Punchdrunk superfans and gamers rejoice – the immersive theatre experts are back with a new show, and it’s a multi-player live action video game set in space. And they want Londoners to help put it through beta testing.
Called LANDER 23, theatregoers will play as a team from the Lander Division of the Centre for Astrobiology. The story starts a week after the whole crew of the LANDER 23 mission went missing while harvesting a new (and valuable) energy source on the planet Hisarlik 426.
A distress signal was the last thing heard from the LANDER 23 crew. Since then, silence. A week later, you play the crew sent in to find out what happened. Your mission: launch, search, survive.
You’ll play in a team of four wearing audio equipment, with two ‘Drivers’ – stationed aboard the ship and guiding your teammates – and two ‘Fields’, tasked with exploring the alien landscape guided by the voices of your Drivers. Communication will be key.
Felix Barrett, Punchdrunk’s artistic director, said that making a live video game is “the holy grail for me”. Punchdrunk will use technology to bring the game to life, complete with maps and lives that can be lost and regenerated. The production company wants the show to be “more engrossing” than “an evening on Fortnite or Zelda”.
Early access to LANDER 23 will be available as previews from September 17, where tickets will be priced at just £23.
Like video game beta players, these players will be able to test out the show as a work-in-progress, testing out all the technology and providing feedback on the gaming and theatrical mechanics that will influence the final version.
The production will be reusing elements from the set of Burnt City, Punchdrunk’s longest-running show, which debuted in 2022. Since then, the theatre company has been based out of its permanent home in Woolwich, One Cartridge Place, which was host to its intimate immersive experience Viola’s room in 2024.
Tickets are available to buy online in multiples of two – to play as a team of four, you’ll need to buy two sets. Single players can call the box office (0208 191 1431) to book separately.
LANDER 23 at One Cartridge Place from September 17, tickets and information here.
