Stanislaus State’s theater department is back and ready to bring something new that has never been done before: Adventure Theater.
Adventure theater is a new form of theater created by director Martin Noyes which combines dungeons and dragons with improv, allowing the audience to have an interactive experience with the characters on stage.
The minute you walk in, you are allowed to choose whether you would like to watch or participate in the experience. Those who chose to participate will be seated front and center to make it easier for cast members to distinguish who would like to be called on. Those who choose to be spectators will be seated further away, but still have a great view nonetheless. The audience will be able to sit right on stage creating a black box theater experience.
Noyes has gone to several schools across the country in hopes to make this a regular stage production that more people will become drawn to.
“I want to make this worldwide. I want this to be a new style of theater, such like you can go see a musical, you can go see a play, you go see adventure theater,” explained Noyes.
Noyes is very encouraging of the cast he’s been working with here at Stanislaus State. He has seen their potential and sees them grow with each rehearsal they have.
“This cast is learning a lot about themselves. They’re learning confidence, they’re learning their voice, they’re learning their presence, they’re learning how to be on stage and that’s a great thing because this show is a vehicle for that,” said Noyes.
For some cast members, this is their first time doing something as unique and interactive as this. Cast member Elena Marisol Gonzalez, who plays Avaca in the production, explained how different the experience is for her.
“I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m a theater major. I’ve been doing theater for a really long time. I’ve written, I’ve directed, I’ve acted, but this is something really brand new. I have a lot of experience playing D&D [dungeons and dragons] and I have a lot of experience doing theater, but putting it together I’ve never done,” she explained.
Because of the show’s unique way of storytelling, actors must be able to think on their feet and quickly improvise scenes, as well as have a thorough understanding of their characters and stats. Doyle Smith, who plays Lynx in the production, shared his point of view when being on stage.
“We each have an understanding of our character and their motivations, but other than that, we have to improvise completely from there. We just use whatever our character’s motivations are to help form our decisions, but we’re just along for the ride as you guys are,” Smith said.
The opening day for this production is February 24. It will be a four-day experience going from Feb. 24 to the 27. Every day of the show will be a new chapter to the story which continues from the night before, making each night a completely new experience. 
If you can only make it to one show or plan on taking COVID-19 social distancing precautions, the show will also be available to live stream. Tickets and the live stream can be purchased online at https://www.showtix4u.com/events/StanState. The box office will not be open. Tickets can only be purchased online. 
For further details on Martin Noyes and his journey in making these productions happen you can visit his website https://www.adventuretheaternat20.com/

Gallery • 2 Photos

A battle scene rehearsal between one of the antagonists and main characters in the show. (Photo courtesy of Kai Ruppel)