientists have been weaponising a contagion that zombifies humans… until there was a leak in the lab.

In fact, I absolutely enjoyed the interactive-and-then-some apocalyptic experience. You can too, as in teams of two to six people, you try to determine a cure while simultaneously evading zombies. You undertake the experience over all four floors of the Brisbane Powerhouse, including backstage areas usually closed to the public.

Hazmat suited up and fully briefed, teams begin by becoming part of the Scientific Response Team tasked with rescuing the research facility’s lead scientist, Dr Alice Winton. Then they need to help her extract the antivirus before the walking dead take over. As such, you are brought into interaction with actors committed in their portrayal of zombies and para-military personnel alike.

Authentic production, design and costume elements not only bring the ambitious physical world to life but assist in creating an engaging narrative. Incredibly detailed office, computer server and laboratory sets give participants plenty of sciencey-stuff detail to sort through in search for answers and clues as to the fate of Dr Winton, and then to develop the correct ratios for an antivirus to be successful, within the allocated time. What you do and the decisions you make in response to this scenario determine not only your experience but the team’s level of success in solving the challenge. If you have attention to detail and a decent attention span, all the better for solving the antidote puzzle and saving a world on the edge of zombie apocalypse (and also rising to the top of the leaderboard). If your maths and/or memory is not so good, then you will not only become the walking dead but descend the world into chaos, while having loads of fun along the way.

Containment is an epic, escapist adventure, full of thrills for all. Though there may be a few scary moments, there is no horror or haunting. Participants remain at the centre of the experience working to reverse the zombie infection and save the Turned. The zombies are only coming for a limited time though, so you need to get in quick this Halloween month for this unique chance to save the world. Challenge the ordinary and have a load of fun in a live, interactive, whole-of-venue game unlike any other.

Venue: Brisbane Powerhouse
Dates: October 18 – 29

Meredith Walker
For more of Meredith Walker’s theatre reviews, check out Blue Curtains Brisbane

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