Life And Trust NYC From Emursive Is Coming, And I’m Ready

Life And Trust NYC is the new immersive theater show from Emursive, the theatrical production company currently operating the acclaimed and long-running Sleep No More (originally created and designed by Punchdrunk).

Tickets for Life And Trust went on sale this morning at Conwell Coffee Hall, the fictional (albeit fully operational) front business for the new show. And despite my sometimes lazy and passive disposition, I hauled my ass into the Financial District and picked up one for myself.

I’m thrilled I made the effort.

(Note: I will use Life And Trust and Life And Trust NYC interchangeably for SEO purposes.)

Sleep No More means a great deal to me, and with its imminent closing inching ever nearer, the thought of it going away forever leaves a pit in my stomach. I’ve only seen Sleep No More 10 times, and two more are scheduled. My passion was renewed when the approaching closure was first announced, though the exact date is unknown to the public at the time of this writing.

It’s my renewed interest in Sleep No More that led me to offhandedly discovering knowledge of Life And Trust a couple of months ago while reading the Sleep No More subreddit.

I was immediately excited for the new immersive theater show, even though not much is known at all about Life And Trust NYC.

The official Conwell Coffee Hall website features a “History” section relating the story of the fictional J.G. Conwell. During his life, Conwell the man was a celebrated philanthropist and art enthusiast, and he made his fortune developing Conwell’s Cough Syrup before founding the Life and Trust Bank.

A fun mention is made in the Conwell Coffee Hall history writeup to an “endless loop,” which is a common storytelling device found in immersive theater shows. Since audience members freely roam expansive sets while scenes actively play out and shift all around, these “loops” ensure that the main plot of the show replays itself multiple times in a single evening.

Since Punchdrunk is the gold standard for immersive theater, the production company not only loops the plots of their shows—but the loops are a part of the plots themselves. I believe it is all too likely that Life And Trust will do the same, as Emursive surely learned how to construct an immersive theater show all its own from its time working with the Punchdrunk masters and operating the one-of-a-kind Sleep No More and its New York City residence, the McKittrick Hotel.

As for Conwell Coffee Hall, it’s a place of great character. It’s a cavernous display of art deco sophistication, kind of like something found in Rapture before the fall. (I’d never forgive myself if I skipped a chance at making a BioShock reference.)

While I don’t care much for theater in general (it puts me to sleep), I’m a great enthusiast of the arts in general. Literature, film, illustration, and video games are at the top of my list.

But there’s something special about these immersive shows; I’ve read about them extensively over the years. They feed my imagination in a way few things have. I’ve even meant to write my own “diary” of sorts about my Sleep No More experiences. Maybe I’ll do just that now with the show’s impending closure. At the risk of sounding redundant, I cannot emphasize how much the show has touched me deeply over the years. The amount of joy it brings me and so many others is vast and unknown.

That’s why I hauled my aforementioned ass into the Financial District to buy a ticket in person. It’s really not that far at all, and I am privileged to live close enough to be apart of this experience at its beginning.

Sleep No More proved to me why art is so important. It can sweep you up and move you like few things can, and it will forever affect your creativity and imagination if you let it.

I hope the same will one day be said about Life And Trust NYC.

I’ll admit that I’m happily optimistic.