asses.masses

About this event

An inspiring day of videogaming and uprising.

asses.masses is a custom videogame designed to be played from beginning to end by a live audience, one person at a time. It’s a 7+ hour epic story of a herd of unemployed donkeys trying to get their jobs back, all while navigating the perils of a post-Industrial society in which they’ve been made redundant.

Cheeky, political, and best described as Animal Farm meets Pokémon meets Final Fantasy, asses.masses puts the control(ler) in its audience’s hands and asks them to discover the space between the work that defines us and the play that frees us.

No previous gaming (or donkey) experience required.

“Could shows like this be the future of theatre? Fingers crossed.”

- Broadway World

“This was hands down one of the best live experiences I’ve ever had in a theatre, and it’s a group of people playing a video game. assess.masses is extremely clever and very entertaining, and you don’t have to have any gaming experience. Milton Lim and Patrick Blenkarn are geniuses.”

- Matthew Austin, Co-Artistic Director, MAYK

Event Information

Start time: 1pm

Running time: Approx. 7 hours 30 minutes including 4 intervals.

The length of the show is variable, depending on how long it takes the audience to finish the game. Food will be provided throughout the experience and served at each interval. Drinks will be available for purchase.

Tickets: 

• £15 early bird ticket offer (available until 31st December)
• Full price £20 / concessions £15

Tickets include snacks, an evening meal, dessert, and tea/coffee/water – available during intervals. Menu details to be announced soon. Vegan and gluten-free options will be available.

Language: All text in asses.masses is visually displayed on the screen. The show will be presented in English.

Content advisory: asses.masses includes flashing lights, audience participation, violence, crude language, and other sensitive and potentially distressing themes and content. Please see Broadway's website for full content warnings for this event.

Age recommendation: This is not a performance that is suitable for young audiences. We recommend this event for audience members ages 15+. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.

This event will be a relaxed performance. We invite you to make yourself comfortable and move around if you need to. If you need to leave the Screen at any point, you may return to the space when you feel ready.

Participation and active spectatorship are a central part of asses.masses. We invite you to be part of our Herd in any way you can.

Credits

Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim are conceptual artists exploring urgent questions around the social value of art, digital labour, and the political potential of games. Mixing their backgrounds in performance, philosophy, psychology, and digital media, their collaborations have manifested in video games, participatory installations, digital archives, and card games.

Created with support from Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, The Theatre Centre, VIVO Media Arts, Embassy of Canada to Argentina and Paraguay.

Developed with the funding support from Creative BC, the British Columbia Arts Council, and Canada Council for the Arts.

Produced in association with the National Arts Centre of Canada’s National Creation Fund.

This event is presented by Broadway's Near Now, supported using public funding by Arts Council England.