The Illuminati Ball: An Immersive Excursion by Cynthia von Buhler
"Creative genius." - Forbes
“The
kind of night that taps into the artistic foundation of what New York
used to be: lavish, worth loving and completely ludicrous.” – Inside Hook
“Seducing you away from your sense of reality into a more subconscious, dreamlike state of mind, where anything is possible.” – Gothamist
"Von Buhler strikes a good balance between entertaining her guests and telling a story." - Paper Magazine
“Lavish, eccentric, mysterious, and exclusive.” – Untapped Cities
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What: The Illuminati Ball: An Immersive Excursion
by Cynthia von Buhler
Where: A
secret location one hour outside of Manhattan
6:00pm
– midnight
Tickets: $450
per person (includes dinner, cocktails, and luxury round-trip transportation)
THE ILLUMINATI BALL TAKES IMMERSIVE THEATER TO NEW
LEVEL, TRANSPORTING
THEATERGOERS TO SECRET ESTATE FOR SURREALIST SOIREE
& PLAY
Latest
interactive play from Cynthia von Buhler is inspired by
infamous 1972 Surrealist Ball hosted by the de
Rothschilds
New York, NY (March 17, 2016) – Adventurous
theatergoers will be whisked from Manhattan to a secluded lakefront estate
outside of the city for a lavish dinner, exotic cocktails, and an extraordinary
theatrical excursion inspired by the infamous Surrealist Ball hosted by the
Baron and Baroness de Rothschild in 1972.
It's all
part of The Illuminati Ball, the latest production from playwright and director Cynthia von Buhler,
creator of such acclaimed immersive theater experiences as Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic at The
Liberty Theater (2015), Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Brothers Booth at The Players Club (2014), and Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody
Beginning, which ran in a historic Lower East Side
speakeasy from 2011–2014.
Von Buhler
said the inspiration for The Illuminati
Ball was sparked by leaked photos from the de Rothschild’s legendary 1972
fete, which drew elaborately masked guests like Salvador Dali and Audrey
Hepburn to the powerful couple’s massive mansion in France. She describes the
play as “a surreal, bourgeois dinner party filled with power struggles,
morality tests, and anthropomorphic escapades.” Coining the term “immersive
excursion,” von Buhler explains it as “travel for the curious who enjoy
actively engaging in a performance, rather than passively watching it.”
In addition
to delighting in mouthwatering delicacies and libations as the story unfolds,
guests will be dazzled with a fire performance, opera, aerial silk acts, and
esoteric ritual ceremonies. On select dates, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, one of
hip-hop's most original acts, will make a guest appearance to perform a new
song he wrote for The Illuminati Ball
that combines elements of rap and opera sung by Katie Kat.
“Illuminati
and secret societies have been a recurrent subject in my lyrics throughout my
career," said Prodigy. "I find The Illuminati Ball to be a very intriguing play and I am
extremely honored that Cynthia invited me to be a part of the production.”
In keeping
with the exclusivity of the de Rothschild’s affair, the list for each
performance is limited to thirty guests (resulting in a 2:1 actor to guest
ratio), who must first complete an application and be approved prior to
purchasing tickets. Upon approval, they will be asked to choose an animal
kinship of pig, monkey, cow, chicken, or mouse, which will shape their
experience throughout the evening.
Guests are
whisked away in a luxury limousine bus and transported to the secret estate,
which is located on a secluded peninsula just one hour from Manhattan. En
route, champagne will be served while guests are briefed, masked and
rehearsed. Candidates will be returned to the city via the limousine
before midnight.
The play is
written and directed by Cynthia von
Buhler. She is also the set designer. PJ
Mead is the Associate Director. The cast are Vincent Cinque (Pig King), Travis
Moore (Chumazee), Delysia LaChatte
(Circe), Prodigy, Justin Moore
(Moloch), Kat Mon Dieu (Demeter), Luka Fric (Vacanti), Eden Atencio (Kamadhenu), Katie Kat (Parthenope), Tim Hospodar (Dr. Rubenstein/Pig
King), Koppyr Snyder (understudy)
and Persephone, a miniature
pot-bellied pig, as herself. Aerial is performed by Rachel Boyadjis and Sara
Zepezauer. Fire performance is by Lady
Blaze. Kat Mon Dieu is the costume designer.
The chef is Erin Orr and the mixologist is Bootleg Greg. The recipes for the
tasting menu served at The Illuminati
Ball can be found at Erin Orr’s food blog, Big
Sis Little Dish. Adding still more mystery to the
exquisite affair, the first course will be enjoyed blindfolded, heightening the
experience and lending nuance to this initial dish.