Take a trippy trip into a world of imagination in immersive ‘DODO’
At some point in “DODO,” I felt like I was floating. Or was it a waking dream?
The exploration of the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History throws open behind-thescenes doors and illuminates bonds among humanity, art and science.
If that sounds mysterious, eerie and even a bit spiritual, that’s because it is all that, and more.
“DODO” unfolds as a world of imagination, unique to Pittsburgh and presented within a grandscale immersive theatrical experience.
For 90 minutes, groups of six are launched on journeys that meld the everyday and the extraordinary. Participants move at first as a group and then alone, then with others along the way to — well, that depends along which path you are sent and how fully you choose to engage with “DODO.”
The massive project is the brainchild of Bricolage Productions’ Jeffrey Carpenter and Tami Dixon and collaborators Sam Turich and Gab Cody, working with District 5 Sound, Clear Story lighting and a cast of 14. It came to light through a partnership with CMOA’s Carnegie Nexus, an initiative that employs the assets of the museums by working “with other big thinkers to present insightful, risk-taking programming.”
“DODO” follows in the footsteps of “STRATA,” the nationally recognized futuristic immersive that Bricolage and friends created in a Downtown building in 2012.
For this latest original deep dive into immersive theater, they have the afterhours run of the Carnegie Museums’ Oakland buildings.
Signs showing the extinct bird of the title — a hint to subtle and not-sosubtle messages of preservation and conservation — lead the way to the check-in at the Portal Entry, beside the Museum of Art sculpture garden.
Before being sent on your way, you will be asked questions that may hold the key to your individual path.
Trust and engagement are the keys to the experience — trust that you are in the hands of people who are there to ensure you participate safely and with the best opportunity to get the most out of the experience. Engagement requires an open mind. You will do well to leave expectations and cynicism at the door.
There are just a handful of rules to abide by as you go on your way, and they are not to be ignored. Follow them, and they open doors to a one-of-a-kind theater experience.