Thank you for experiencing The Mortality Machine
You chose the
Macabre Ending
You might be asking, “What just happened?”
We’re going to answer some common questions, and explain what happened to your character, but first, we have a question for you… what did you do during The Mortality Machine.
Please think about that question while watching our credits, and we’ll provided answers below. Also, please check out our Kickstarter backers, when you have a chance.
So, what happened?
Everyone died. Here’s how that happened..
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You might have noticed the small square stones that the Psychopomp was using. There were two piles. One was the number of people who used the machine, including the original four departed. The other was the number of people in the White Room.
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For the machine to close, the number of people in the White Room had to equal or exceed the number of people who had used the machine. Also, when the machine was open, the door to the laboratory was locked.
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After you disabled the machine, the opening would remain stable for 30 minutes, and the Psychopomp began asking “have you made your decision.”
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For whatever reason, you never purposely had the right number of people in the White Room during those 30 minutes. When time ran out, all life was extinguished in the laboratory as well as the White Room.
Did you lose? Not at all. Maybe you never figured out the mystery of the machine, and died unaware of what you could do. Maybe you figured it out but couldn’t make a decision. In any case, you were in an extraordinary situation, and you created a story about it. That story is the most important part.
You likely have more questions. To help, we’ve assembled a secret list of frequently asked questions. We also encourage you to join our Facebook group to talk with other people who’ve enjoyed the experience.
Credits
Johnny Balogh - Daan Bootsma
The Barrister - Isaac Conner
Elizabeth Friend - Julia Jurgilewicz
Omi Johnson - Liz Law
Liz is a twenty somethin’, Southern-bred nomad who discovered her love for movement many moons ago. She is an evolving performer who is constantly exploring her own (perceived) limitations. She has immense gratitude for her classical ballet beginnings and has used that training to fall in love with pole and aerial arts. She is a proud creative partner at Sydnie L. Mosley Dances where she has the pleasure of being fully womyn, fully Black, and fully human through dance. She is a humble yoga instructor at Sacred Brooklyn in Bedstuy and an Arts Organizer + Administrator through PURPOSE Productions. She couldn't be happier to be joining the cast of the Mortality Machine!
The Reporter - Rita McCann
The Psychopomp - Kelsey Rondeau
Sam Travers - Jessy Smith
Jessy is a New York City based performance artist. Her choreography has been presented by Steelstacks @ Musikfest, The Spring Street Social Society, The Box NYC, in Blue Rodeo’s music video “Dust to Gold,” and for over 10 years at the DanceNOW Festival. She is currently a member of the immersive theater company Third Rail Projects and has been featured in numerous company works including Then She Fell, Ghost Light, Behind the City and The Grand Paradise, where she also served as Rehearsal Director. Other projects include: A. Human, Boardwalk Empire, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek LIVE! and The Broadway Dance Lab. This is Smith's debut with Sinking Ship Creations. She holds a BFA in dance from NYU. jessy-smith.tumblr.com
The Partici-"Plant" - Jennifer Suter
Jennifer is originally from Texas with a BFA in Theatre Performance. In addition to several Secret Cinema and Future Cinema immersive productions, Jennifer acted in The Revelation of Bobby Pritchard at the Greenwich Theatre while in London. Here in NYC, she has performed as Dr. Portia Ellis in The War Machine (Off-Broadway) as well as various other roles at the Theater for the New City, Manhattan Repertory Theatre, Dixon Place, etc. She has also acted in numerous film projects including Paternoster Productions’ award-winning short Still Falling, Cinetax Studios’ feature The Killer in the House, Shtick Figure’s series Under InspeKtion, as well as her own series Experience Curve. For more information, please visit www.SincerelySuter.com.
The Homeless Man - Rafael Svarin
Rafael was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland and right away launched his acting career in the role of "Newborn" where he convincingly pretended to be happy to have been ripped out his comforting mother's womb only to be thrown into this nasty world with nothing but his naked body to express what his mind thinks. During the next few safe and quiet, yet mostly happy years he learned to perfect his technique and skills in order to be prepared for the ordeals of puberty and high school. He survived. Barely. After breaking his back, back in 2010, Rafael decided to move to New York to break a leg - in the hopes of ending up in a cast for a long time… He ended up in a few casts since arriving to this concrete jungle of opportunists and keeps breaking legs and the bank. All in good spirit, of course. Rafael is very exited to be part of an amazing, innovative theater show combining play pretend for adults (aka LARP) and site-specific dance to allow the audience to become the story’s protagonists. After all, that's less work for the actors, ey? To read this bio again in a different font and color with a cool picture in the background, go to www.rafaelsvarin.com - you'll also find some other cool stuff there.
