Preview: The Lust Experience: Anointment
Last year, my favorite immersive experience was The Tension Experience: Ascension. Since then, I’ve been eagerly anticipating their next installment: The Lust Experience. It’s been a long wait, but last week tickets finally went on sale for The Lust Experience: Anointment. This is being billed as a “Mid Season Event,” and to find out more, I was able to have a phone conversation with the creators/producers.
It turns out, they knew the fans had been waiting anxiously. The upcoming event is intended to keep people involved and engaged until the main event arrives next year. A large part of the delay has been the search for a permanent home, not only for The Lust Experience, but for future permutations. These future events have such enticing names as “Adrenaline” and “Nefarious.” The creators envision a place that will always be available for people to come experience the latest offering, year-round. Partially because The Tension Experience happened around Halloween last year, it got lumped in with the many haunted house experiences that were running simultaneously. To avoid that connotation, and to show that this type of activity is viable year-round, the Lust Experience is happening in December. It is not a seasonal performance.
So if it’s not the main event, what can you expect? I don’t know, really. The Lust Experience is very big on secrecy and mystery. This makes the actual event more interesting, of course, but makes it more of a leap of faith if you want to attend or not. If you want more information, you may want to look into the ARG (Alternate Reality Game). This story has played out online and in real life for the past nine months or so. It’s introduced characters, connected Tension to Lust, set up conflicts and plots, and arranged real-life experiences. I tried to keep up at first, but it’s so elaborate and sprawling that I couldn’t keep up with it all. Helpfully, there is a summary thread on the official forums that provides a recap of the main events that have happened so far. To read or join the forums, go to this site.
The only reason I didn’t immediately buy tickets when I saw them on sale was my concern that the ARG had gotten so elaborate that I wouldn’t understand the actual experience. The creators assured me that it was not necessary. For this reason, they chose the tag line “Come in knowing everything, or nothing…” They acknowledge that fans of the ARG and Tension experience may recognize more at Lust-names, plot points, Easter Eggs, and the like. However, they insist that coming in with a blank slate will still be a satisfying experience. I would guess their goal is akin to modern superhero movies. They can be enjoyed if you know nothing about the comic book, but if you’re an avid fan, you may enjoy the little cameos and references that other people may not get.
The event runs 90 minutes and is only scheduled for four nights in mid-December (the 14th through 17th). It promises to be heavy on foreshadowing of things to come, if you find yourself wrapped up in the plot and mystery. Based on the Tension Experience, it should also be a wholly original experience that may force you to think about all your secret desires Will you be seduced? Tickets are available here and going fast. I’ll be there–hope you can join me!
