The secret has been revealed and we got to experience it in full!
Earlier in the month, we sat down with Callan to discuss Secrets, which made us eager to find out what this immersive experience involves. The anticipation of not knowing was a great feeling, adding a sense of mystery before entering the Garage.
Secrets 2026 is best summarised under the title Memoria. Memoria is the immersive story being told, as the audience are transported into the lab where they are prepared to experience SPHERE. The SPHERE project allows participants to enter memories and interact verbally/physically with objects. Two siblings have asked us to explore their mother’s (Josephine’s) memories to uncover more about her complicated life. With this introduction complete, the participants are split into groups to explore all the core memories together. During the production, the participants’ faces appeared on a spinning wheel which was a great touch! Similarly, lighting was used well to help modify the playing space to feel like a laboratory whilst sound was used effectively throughout the production too.
The environment is split into four core memories for participants to explore. Our first area involved an individual who seemed to be fleeing from her country. This performer gave a phenomenal peformance as they wove through the different parts of their suitcase. I especially enjoyed their reactions each time the lights entered the area, adding a deeper layer to their story. As we were allowed to interact, the audience picked up and looked through maps and letters: trying to understand this part of Josephine’s life. I also enjoyed how this performer did not verbally interact with the audience, really allowing her emotions and acting to be the key storytelling device: working incredibly well. It was also quite a moving, emotional memory which made us think about our lives.
Moving on, the lab technician helped to navigate us to the next area. In this area, there were no actors present to the audience. Instead headphones were provided to allow us to listen to recordings. Alongside the job applications and other paper information, we were able to piece together more around Josephine’s life after leaving Estonia. During this time, the lighting flashed red and two individuals came into the play space searching for a man. This really helped to build tension and confusion, whilst making us think about who Josephine really was.
As we finished in this section, we moved onto the next core memory. In this area, an man called Toby was sat on a bed writing a journal surrounded by ripped letters. Toby was able to talk to us and we asked many questions to find out more about Josephine. They did an great job of navigating our more ‘out there’ questions, potentially improvising certain answers to match our questions. Whilst here, we did become interested in letters between Josephine and her friend, who she seemed very close to.
The final memory we visited involved two characters at the pub. They instantly thought I was Josephine which lead to some fun role play, acting in a way to try to get some answers to her life. However, this space added more questions than answers as we were in a different part of Josephine’s story. Both actors played well against each other, allowing for lively dialogue and moments of laughter after some more heavy emotional memories. Again, two people came out looking for someone as the lighting changed to red. This continued to add layers to the overall mystery of ‘Josephine’.
As we reached the end of the show, our lab technician asked us to reflect on the information as a group. Each of us had different experiences and it was intriguing to hear how other audience members felt about the memories: allowing us to bounce ideas off each other. We were then able to write down our thoughts and leave these on the wall, sharing how the memories made us feel.
Overall, Reflex Theatre achieved a unique and immersive experience often not seen in Norwich or smaller cities. It was something that could be very thought-provoking so hopefully Secrets will return soon! Tickets for this performance were provided complimentary. Many thanks to Reflex Theatre and Callan for inviting us along.
Max
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