RITUAL
Site: COLAB Tower / Village Works Bookstore
Location: London, United Kingdom / Seattle, United States
Year: 2021 / 2026
A whisper from Apollo.
Symbols in TV fuzz and cereal dregs.
Blood sacrifice. Ramen noodles.
In the forgotten depths of the Mycenaen palace, Orestes lies in wait. The gods have gone quiet and he can’t figure out why. But he is desperate, and determined, to make them speak again.
An 8-hour durational theatre experience running in London in 2026 and New York in 2021, based on The Oresteia. Visitors wandered off the street into Orestes’ hideout, exploring a fully-designed space replete with family mementoes and ancient artifacts, watching as Orestes undertook Greek religious rituals in an attempt to make the silent gods speak to him once more.
“I had planned to catch the first couple of hours of Ritual and then head off. But the longer Ritual went on, the more determined I was to see it through. [...] If you’ve been waiting for bold, genuinely different immersive theatre in London, Ritual is a very good sign.”
—Immersive Rumours
“Spellbinding … all-around spectacular.”
—No Proscenium
London Cast & Crew
Written by Michael Bontatibus
Directed by Charlotte Murray
Stage Manager: Elena Veris Reynolds
Lighting Design: Elizabeth M. Stewart
Sound Design & Original Compositions: Trey McGee
Choreography: Lily Ockwell
Video Editing: Nate Lessler
Set & Props: Michael Bontatibus
Set Design Artist: Emily Barker
Producer: Aled Rosser
Cast: Charlie MacRae-Tod, Lily Ockwell, Anja Cilia, Zoë McWhinney, Jack Aldisert, Garrett Pennery, Georgie Last, Daniel Harray, Virginia Logan, Alexandra Scott, and Michael Stafford Wells
New York Cast & Crew
Written by Michael Bontatibus
Directed by Charlotte Murray
Stage Manager: Cati Pishal
Lighting Design: Elizabeth M. Stewart
Sound Design & Original Compositions: Trey McGee
Choreography: Rebecca Margolick
Video Editing: Nate Lessler
Set & Props: Michael Bontatibus
Production Assistant: Aoife Hough
Cast: Arjun Pande, Rebecca Margolick, Kylie Rae Brown, Sierra Casteel, Joshua Josey, Krushika Patankar, Ben Langhorst, Louis Butelli, Daniel Harray, and Virginia Logan
Photos by Callum O’Keefe / Arin Sang-urai