The Virtual Stage presents an all-new, immersive, and spine-tingling theatrical adventure with The Zombie Syndrome: Dead In The Water – October 4 to October 31, 2016 on Granville Island. The fifth annual installment in the company’s smash-hit series will challenge audiences to travel by land and sea as they race to confront a monstrous hybrid of zombies and vampires.
“Last year, we conducted a hugely successful experiment by mixing sci-fi aliens in with the classic undead zombie," says Andy Thompson, The Virtual Stage's award-winning Artistic Director and creator of The Zombie Syndrome. "Encouraged by this, we took to Facebook and polled our audiences on what new type of monster they would like to see in 2016. The overwhelming result was zombie-vampires - and we are thrilled to rise to the challenge.”
The audience’s adventure begins with an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Special Forces operative Frank Johnson. He was hunting down former government geneticist Mattias Van Cleave, when he fell off the radar. Van Cleave, a suspected vampiric psychopath, is believed to be responsible for a string of recent murders, and the sudden appearance of zombie-vampire mutants across the Lower Mainland. The audience must determine Johnson’s whereabouts and ensure his mission to stop Van Cleave is completed at any cost.
Thompson said, “In our fifth year, we’re going to kick things up a notch by being the first theatre company in Canada to integrate Apple’s innovative new location-based iBeacon hardware in a show. This emerging technology is going to supercharge interactivity and let us do things we’ve always wanted to do – but couldn’t until now.”
The exact starting location on Granville Island will remain undisclosed until the day before the mission, when audiences will be contacted via e-mail with their top-secret rendezvous point. Once the audience has gathered, they will be assigned various ‘specialist’ roles before embarking on an exciting, high-stakes adventure to save the human race.
Participants are encouraged to wear walking shoes, dress for the weather, and be prepared to move. As the stars of the show, the audience travels from site-to-site, gathers clues from sudden allies, and faces a slew of challenges they must overcome in order to proceed to the next scene. While racing against the clock, teams will be encouraged to maintain constant vigilance - given what ghoulish and frightening characters may be lurking just out of plain sight.
The Virtual Stage Presents: The Zombie Syndrome: Dead In The Water
Date: October 4 to 31, 2016
Tues to Sun: Shows Every 30 Minutes from 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Previews: October 4 & 5
Opening Night: Thursday, October 6
Ticket prices: Regular Ticket Prices: $25 to $35
Two-for-One Tuesdays (Oct. 4, 11 & 18): $12.50
Special Halloween Shows with Prizes: $40 to $50
(All Tickets Subject to Tax & Service Charges)
Address: Secret Rendezvous on Granville Island Revealed Day Before Mission via Email
Website & Box Office: thevirtualstage.org/zombies/
