DCPA Off-Center attraction falls short of being particularly scary or impactful

Darkfield is the latest offering from Denver Center Off-Center — the arm of the theatre that looks to create unique experiences outside the confines of the regular DCPA theatre venues. This Australian import from Realscape Productions has been around the world, and Denver is its U.S. premiere.

The action takes place inside three shipping containers now set up on Larimer Street in a dusty RiNo parking lot, and the theme, as the title suggests, is darkness.

There’s a bit of a choose-your-adventure here: The three different experiences inside the containers are titled “Coma,” “Flight” and “Séance.” You can pick one or two or bundle all three, and I took the opportunity to try them all on what turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year last week. Who wouldn’t want to crawl into a shipping container on a day like that?

Yes, they’re air conditioned, but the first one we tried, “Coma,” was still hot as hell. For this one, you lie down on a cot in a sort of bunkroom with three levels. All of the experiences rely heavily on audio and haptics, so the first order of business is to put on a pair of headphones and wait for darkness. From there, stereo effects will make it seem like someone is whispering in your ear, walking past you or otherwise occupying the same space as you — despite the fact that there’s no one there physically.

In “Coma,” the experience is designed to make you feel like you’re in a weird dream or nightmare. While it had a few curious bits, it seemed less structured thematically than the other two and left me underwhelmed. True, I was pretty focused on how hot it was and eager to get out, but a more intriguing experience would have tempered that.

(Apparently I wasn’t the only one who noticed the heat. On July 14, Off-Center Executive Director Charlie Miller sent an email out to patrons saying: We strive to make every production at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts extraordinary. We don’t take that lightly. We are working with the producers, Realscape Productions, to improve the air conditioning and the overall experience to ensure our patrons’ safety and comfort.)

‘Flight’

An aircraft cabin is a natural fit for a long, narrow space, and “Flight” had some pretty interesting elements and a more concrete story. Comically different from a regular airline that works to make you feel safe and secure, this one is like an old Aeroflot flight with glitchy electronics, an absent-minded pilot and a psycho flight attendant whose uniform color keeps changing.

There’s a lot of bumping around and one interesting visual effect as the plane careens through a storm. But honestly, strapping into an airplane seat for any reason other than actually going somewhere felt weird, to say the least.

The ‘Seance’ setup in ‘Darkfield’

Séance

Another natural for a dark space, “Séance” is configured as a long table with the audience members aligned on either side. Along with enhance audio effects from the headphones, this one also makes use of some of the original hallmarks of a séance: bumping, rapping and a table that just won’t stay still. I was disappointed that there wasn’t a visual element, since it seemed like a spectral light appearing out of the ceiling or something would’ve kicked into high gear. As such, it was only mildly entertaining, somewhat creepy.

If you’re worried about being scared or claustrophobic, it seems unlikely these experiences will cause too much consternation. They’re short, for one thing, with only about 20 or so minutes from start to finish. And while they’re billed as being held in complete and utter darkness, “Coma” and “Séance” had some light peeking, somewhat compromising the effect. (“Flight” has some deliberate visuals.)

Darkfield isn’t theatre, although there are some performative aspects from the voices coming through the ’phones. It’s more akin to an attraction you might find at Universal Studios or Disney Land — but a low-budget version. The special effects, such as they were, are unlikely to impress anyone who’s been to any of these more well-known attractions. One could argue that it’s unfair to compare those more high-dollar installation to this traveling version, but that’s the standard many of us are used to.

If you’re going to check it out, I’d suggest doing “Flight” and maybe “Séance,” but give “Coma” a miss. Don’t expect to be blown away, but as a curious diversion on your way in or out of one of the many bars and restaurants nearby, it’s worth a shot.

One of the humble shipping containers of ‘Darkfield’ that has a lot more happening on the inside. | Photo: Alex Miller