Digital interactive play fuses theatre, tech and hospitality in a whodunit mystery
ON August 10, 2020, Singapore actor and comedian Hossan Leong woke up in a state of panic. The night before, he had performed at a for-the-first-time-ever virtual National Day Parade. “I thought, this is it, I am going to be unemployed for the rest of my life,” he said. “What am I doing to do with the rest of my life?”
As with all artistes in Singapore, all live work had dried up and while he tried doing his own virtual shows as well as host events, he knew it wouldn’t be sustainable. “The pie is so small and there are more and more younger people, I can’t be competing with these kids,” said the actor known for his stand-up comedy acts and live theatre performances.
He reached out to friend Derrick Chew, executive producer of Sight Lines Entertainment, a theatre company known for its work with schools. Sight Lines had produced “Murder In Mandai Camp: The Case Reopens” in December, a virtual horror-mystery escape room with live-action gameplay, which invites audiences to try their hand at solving a case about a deceased National Service man.
“I was curious to find out more,” said Leong.
The two started dreaming. “What if we combine our experience with film and theatre, with technology, to create an immersive virtual experience? How can we fuse technology into the arts?” said Leong.
Chew’s experience is in film making as well as theatre. “We wanted something that would bring theatre into the digital world and we needed something that would keep viewers engaged and involved,” said Chew, whose experience with “Murder at Mandai Camp” had taught him lots about what works in the virtual world. “For a virtual audience, it’s all about engagement. The viewer must have ownership, they have to do something otherwise they will click out.”
The result – a digital interactive play fusing theatre, technology and hospitality. “The Curious Case of The Missing Peranakan Treasure”, launched in April and a joint production between Sight Lines Entertainment and Leong’s Double Confirm Productions, is a whodunit mystery set at Raffles Hotel, Singapore.
The plot of the story goes: “The crown jewel of the “Treasures of the Straits” exhibition has gone missing and both guests and staff alike are suspects. The General Manager has been given till midnight to solve the case internally before the police is called. Set in the iconic Raffles Hotel Singapore, you, the audience, are invited to play detective and piece the clues together, as you navigate through the walls of the hotel and decide on the sequence of how the story unfolds.”
The play offers a unique virtual experience, through immersive 360-degree views and surround sound, rich interactive features and a plot full of twists and turns, with stories of the suspects told through flashback scenes set circa 1970.
You can watch and play it online at your own time (S$38 per ticket) or combine it with a daycation or staycation at the Raffles. Think crime-solving parties in-suite. If you solve the mystery, your name is entered into a lucky draw and the winner wins a stay in a Presidential Suite.
“I think it’s the first in its genre,” said Leong, clearly excited about his transition into a new, future world of theatre. He recalled his moment of epiphany. “I slept. I got up. I said, I must call the Raffles. Raffles said, let’s talk.”
They submitted their idea to the National Arts Council which was giving local artists grants to create digital experiences of their works. Armed with S$20,000 and a synopsis written by Leong, they approached writer Jean Tay to write the story. They then explained the plot to the tech team who had to build the game on the joint platforms of Sight Lines and Xctuality.
“We thought they’d have trouble translating our story into a game but they got it right away,” said Leong. “Jean turned it into a show where the theft was just by the way, but around the stories of the different characters.”
They auditioned for seven actors, and started working on the filming and production. Fortunately, on-site location filming was allowed at that time and it was done over five days at various locations at the Raffles, between 11pm and 4am. For the actors, who were hired for their live theatre skills, the biggest difference was working with a 360-degree camera versus performing for a live audience.
“We want to bring elements of theatre into the final product, that was clear from the start, and that influenced how we filmed, how we shot,” said Chew. Added Leong, who had never acted and directed using a 360-degree camera before, “Theatre actors are trained to do one thing from start to finish, that differentiates us from a film company doing a virtual show.”
Although the play is advertised as running from April to June, the two partners are already plotting the next stage. “Basically on the virtual platform, we can run it forever and keep selling tickets online,” said Leong. “Anyone anywhere can watch and play it.”
Three weeks after the launch, they’ve sold more than 1,000 tickets and are reaching out to corporates and schools. “With Covid, we see a rising trend of people looking for interactive and engaging entertainment online,” said Chew. The play currently has English subtitles, and Japanese and Chinese subtitles are being worked on currently.
The two are already planning Phase 2 to see how they can build in a team-building activity or game onto the platform.
For Leong, it’s been incredible learning. “I had to let go and trust the tech. I was very upfront, I told them, I don’t know anything about tech, I know my vision, you take it and fly with it. It gave me good experience as a director and team leader.”
For Chew, fresh from his “Murder in Mandai Camp” experience, it was one, hire a production manager from the start (he had to double up as production manager for the Mandai outing) and two, how to communicate the gameplay elements (which is a completely new genre that audiences are not familiar with) to the public in a short and simple way”.
“The sky’s the limit,” said Leong and you can literally see his head exploding with ideas. “We can take this model to other locations in Singapore, around Asia, around the world. We can create work for the community at large. This is the future, and I think even after this pandemic is over, we will figure out how to do both and live in both worlds.”
Watch trailer below.
• All images credit: Sight Lines Entertainment and Double Confirm Productions