Secret Cinema: Tell No One

September 30, 2012
By: Phoebe Person

Euston station, rush hour. Commuters weave in and out of one another, brief cases and Oyster cards at the ready. The gathering group of recruits in boiler suits go relatively unnoticed. That is until an intimidatingly mohawked official begins to bark orders, as the recruits are herded into lines and marched from the square, towards the BNV headquarters.

 

Launched in 2007, with their production of Paranoid Park, Secret Cinema have built up a vast repertoire of performances, including Bugsy Malone, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Ridley Scott’s Alien, as well as its 2012 pseudo-prequel, Prometheus. This summer’s production of Prometheus consisted of several hours exploring the set, some staged scenes from the film, all culminating in a screening of the film. With their team of dedicated volunteers, actors, technicians, and producers, Secret Cinema never fails to recreate these classics in an incomparably immersive way.

So immersive is the experience that, surrounded by actors and having been assigned a character, the audience directly interact with the world that has been so painstakingly recreated, often including some genuine props from the original film. There is dedication in every last detail. In their recent production of Prometheus (which ran in tandem with the film’s release) the crew transformed the disused UCL hospital behind Euston station into the BNV headquarters and the interior of Weyland Corp’s USCSS Prometheus, complete with Hypersleep chambers and hydration points (bars).

 

The entire experience was about six hours long and entirely worth it. For this production the audience were not told the name of the film prior to actually sitting down to watch it at the end of the experience, which meant that we were able to enjoy the experience regardless of what we thought of the film. In my opinion this is the best way to experience a film, especially for enthusiasts. Having been underwhelmed by the film itself, Secret Cinema’s reimagining of Prometheus focused on the genuine potential of the story and allowed the audience to really explore the full potential of the story. I could not recommend this more, film enthusiast or not, especially if you’re looking for something a little different to the usual cinema experience.

 

Tickets are now available for their next adventure at http://www.secretcinema.org/tickets.html

Go. Enjoy. Tell no one. x