The Black Mirror Experience Photo courtesy of The Shed and Univrse

The Black Mirror Experience takes its inspiration from the anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Unlike the current production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which benefits from prior knowledge of the series, the scenario does not draw on pre-existing characters or plotlines. Black Mirror episodes, as in "The Twilight Zone," on which it was modeled, feature self-contained installments known for their dark subjects and twist endings. (The diligent visitor who is unfamiliar with the series might want to watch "Playtest," the second episode of the third season, which is about virtual reality gone awry and addresses similar themes as The Black Mirror Experience.)

Set in the near future, the experience opens with a video welcome from the cheerful Cody Winters, founder of a tech start-up called Phaethon. Participants browse a showroom laid out like an Apple Store, but the main attraction is the company's newest product: LifeAgent, a digital clone that promises to help us achieve our personal, physical, and financial goals. Once we create a LifeAgent replicating our own appearance and voice, we are thrust headlong into the Phaethon world consisting of game shows, dance parties, and musical jam sessions.

The appearance of Sigmund Freud, who probes our subconscious by asking us to share a recent dream (only to miraculously reproduce a virtual version of it) is the first indication that our LifeAgent might not have our best intentions in mind. It's just a matter of time before we will have to fight to reclaim our human autonomy from our digital double.

Unlike a typical episode of Black Mirror, the Experience lacks sharp satirical bite or deep philosophical insight. Instead, it comprises a series of impressive, interactive encounters with cutting-edge multimedia. In this regard, attendees will not be disappointed.

Recently, I had a conversation with a colleague about recent efforts to merge virtual reality with drama. He lamented, "I am so sick of theatre that isn't theatre." While I understand his frustration, it seems to me that we are simply in a transitional time in which the technology and the narrative aren't yet in alignment. After all, it took years for early cinema to move past mere technological novelty and figure out how to tell a story.

As virtual reality theatre matures, productions like The Black Mirror Experience may be (or maybe not) regarded as a forerunner of a new artistic medium. Until then, traditional theatregoers, especially non-gamers, can simply immerse themselves in the novelty of this digital landscape.