Critically Acclaimed!

Hello Symurgists and potential Symurgists!

It’s been a while since I posted and largely it’s because we actually went on holiday. It’s the first break we’ve had in a good while and was very needed. Ivan is still away, actually, recharging the batteries before returning to work!

Before holiday, we ran another two successful events, including our first Locksmith’s Dream Ball. It was a great first outing of the ball plot and a new character. Everyone got involved and had fun, but, as with the beta event, we learned lots in the process and I’m already developing new ideas to make it even better for when we run it again.

One of the very exciting things about the last two events was that we were graced with the presence of reviewers — three of them! I’m sure you all know, but we’ve found it very hard to say exactly what The Locksmith’s Dream is. we settled on the term ‘genre-defying’ and it seems that many of these reviewers agreed!

Anna James, writing in The Stage (be still my heart!) said this is accurate, describing it as “…part immersive theatre, part escape room, part live-action roleplay and part something all its own.” Whilst coming at the event from a point of no prior knowledge of the lore, she was able to be involved and have a great time, thanks in part to the amazing team; “…crucially, the cast really wants you to have a good time, so we quickly felt empowered to run on pure vibes and crack on with gusto.” You can read the rest of Anna’s review here.

Additionally, we had two escape room reviewers come along for the experience, and while we know we aren’t an escape room as such, there’s enough crossover to hold interest as well as offering a depth of narrative and acting talent, not often found in the shorter experiences. Jamie, The Armchair Escapist, described his time with us as “a full 24 hours of exploration, discovery, puzzle solving, role playing, mystery and intrigue, in what was the most immersive experience I’ve ever been a part of.” He also struggled with identifying its niche, opting for, “… something along the lines of ‘an immersive narrative puzzle adventure’, where both ‘narrative’ and ‘puzzle’ can be emphasised depending on your particular play style.” And while acknowledging that the cost makes it not your run-of-the-mill escape room he notes, “It’s a luxury affair for sure, and it very much felt like that every step of the way. From the rooms themselves to the quality of the materials we were given, to the actors who also served as house servants and caterers, the attention to detail was on point.” You can read the rest of Jamie’s review here.

The final reviewer at the recent set of events was Karen, writing for The Escape Roomer. She starts her review delightfully stating, “Everything about The Locksmith’s Dream is otherworldly.” Going on to say, “It’s impossible to define, but playfully and deliberately so. Choosing to exist between genres, there is an angle here for almost anyone who enjoys puzzles, immersion, direct performer interaction, mysteries, narrative complexity and exploration.” She further captured the sense of the heart of The Locksmith’s Dream — the team who invest so much into the work. “While Treowen is a stunning, magical location and the narrative world-building complex and rich, it is the actors who make it all so very, seductively, real.” Read the rest of Karen’s review here.

Along with last year’s reviews from No Proscenium and Larp Noobs, all of which were equally, delightfully glowing, I think gives us call to describe ourselves as critically acclaimed and feel very proud. And if all that has left you wanting to experience it for yourself you are in luck!

In the next week, booking will open for our next rounds of events (end of September/beginning of October). We’ve had expressions of interest open for the last few weeks and interest has been high. If you have already signed up, you will be emailed a day before the bookings go out and then the booking links will be emailed for the currently available date that you have expressed interest in. This booking will provide the option of paying a deposit to secure your room choice, with the remainder payable a month before the event.

There are 22 guests spaces available for each event, in rooms of 2. It’s worth noting that we have one group room — Rose and Portico — which sleeps 4 and is the best value space (and happens to have great stories associated with the mask personas). So if you can get a group together — it’s definitely worth a look.

Expressions of interest are still open, so if you want a chance to be in the select group to experience this unique, magical event, sign up.