Swing - Allegra Durante
Allegra is a multidisciplinary creative-type who got her start in childhood dance recitals and middle-school theatre productions in her hometown of New York City. She was seduced by the magical world of opera while in her mid-teens, when attending one made her realize how that kind of spectacle can help bring people together while combining many art forms that she loves. She has trained with numerous musical, acting, and dance programs in NYC, and performed extensively in the Tri-State Area as well as abroad in Germany and Italy. In the operatic and operetta repertoire she's been heard as Olympia (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Echo (Echo et Narcisse), Morgana (Alcina), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), Casilda (The Gondoliers), Josephine (HMS Pinafore), and Sally (Die Fledermaus), among other roles. She has previously worked with Sinking Ship Creations as a Facilitator in "Escape From Marseilles." Allegra believes the true magic of theatre is in its ability make people feel connected to each other, so immersive theatre is something she's delighted to say "yes, and," to. She's excited and grateful to be returning to her spoken-theatre roots for The Mortality Machine. www.allegradurante.com
Swing - Linsday Wolgel
Lindsay is a singer, actor, dancer and teaching artist based in NYC. But aside from that, she is a Larper and Edu-larp (that means Educational Larp) enthusiast. She truly believes this way of stepping into someone else’s shoes through role-play has the power to change lives. In fact, she’ll be traveling to Denmark for Knudepunkt, the International Nordic Larp Conference, along with Ryan this February! You may have interacted with her at Sinking Ship’s previous production, Escape from Marseille, as The Informant. Other credits have taken place at The Flea Theater, Ars Nova Uncharted, Joe’s Pub, Judson Church, and more! She’s so very grateful to be a part of The Mortality Machine.
Words - Ryan Hart
Ryan would claim to be a tinker, a tailor, a soldier, and a spy, but in truth he couldn’t hem a pair of pants. He developed his interest in storytelling as a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy, where he discovered theatre as part of the Academy’s Bluebard’s Theater Troupe. His live-action career has taken him from California to New York, producing over two dozen events in four states, as well as running events for hundreds (and one time, thousands) of people. Outside of live-action roleplay, Ryan is a pilot with over 1,500 hours over Iraq and Afghanistan, and a member of the Board of Trustees of both the Barrow Group and the Falcon Theater Program. He also has a teenage daughter who wants to be a writer one day, or so her instagram says.
Dance - Lara Marcin
Lara’s heart is easily captured by unabashed grooves. From dancing to the musical sounds of a toilet flush as an infant, Lara has been moved to take dance with her wherever she goes. Lara’s choreography experience includes tour choreography for The Chainsmokers and Zhu, fashion choreography for Zhu’s Nightday Collection, music video choreography in a variety of genres, and artistic direction for the LA-based experimental performing arts company, Sokamba. Lara complements her dance pursuits with live production, producing or working as a production assistant for shows, festivals, and concerts. When work is on pause, Lara can be found in nature or having lengthy conversations with loved ones (or strangers).
Design - Tommy Honton
Tommy was born at a young age in Kansas. He attended Washington University in Saint Louis and majored in Classics and Psychology with a minor in Film & Media Studies. After college, Tommy moved to Los Angeles where he writes, designs games and experiences, co-hosts a podcast, and trains his cats to do fun and interesting tricks. He is also the co-creator of the critically-acclaimed escape room Stash House, the interactive exhibition The Museum of Selfies, and a founding member of the League of Experiential Artists.
Production Design - Orli Nativ
Orli Nativ is a theatrical designer, artisan and mixed-media artist. Passionate about the exploration of stories and interdisciplinary approaches to art-making, her pursuit of costume as wearable story has given her an expansive, exploratory design approach leading to wider ranging projects: from puppets and found-object sculpture to opera, theatre, dance and even the creation of costumes in live flowers. Selected New York credits include: “Cut Throat” (Abingdon Theatre Company), "Cool Hand Luke" and "Deliverance" (Godlight Theatre Company), "The Chocolate Show!" (Off B'way), “The Trial of Typhoid Mary” (Live in Theater), and “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” (Piper Theatre). Orli is partner in Extra Dimensional Studios, which focuses on providing bespoke, detail-oriented design services for people, events, decor, products and spaces. Everything from 3D printing to custom millinery, concept creation to project management. IG:@orlidesign www.orlinativ.com
Scenic Design - Wildrence
For the storytellers of the world, Wildrence is the premier experiential space and consulting studio that gives both creators and audiences one of a kind, end-to-end experiences. Designing with layers of adventure, storytelling, and sensory engagement, we seek to build an inspiring world.
Yvonne Chang and Jae Lee studied Architecture at Cornell before moving to NYC. After working a few years at different architecture firms, their passion to make small scale accessible design drove them to take the leap into entrepreneurship. Since then, they have been developing various projects that showcase their abilities in transforming how one experiences interactive design. Wildrence was founded not only to create, but inspire people who are willing to step out of their comfort zone.
Team Members
Daniel Tan - Executive Producer
Jason Knox - Exceutive Producer
Sergey Kasich - Technical Director
Alex Young - Fabrication
Terry Guldimann - Fabrication Assistant
Weston Harper - Physical Computing
Bret Lehne - Carpenter
Emily Owens PR - Press Agent
Jenny Tibbels - Marketing
Sergey Kasich, Kevin Kim, Yo-Yo Lin - Technicians
Videography: Banana Chan
Documentarian: Emily Kaye, Anna White
Photography: Zach Filkoff, Liz Paulie
Credits: Ryan Duff
Visual Design: Allegra Durante, Taran Lopez
Original Music: Terra Warman