The Heist: A Theatrical Escape Room
Illinois Theatre
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Studio Theatre
April 8-18, 2021
Concept Development & Game Designer Amber Dewey Schultz
Lighting Designer Quinn Schuster
Scenic Designer Kat Blakeslee
Costume Designer Kelsea Andrade
Properties Master Sammy Boyarsky
In response to the devastating effects of COVID-19 on the entertainment industry, Krannert Center and the Department of Theatre at the University of Illinois chose to remain open and to continue to create art despite all of our new challenges. The safety measures at our university and within our state rendered traditional performances impossible. Thus was born the impetus for this production. The Heist was a theatrical escape room which combined student actors with our audience of players to create a fun and immersive bank heist story. For the sake of safety, the show was designed around open air spaces, zero personal contact, and single touch properties/game pieces.
The Device
The primary objective of our story was to steal an object refered to as “the device.” The use of “the device” was to break the hold of ISP’s on the internet by providing a globe spanning and freely accessible wifi signal. Activating this device would achieve net neutrality, and allow a greater degree of equality amongst all people by creating equal access to the internet.
The lighting and properties departments collaborated to create “the device.” properties designed the outer shell of it and had it 3D printed at our on campus maker lab. I then electrified “the device” with RGB LED tape and connected it via RC4 wireless dimmers to our lighting network. We then equipped our lighting designer with a RFU tablet, allowing them to wirelessly change colors as they walked through the space in technical rehearsals.
More photos of The Heist
Photos by: Darrell Hoemann & Conner Jones