Intermission is a genuinely unique experience. The individual nature, unusual venue and personalised experience make a visit to this immersive journey a one-off.
Riptide, the theatre company behind Intermission, specialises in immersive personal experiences. Established in 2014, their present Lost Connections suite of performances began during lockdown with Project Intimacy, where strangers were paired to exchange experiences without having personal knowledge of the other person.
Intermission lasts 80 minutes. During that time, participants encounter ten quite different sensory experiences. The experiences are one to one. Each participant is deftly passed from one area to another, sometimes travelling alone, sometimes with a guide, but never seeing two actor / therapists at the same time, always immersed in a soothing soundtrack.
The performance area is entered via a very plain door and a lift to the third floor. It was easy for me to wonder if I was in the correct place until I entered the reception (main image) and was immediately made to feel welcome, leaving the world outside behind. The chaos of Leeds City Centre Christmas shopping and office parties soon felt a million miles away.
Belongings and shoes are safely stored and returned in a basket at the end of the final eight-minute session. I mention this as I initially wished I hadn’t decided to dress in fluffy socks with bright stripes that day, in the belief that they would be hidden by my knee length boots. However, the whole experience is completely non-judgemental, and I quickly forgot about my fashion faux pas and enjoyed the comfy slippers. I do wish I’d realised there might be a task that involved reading and left my reading glasses in my pocket.
To describe the encounters in detail would be to ruin the effect for future attendees, but there is a lot of variety. Some are cerebral, others physical, but all are based around the importance of the individual and their wellbeing. There is a sense of calm, accompanied by physical pampering, but also a strong introspective strand.
I am not someone who is attracted to ‘wellbeing programmes’, tending to favour walking in nature and swimming as ways to restore mental and physical health, but I positively enjoyed some of the experiences. Others felt a little manufactured, but I could see that some people might find them beneficial. At eight minutes, you know that there will soon be something you will enjoy more if a specific experience is not your cup of tea. It is made clear that you decide your own level of participation and that you may leave or sit out an activity at any point.
Talking to my sister, who took the slot after me, and an acquaintance, who visited the week before, it was clear that experiences were highly personalised. For instance, in one room, perhaps because I am a writer, I was told a story. The others were not. At some points I was given choices, but I was also invited to complete a questionnaire before commencing my journey. I had initially assumed that the positive encouragement I received to my responses was computer generated, but I was assured that a real person oversees the process. Information is also gathered during the process and fed forward to the person who speaks to you in the final room.
The ‘set’ has transformed a drab office block into a stylish environment, where individual rooms are created by the addition of screens, drapes and unique furnishings. Theatrical intent adds to the experience, a simple back massage reached new heights owing to small theatrical devices. My body assumed different poses in each room: sitting, lounging or lying. Interestingly, the experience that everyone I spoke to enjoyed most was a movement experience: where each person stood in close proximity to another person throughout. This specific room would not have been effective if the actors had not established an atmosphere of calm and trust.
The young people who guide you through the experiences achieved a good balance of concerned care and professionalism. A chat with the young women on reception informed me that a number of the actors were still studying at Leeds Conservatoire. They were grateful to Riptide founder Alexander Palmer for giving them this opportunity. It seemed to me that they will have learned a lot from the experience about inhabiting a part and improvisation.
Participants are welcomed into the ‘nest’ at the end of their journey. Here, there is a bar with herbal tea or non-alcoholic drinks and comfy seats to relax in. There are lists that signpost participants to supportive organisations, in case the contemplative aspect has raised difficult issues.
There is an invitation to write comments on luggage tags that are then hung along the wall.
My favourite comment described Intermission as ‘a warm winter hug’.
Performances continue Wednesdays to Sundays until 23rd December https://www.theriptide.co.uk/intermission.
72 Merrion Street, Leeds LS2 8LW
£44 plus £1 booking fee.
Wednesday to Friday 5.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. until 8.30 p.m.
Photographs by Debbie Rolls.
