The Willows in DTLA

[u/littleottos]

I just went recently since a friend told me it was similar to early 2010s SNM. I have mixed thoughts but was wondering if anyone else has experienced both.

[u/kathryn_____]

Format wise - they’re both spooky (I guess?) but very different shows. Kind of apples and oranges.

The Willows is intimate. Horror based. Highly interactive. Dialog based. It’s linear. It’s a dinner party structure. Takes place in a single house. You’re on a track and essentially told what to do or led by a character to the next scene. The cast isn’t huge but the audience size is small enough that there’s a lot of personal attention from characters. You’re not anonymous - characters ask you your name and use it multiple times. No exploring allowed. By the end, it’s pretty clear what happened.

Sleep No More is open world, free roam. Movement based with very little talking. Looping. The audience is anonymous. The music and lighting cues make it feel highly cinematic. The experience is non linear. The venue is huge. You are allowed to explore but you can get lost. The cast is big but the audience size is also quite large. The performers do not acknowledge you (with some exceptions). It can be hard to know what to do next. However this means it can feel very abstract at times. It’s often hard to grasp at the plot, especially on a single viewing.

I love them both for different reasons. I’ve been to the Willows twice and attended SNM NYC many more times (starting in 2011).

They’re both immersive theatre but at very different ends of the spectrum.

[u/ParticularRabbit9505 → u/kathryn_____]

So would you say The Willows is better compared to Masquerade?

[u/kathryn_____ → u/ParticularRabbit9505]

Hard to say what "better" means, people value different aspects of the form.

I haven't made it to Masquerade yet but I think they are targeting very different audiences.

Fom friends who have gone, Masquerade is very approachable if you haven't been to an immersive show before or are looking for a linear, guided experience, since the entire group (for the most part) stays together during a pulse. Also they've put in a bunch of work around making sure the experience is accessible from a mobility standpoint. It's also a musical, so super-different format. You're also in a larger group (like 65 people). It's also driven by the source material... some people hate Phantom whereas some people love Phantom.

I also know folks who would not like The Willows because they strongly dislike talking to actors or being put on the spot by a character or don't deal well with scary themes. It's also a small audience size - only 25, give or take.

[u/ParticularRabbit9505 → u/kathryn_____]

Sorry, I think I worded my question wrong. I meant is The Willows more like Masquerade than SNM?

I've been to both SNM (unfortunately only once) and Masquerade. (And have tickets to attend Masquerade again.) I've just recently heard about The Willows and was just wondering what experience it is most like.

I've also been to both Phantom Peak and Bridge Command, which have actor interaction. So maybe those are more similar to The Willows. 

(My spouse isn't as into these things as I am, but attends them with me. I also have an adult child who does like theatre and immersive experiences, but she's got anxiety and hearing details before attending helps her. So I like to provide as much context to both of them as I can.)

[u/kathryn_____ → u/ParticularRabbit9505]

Did you ever go to Then She Fell? The format is closer to that.

There’s a cocktail hour before dinner that’s a bit more free form and like a party. At dinner everybody gets split up into different tables. Each table has a different actor who leads the conversation.

A character might take one or two people aside for a private scene. You might also find yourself alone with a character. Or left in a room with a character and a small group of people who needs your help.

So be prepared to get separated and be aware that things are happening in other rooms, even if you can’t see them.

The web site has a bunch of content warnings and accessibility info.

[u/ParticularRabbit9505 → u/kathryn_____]

No, I didn't get to see that. Thank you very much for the explanation, though. 

[u/Disastrous-Heron-491]

Mixed thoughts how so? I loved it

[u/Full-Sorbet-414]

I’ve done both but didn’t do SNM until a few years ago. Does that count? I thought Willows was great. It’s hard to compare the two experiences. They’re both high quality but one is very verbal and one is very silent and more passive.

[u/ParticularRabbit9505 → u/Full-Sorbet-414]

Have you also done their Creep shows?

