“Strata” by Bricolage (2012)

Somewhere between truth and fiction, reality and simulation, STRATA is an immersive urban adventure. Arrive at a secret destination, make contact with your Agent, and embark on a private rite of passage where the choices you make determine your destiny.

YouTube / Jeffrey Carpenter – via Iframely

Unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, STRATA challenges the boundaries of traditional theater. Through a series of captivating installations and encounters, you will travel through a meticulously designed space that will awaken your senses and rock your world.

In August 2012, Bricolage, in partnership with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, presented STRATA, an immersive, interactive theater experience.  After purchasing tickets online, audience members were met on a Downtown street corner by supposed employees from the fictional Gate Corporation. They were then guided into a secret, undisclosed location (now revealed to be the former Bally Total Fitness Club) and, for two hours, subjected to “refitnessing” in order to reach “iConciousness.” Patrons passed through three floors of specially constructed rooms where the audience member and actor would play out an evocative, personal, sometimes enigmatic scene ending with a “test.”

STRATA (an acronym for the “Strategic Training Research And Testing Agency”), was one of the largest artistic installations in Pittsburgh’s history. City Paper characterized it as “the most ambitious event in local theater history.” It was an original Bricolage production, created in collaboration with lead artist Riley Harmon and Clear Story, and an all-star creative team including Jeffrey Carpenter, Gab Cody, Tami Dixon, Rob Long, Andrew J. Paul, Nina Sarnelle, and Sam Turich. (excerpt http://www.bricolagepgh.org/events/strata-cover-american-theatre-magazine)