Then She Fell
An immersive theater experience that involves a hospital ward, the writings of Lewis Carroll, and just 15 audience members per show out in Brooklyn. Ages 21 and over only.
... Read more'Then She Fell' is a fully immersive, multi-sensory experience in which a small audience explores a dreamscape where every alcove, corner, and corridor has been transformed into a lushly designed world. Inspired by the life and writings of Lewis Carroll, it offers an Alice-like experience for the audience. Audience members can explore the rooms, often by themselves, in order to discover hidden scenes, encounter performers one-on-one, unearth clues that illuminate a shrouded history, use skeleton keys to gain access to guarded secrets, and imbibe elixirs custom designed by one of NYC’s foremost mixologists.
- Official Site
- View Trailer
- 2 hours
- Open run
- The Kingsland Ward at St. Johns (Brooklyn)
Cast & Creatives (7)
Play a fun game
Get alerts about your favorite artists and theater companies
Reviews (169)
14 Critics' Reviews
"For much of the hazy two hours I spent wandering through rooms there, I felt like a bewildered but enchanted child, made privy to the arcana of another, darker world...What you will experience is the feeling that children sometimes have of being swept up into busy, self-important social rituals that make no sense. And of spying on adult activities that don’t make much sense either and are equally creepy and thrilling." Full Review
"You’ll discover what it feels like to disappear down a rabbit hole at the fiendishly clever immersive theater piece inspired by the life and writings of Lewis Carroll. The performers inhabit their roles with an almost uncomfortable intensity, giving you the sense that you’ve only just happened to wander into their spooky playground." Full Review
"Over the course of the two-hour running time of this elusive, dark and delightful show, each individual theatergoer feels put in charge of unlocking the mysteries not just of what’s in front of us, but also of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson – pen name, Lewis Carroll…For all the atmosphere of mystery, the show offers light bulb moments of great satisfaction. " Full Review
"The experiences that director-designer-mastermind Zach Morris and his company offer are stunningly personal, like when you peep in on the Red Queen having a private breakdown, she catches you watching through the two-way mirror. And then, just as you’ve become curiouser and curiouser, it all ends too soon." Full Review
"Visitors to 'Then She Fell,' a theater-less theater event, wear any number of hats during the two-hour tour, chief among them 'voyeur.' It’s here you walk (and climb, and eat) through a three-story manifestation of the melancholy fascination Lewis Carroll had with Alice Liddell, his muse for 'Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.'" Full Review
"Anyone whose younger self ever fantasized about tumbling down the rabbithole into Lewis Carroll's Wonderland will want to hop the L to Williamsburg, where an enthralling theatrical spell is being woven. Like the Wonderland discovered by Alice, the world created by Third Rail Projects is as unsettling as it is enchanting." Full Review
"Then She Fell is one of the city's growing number of site-specific, immersive theatre experiences. It provides all the elusiveness and illusiveness you'd expect from the world of smoking caterpillars and rogue playing cards, but in a surprisingly cohesive package. It does what the best retellings set out to do: it offers a new framework through which to contemplate a familiar story." Full Review
"Came across more like a dreamlike experience than something comprehensible...Certainly an experience worth having, but...not inexpensive. I think the alcohol and fruit offerings could be upsized. I also would have liked to have had more physical contact and interaction...That way, the staff could make the 'patients' feel less like observers and more like someone actively participating in the fantasy...One of those once in a lifetime experiences you will not want to miss!" Full Review
"Locked in the building’s seemingly endless rooms, floors, corners, and crevices is an evening that is as total and topsy-turvy as it is satisfying and magical. The lusciously and meticulously designed world, full of strange knickknacks and worn furniture, teases every nerve at the imagination’s disposal." Full Review
"A lush, if fragmented story arrives by way of exacting, exuberant choreography. A labyrinthine journey through shadowy corridors and meticulously decorated rooms, it exposes the sinister undertones of these childhood tales, while grappling with the more adult complexities of Carroll’s attraction to his prepubescent muse, Alice Liddell." Full Review
"Not infrequently you will find yourself in a room alone, exploring nooks and crannies, gazing into mirrors and windows, and finding your own thoughts and feelings creep into the mix. The next moment, you’re dealing one on one with a character from this disorienting world on the cusp of reality and dreams. It’s startlingly personal without ever feeling invasive...This is Alice in the land of Freud." Full Review
"With only fifteen audience members per performance, the immersive theatrical experience Then She Fell sends its participants spiraling down the rabbit hole and stepping through the looking glass to a magical world that plays on the borders between fantasy and reality, madness and sanity, youth and adulthood." Full Review
"Then She Fell is all about intimacy. Capped at just 15 audience members per show, Then She Fell ensures that attendees moving through the space are either completely alone, or with cast members through much of the two-hour show. If you can, take my word for it: The current ticket price of $95 may seem steep, but the two-hour show is absolutely extraordinary." Full Review
"Third Rail Projects recently moved its wildly imaginative multimedia theatre-dance piece from a single-level hospital to a creaky three-story school building, now dressed to be a mental ward in Wonderland. Lucky theatregoers get to join the tea party, where chocolate is served and spoons fly." Full Review
155 Members' Reviews
See it if You enjoy or are willing to try immersive theatre, want to be up close and can extend trust for the evening to a group of committed actors
Don't see it if You want to sit and have a story told to you; dislike audience participation; you are unwilling to let go and trust the experience
See it if you want a really cool immersive experience
Don't see it if you can't stay on your feet/walk during the show, or you have issues with stairs.