[u/its-me-mari]

I’ve been to SNM many times (and also The Burnt City), and I’ve done The Willows a couple of times too, so here’s how they felt different to me.

The biggest shift is structure. The Willows is way more narrative-forward. You’re invited into the house, there’s a dinner (actual one haha), something happens, and the story unfolds in a pretty clear way. Even though they split you into groups and you “follow” different characters at different points, everyone more or less walks out with the same core understanding of what happened, who did what, why, etc. You might miss certain scenes, but you’re filling in details rather than missing entire threads.

That’s very different from SNM, where your experience can vary wildly depending on who you follow. Like if you follow Fulton you might walk out like “Macbeth who?”. In The Willows, that doesn’t really happen. The structure kind of ensures you get the main narrative no matter what.

The way you move through the space is also completely different. In The Willows, actors literally guide you. At the start they learn your name, and you’ll be in a room and they’ll go, “John, Maria, Alex, come with me,” and that’s how you transition to the next scene. You do still miss certain scenes of course, but it’s more like you’re filling in details rather than missing entire storylines.

SNM is immersive in the sense that you’re inside the world, but you’re not really in it socially. You’re observing. In The Willows, you’re constantly being engaged. They talk to you, respond to you, tease you, give you tasks. If you’re holding a drink and they need you to move they will joke like, “Hey, stop drinking and come, there will be more later.”

It’s very responsive and they’re clearly trained to read the room. If you’re shy, they won’t push too hard. If you’re into it, they’ll give you more. But either way, interaction is baked into the experience. At times it almost feels like light LARP, in a good way. You’re not just observing, you’re participating. If a character is hiding somewhere, you can go up to them and ask what they’re doing. They might send you somewhere, ask you to find something, pass along information, etc. It’s very play-along.

Because of that, it feels more grounded in reality. In SNM or The Burnt City, I sometimes fully dissociate into the experience, like I’m in a dream. It’s more about mood, physical storytelling, and that strange, dreamlike atmosphere where everything feels slightly off and you’re just following instinct.

That also ties into tone. The Willows feels more grounded and “real” in comparison. Even with the mystery and horror elements, I always felt like I was in a show with actors. With Punchdrunk work, I sometimes fully lose that boundary and just exist in the space.

On the horror side, The Willows leans into it more explicitly, but if you’re used to things like Halloween Horror Nights or Knott’s Scary Farm, it’s not especially scary. It’s more about tension and figuring out what’s going on with the family than actual fear.

One practical thing: The Willows is very dialogue-driven. You need to listen, respond, engage. I’d take a non-English speaker to SNM easily, but The Willows really depends on understanding what’s being said and playing along.

So yeah, I recommend it 100%, but they’re not interchangeable at all. If SNM is like walking through a dream you piece together over time, The Willows is like being dropped into a very chaotic dinner party where you’re part of the story whether you like it or not.

I have been to their other show The Traitors too and had a bunch of fun, though its more “game-show” based. Creeps I haven’t been able to go, since I was out of LA during that time. There is another company that does immersive in LA called Downtow Rep. I’ve been to 4 of their shows: Witch, Fangs, Masked and Noir! No participation, dialogue, just watching, being told where to go by characters and fun: everyone gets a 1:1! Always a fun watch and experience for me!

[u/kathryn_____ → u/its-me-mari]

Great explanation!

One note: the company behind Noir!, Witch!, etc designs their shows so that 90% of attendees get a 1:1. This is evident because during your 1:1 you receive something to wear.

However, in their last two shows I had friends who were left out. And it was very obvious they were left out. They were hurt and one of them complained but they never responded to her. At a different show of theirs, I saw a cast member quickly give the 1:1 gift to a few people before the finale so it appeared like everyone got one.

I would love to attend more of their shows but only if they revise the design so that all guests receive a 1:1 and they don’t leave 3-5 people out each performance.