By the End of Us
Created with Block Stop
Role: Creative Director & Co-Producer
When: June 2015 & November 2016
Where: Southwark Playhouse
What: Ilayda was part of the team who created and co-produced the show from scratch - including all elements of creative research and development, writing, rehearsals and direction. This project also involved writing and submitting funding applications to Arts Council England, spearheading press & marketing, casting and production coordination. In 2015 By the End of Us won the Deutsche Bank Award for Creative Enterprise.
About:
Mia Culper is an assassin. She must navigate a series of underground chambers to find and terminate her target.
By the End of Us is a live-action-video-game with two different experiences.
The Single Player - You are Mia's Contact. You sit in a private room in front of a monitor where you receive Mia’s live feed. It is your responsibility to communicate with her and guide her through the mission. You make the decisions, you call the shots - can you ensure she finds and eliminates the target?
The Multi Player - You view Mia’s live feed on large screens and help determine the success or failure of her mission. Armed with secret intel, hidden agendas and electronic keypads, you, and those around you, collectively decide on key moments within the game. Your allegiance is up for grabs - your choices mean the difference between life and death, between winning and losing.
Credits:
Design and creation - Ilayda Arden, Oli Back, Melanie Grossenbacher, Daniel Thompson
Technical operation - Oli Back, Xander Edwards, Melanie Grossenbacher, Matt Henry
Performed by - Ilayda Arden, Xander Edwards, Melanie Grossenbacher, Kal Sabir, Daniel Thompson
Sound Design - Xander Edwards
"Block Stop are creating an even closer bond between audience and actor" - Dan Damon, BBC Radio 4
"It's not often you see something that feels genuinely different, executed in a modern and innovative way" - British Theatre
"Block Stop are definitely ones to keep an eye on" - A Younger Theatre
By The End of Us Trailer