Sleep No More in NYC closed Sunday and I’m still grappling with my feelings. The show had a profound effect on my life, from introducing me to an insane amount of creatives to getting in touch with who I am as an artist. I don’t know that I’ll fully articulate my thoughts, but I can start here.
My first show was for my birthday: February 8th, 2018. My partner at the time wasn’t much of a theater person, but they put on a brave face so I didn’t have to go alone. Little did I know, being alone was the only way to properly enjoy the show. The next three hours were a haze of confusion, sensuality and running. After the show, I went straight home. With no opportunity to unpack everything that had just happened, my mind was restless and wild. I needed to see it again. I joined an online community with people just as obsessed with the show and down the rabbit hole I went.
Once my bills were paid, I kept going to the show, saw magicians and drag at the Club Car, ate brunch at Gallow Green. I wanted to live in the world. But sometimes life gets in the way and you don’t make it back as many times as you’d hoped. Then, a pandemic shuts everything down. I thought I had lost out.
In 2021, I had the chance to collaborate on a 10th anniversary project with the incredible artists behind RaRo Creations and frostmakesthings. At the time, I had a handwritten letter service called Femme Letters and marketed myself to the immersive community. Femme Letters truly was my passion project, a space of limitless creativity to play and (hopefully) be inspired by each recipient. Especially if they wrote back. As a side note, if you ever received a letter, I truly hope it brought you joy.
With a flair for the dramatic, I was hellbent on staging my desk at home to -feel- like it belonged at the McKittrick. It feels silly to say, but I wanted to capture the same intricacy and magic of the set design. That very intentional placement that you may or may not find, depending on how bold you’re willing to be.
I dropped everything and threw my whole existence into the project. I had just purchased a typewriter, I got custom thistle rubber stamps made, I was ready. I typed 200 telegrams and created dozens of letters around the likeness of each quintessential character. I stained paper, embossed envelopes, wrote haikus, drew pictures and bought rings to include in my letters. At this point, I had seen the show less than 10 times and I couldn’t believe I was being asked to interpret and immortalize these characters. For that, I’ll always be thankful. How to write letters centered around characters that barely speak? I pulled lines of Shakespeare that felt relevant. The hotel residents were trickier than the court characters. Hopefully I did them justice.
Here’s a few photos of the fabulous sets of pins, letters and wooden boxes we put together:
How could I encapsulate a little bit of the magic to send to everyone, knowing it may never come back? In my mind, it made the most sense to send a letter from the man perpetually running the front desk. I took full advantage of fragrance and did my best to replicate the very specific smells of the hotel. Here’s the telegram I sent out:
Esteemed Guest,
It’s been a while. I trust you have been keeping yourself safe. Living through the plague, it’s no small feat I’ll tell you that.
When I think about it, the world has never really been a SAFE place. Perhaps we all just slipped into a feeling of...complacency. Monotony. Getting through the routine to get back to the things we love most. The people we love most. The places we can’t live without. I certainly cannot live without this hotel. I’ve been asked to relay this message to you from my superiors, that it may bring you some comfort.
I am here and have been, finding things to keep busy with. Turning over linens, uncovering and recovering furniture, taking stock of lost and forgotten personal effects. You would not believe the dust.
You are sorely and deeply missed. Without you, well, there’s no true reason to keep the lights on.
Forever at your service,
Porter
The McKittrick Hotel
When it was deemed “safe” for reopening, I went and got lost again. But this time, I knew more people and dove deeper into the mystery. “Fortune Favors the Bold” was the proverb reiterated again and again to all guests. I just think it took me this long to realize that when forced to make bold choices, I became a more confident person.
I was at a SNM New Year’s party the night before my first date with my husband. I told him that if he really wanted to get inside my head and understand me, he’d have to see the show for himself. I mention this to say that immersive theater isn’t for everyone; not everyone gets it and that’s okay! But if you like it, you get hooked. If you’ve never experienced it, you really should.
As I reflect, I don’t find the need to share MY specific 1:1s. Those are just for me. I’m most thankful for the time I spent being inspired; surrounded by sets, costumes, actors and crew that lived and breathed that show. I don’t know if there’s ever going to be a show like it, but that’s okay. What’s important is that it existed, it brought people together and it brought a dream world to life. I know it wasn’t perfect, but I feel lucky to have enjoyed as much time there as I did.