See it if you're at all intrigued by immersive theater.
Don't see it if the idea of immersive theater sounds unpleasant to you.
See it if you are like/are interested in immersive theater or just want to try something new. You are an Alice in Wonderland fan.
Don't see it if you are not comfortable relaxing your boundaries. You need a clear story line, rather than interpreting one from an experience.
See it if You want to play the role of voyeur for 2 hrs being guided through elaborate rooms in an asylum. Lewis Carroll & Alice Liddell's wonderland.
Don't see it if You are easily spooked, claustrophobic, fear of the dark, are a germaphobe, dislike intimacy, or are expecting traditional book characters.
See it if you are a mature adult.
Don't see it if you are looking for a family friendly movie
See it if You like immersion theater
Don't see it if You like to sit and watch and not interact with the actors and move from room to room
See it if you just adore immersive theater and can't get enough of it
Don't see it if traipsing around following people who are trying to create a weird experience creeps you out.
See it if you enjoy experimental theater and are willing to trust the actors to guide you through a memorable, truly immersive experience
Don't see it if feel uncomfortable with prolonged eye contact with the performers, and if you expect a linear story line with traditional dialogue and plot
See it if you enjoy immersive theatre, or like Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and want to know more about both the author and the real-life Alice
Don't see it if the hugely expensive and expansive Sleep No More-style production type of immersive theatre is the only thing that holds your interest.
See it if you love Sleep No More, but want an immersive show where you're guaranteed one-on-ones (you'll get many), easily navigable rooms, and a plot
Don't see it if you're uncomfortable sharing a bed with a stranger. There's not much negative things to say, this is truly an exquisite night of theater
See it if you enjoy intimate and immersive theatre and heavy participation, are interested in new forms of theatre, enjoy shots of alcohol beverages
Don't see it if you don't like direct interaction with actors. If you're shy you might feel awkward and out of your comfort zone.
See it if you love immersive theatre, Lewis Carroll, and/or Alice.
Don't see it if immersive theatre freaks you out.
See it if You like your immersive theatre curated for you; you enjoy story told through dance and movement; you enjoy being part of your show
Don't see it if You need to see everything in one go; you want to be shown rather than brought into your theater experience; you need dialogue or linearity
See it if you like the unexpected and to draw your own meaning from what you experience. An interactive, often lone, voyeuristic journey.
Don't see it if you like to know what to expect and control what you see.
See it if you're willing to go down the rabbit hole with committed actors (as committed patients/characters) in a clever, intimate, interactive play.
Don't see it if you're unwilling/unable to shed your insecurities & inhibitions to enjoy the immersive experience. (There's really nothing to worry about.)
See it if You would like to enter Wonderland and meet Alice. This is an immersive experience.
Don't see it if You are expecting to be seated in a theater. This involves interacting and engaging with actors.
See it if Insane asylum where you get to meet & have creepy interactions with red queen, white queen, white rabbit, hatter, 2 Alice's & Lewis Carroll
Don't see it if Key diff from other immersive: 1)You are directed from room to room- no free will like SNM = less FOMO 2)More intimate-only 15 "patients"
See it if you're interested in a unique experience, one that engages you and requires you to be a true participant.
Don't see it if you expect clear, linear plots or aren't willing to give yourself over to the experience.
See it if you are open to experimental and immersive theatre design
Don't see it if you are expecting a linear plot or if you need to be in control of your own path.
See it if you want to be amazed and delighted. Alice in Wonderland inside out and upside down staged in group and individual scenes so it is personal.
Don't see it if you lack imagination or the willingness to suspend disbelief.
See it if you like Alice in Wonderland, interactive theater, mysteries, adventure, trying something new!
Don't see it if you don't like being close to interesting strangers, drinking unidentified drinks ("Drink Me") or having tea with Mad Hatters.
See it if you like immersive theater, Lewis Carroll, Alice in wonderland, or need a hipster date night idea
Don't see it if you don't like standing/walking on your feet for a few hours, dislike immersive theater, or dislike Brooklyn
See it if you want a beautiful, intimate immersive experience.
Don't see it if immersive theatre makes you uncomfortable.
See it if You like something that makes you feel as if in a dream
Don't see it if You can't walk or stand for 2 hours, or can't stay focused on what's happening all around you